11/05/2026
AD JESUM PER MARIAM ๐น๐น๐นโจ
(To Jesus through Mary)
๐ ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฎ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐.
I didn't grow up with her.
No rosary worn around the wrist.
No image on the nightstand.
(The way some ladies I know had since they were little girls, the ones who would talk to her like she was already family.)
That wasn't me.
The closest I came was when her image would visit our home for a week, passing door to door through our neighborhood so each family could pray before her.
And then she'd move on to the next house.
And so, in a way, did I.
The enemy had been lying to me for years, telling me my own mother never really loved me. I know now how absurd that is, but I believed it.
I let it grow into something called a "mother wound."
๐ผ๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ช๐จ๐ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐ง๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐ข๐ค๐ข ๐ฌ๐๐จ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ช๐ก๐ฉ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ช๐ก, ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐๐ค ๐ก๐ค๐ซ๐๐จ ๐ข๐ ๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ก๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐๐ก๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ค ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฌ๐๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ก.
How do you open your heart to a Mother when you've never felt safe with the idea of one?
When I returned to my Catholic faith, I decided to do something I had never done before.
๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐บ๐๐๐ฒ๐น๐ณ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐ ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฎ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐.
A consecration is an act of total surrender.
It is saying to God: I am yours. Take everything. My will, my plans, my distractions, my pride. Use me.
๐ผ๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ค๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ค ๐๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ, ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ค ๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ฉ ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐จ, ๐ฌ๐๐ค๐จ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐จ ๐ ๐๐๐ผ๐!
I spent 33 days preparing, using Fr. Michael Gaitley's book "33 Days to Morning Glory."
Each week, Fr. Gaitley walks you through the Marian spirituality of four great saints:
โคโ๐ฅ St. Louis de Montfort, who gave us the very tradition of consecration.
โคโ๐ฅ St. Maximilian Kolbe, who helped us understand what it truly means to belong to the Immaculate.
โคโ๐ฅ St. Mother Teresa, who lived entirely to quench Jesus' thirst for souls.
โคโ๐ฅ St. John Paul II, whose Totus Tuus ("totally yours") was not just a motto but a life.
The consecration is not about Mary as the destination.
She is the road.
๐ฆ๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ป.
๐ก๐ผ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ป ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ.
Like what St. Maximilian Kolbe said, โ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐น๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ด๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ผ ๐บ๐๐ฐ๐ต. ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ.โ
And when my consecration day finally came, December 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, something in me finally broke open.
I spent some time reflecting on the miracle on Tepeyac Hill, where Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego and left her image miraculously imprinted on his tilma (cloak).
After that encounter, ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ ๐ฒ๐
๐ถ๐ฐ๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ต๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ.
She showed up for one man, and changed an entire world.
But what really broke me open was something she said to Juan Diego when he was afraid and ready to give up.
"๐๐บ ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ผ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ?"
I couldn't breathe when I read that.
Because I was the one who kept my distance. I was the one who thought I didn't deserve a heavenly mother.
But she never left.
She was quietly present in my life all along, loving me even when I didn't acknowledge her, even when
I didn't know her the way I know her now.
She didn't wait for me to be ready.
She just waited for me.
I haven't been the same since.
๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ'๐ ๐๐ฎ๐, ๐ ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฎ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐!
Thank you for being the mother I didn't know I needed. Thank you for waiting for me, for not giving up on me even when I was far. Thank you for taking everything I placed in your hands and bringing it to your Son. I love you. Pray for us.
Totus Tuus. Totally yours. ๐
๐ Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Chapel
