"Whaddayamean consecrate?"
Before anything else, I am not saying consecration will stop you from sinning ever again. That will not happen overnight unless you and God make it so.
So... Let's talk about why I am advocating consecrating ourselves to God. Okay stop rolling your eyes or scratching your heads, everything will be explained.
I never thought I'd be saying such things too you know. 😂 If somebody told me, maybe two years or even a decade ago, that I'd be writing about these topics now I might have found them weird or laughed in their faces. Like WTF. 🤣 God moves in mysterious ways dear reader. 😉
Disclaimer: I am not an expert in Catholicism but I was born, raised and live as a Catholic. Also, I went to a Catholic school for 4 yrs. This post is based on a combination of my opinion, what I've been taught, learned online/offline and/or experienced.
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I'm Back to Reading Books Again
Yes, it all started with a change of heart around March of 2023. I had a burning need to quench so I am back to my favorite childhood pastime.
Looking back, I stopped buying and reading books for about a decade I think. Had tsundoku prior to that so I just had to stop the useless habit. Didn't have any reason to read books anymore as everything is online. Ugh I even have tons of eBooks still unread.
The thing is, what I call my spiritual renewal happened around Lent last year so I finally had a worthy reason to buy books and read again. I even borrowed a book from a public library, whoa! 😆 If you've read any of my previous posts you'll know what I'm talking about. (Just check my blogs/posts and see for yourself)
The Value of Reading the Bible
When I was in high school, I remember I read the Bible front to back. I enjoyed the Old Testament (OT) a lot more than the New Testament (NT). Why? Because the stories seemed quite fantastic to me then.
Oh but I did have one I enjoyed a lot from the NT. My most favorite part: The Book of Revelation. Oh la laaaa, so juicy. 😍
Haven't opened the Bible as much since then. You know... work, life, sinful activities due to a prolonged period of non-confession of sins. Fast forward to me in 2023, I'm finally reading again. 😂 Hurray!
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Before 2023 ended I really began reading the Bible. 😂 At first it was just to look for quoted passages. Yeah I usually do it online but somehow I started opening a physical Bible instead. Eventually I started reading an entire "book".
I started with Acts of the Apostles because, well like I said I didn't enjoy reading NT when I was younger. Maybe I didn't even understand what I was reading. Might as well start with Acts then move forward from there and see what I think of 'em now.
So I finished Acts then watched the movie Paul, Apostle of Christ. I think the book is much better than the movie but each has it's own value. Hehe.
When I got to the Romans book, I stopped reading for a while to write this. Romans 6:11-14 jumped out to me because it clearly talks about consecrating ourselves to God.
You know, no one in my entire life has ever told me about such a thing. Nobody in my family or relatives has ever mentioned it, not even my friends. I've never even read it online ever, until I had to do it myself. It's all thanks to finding Fr. Chad Ripperger and the many wonderful Catholic content creators on YouTube. ❤️
And since I read that Bible passage, I realized it's no wonder then that St. Louis de Montfort created the 33 Days to Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary. It's the same thing as consecrating directly to Jesus, just going through Jesus' mother.
What Do You Mean By Consecrating Oneself to God?
Good question huh? I mean, why should we even think about such a thing? What is consecration to God? Is there a need for it? And where is it written or who said we should do it? Well, here's the answer I found.
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Well there it is, as you can see it is St. Paul who said it himself, Romans 6:11-14. He was the sinful man who persecuted early Christians. The guy converted when Jesus himself rebuked him. He heard Jesus, became blind and then experienced the miracle of seeing again.
Upon accepting Jesus in his life, he became a changed man. Saul became Paul, the apostle of Christ, a man who definitely offered himself to God. He is the best example of imperfection perfected through Christ.
Yes each of us makes mistakes everyday. Nobody is perfect. Our sinful nature keeps us from becoming the ultimate human being. And yet there is such a thing as turning away from our sinful nature by offering ourselves to God.
When you consecrate yourself to God it means putting your body, heart and soul or entire life in His hands. You do not own yourself, you acknowledge that you belong only to God forever and ever. His will be done.
Once consecrated, the devil does not have any control over you anymore. But of course that is until you let yourself fall once more. Our humanity is stubborn to a fault. Thus, remember to be in a constant state of grace by doing the following:
- Frequent confession. Be contrite, confess and receive absolution from priests (or pastors for Christians). Take steps in avoiding sin so you don't keep confessing the same thing over and over. 😆 Yes becoming a saint is never easy, so is traveling the road to heaven. Still, this sacrament will definitely help us stay on our quest to be sanctified.
- Never miss Sunday mass and Holy Days of Obligation. Daily mass is recommended too.
- Daily prayers. (angelus, rosary, 3 o'clock prayer, etc.)
The altar and the decorated altarpieces of the Parish of the Lord of Divine Mercy in Quezon City. I took this photo sometime in December 2023.
How to Consecrate Oneself to God
The short and simple answer is: pray. The longer response is to follow certain steps and procedures laid out by saints who've done the same.
There are many ways to do this: (1) You can DIY it, (2) Look for consecration prayers online via Catholic or church websites or (3) Look for official, established and recommended ways to do it as advised by saints and approved by the Catholic Church.
Why is it better to follow what the Catholic Church provided and recommends? Simply because it means those have been officially approved (most likely the Pope and his people), therefore it's also been approved by God. (You know, good 'ol Matthew 18:18.)
So anyway... choose which one you feel like or prefer doing.
- Consecrate to God
- Consecrate to Jesus
- Consecrate to Jesus through Mama Mary: Look for St. Maximilian Kolbe or St. Louis de Montfort
- Consecrate to Jesus through St. Joseph
After you've done it, wear something as a reminder or sign of your consecration. It can be a Miraculous Medal, the Brown Scapular, etc.
And Then What?
Prepare yourself to be the best version of yourself! Sanctification is the goal. Being a saint is the ultimate end game. Meaning: humility, humility and humility. Also obedience and love of God. (Constant reminder necessary: this process takes time.)
Yes we can start our journey to being a "secret" saint too! Afaik not all who reached the spiritual level of a saint are canonized. But again, it is all about God's will, not ours. Even if we do not become as holy as saints, there's nothing wrong with making it our goal in life.
What do you think will happen when you consecrate yourself? Well I can definitely tell you my story but that's a post for another day. Hehe. I'll end it here for now. If you have questions or concerns regarding this, feel free to ask your local priest or do some online research. 😉
Or hey why not share your thoughts about this too? Whether you've already done this or not yet, feel free to comment!
XOXO,
@artgirl