Q&A: I have been told that in one of her apparitions, Our Blessed Mother had requested the people to make the Fr. de Montfort’s total consecration, but that it was not necessary to make the long 33-day preparation which Montfort proposes. Do you believe that Our Blessed Mother would ever say this?
Father Gaffney, SMM
Question submitted by a member from Huntington, IN
Consecration …
Many of the alleged apparitions condemn themselves by the erroneous statements they attribute to Jesus and/or Mary. Our guide in the faith 1s clearly not in any apparitions, even those approved by the church. Our guide is in the Scriptures as they are lived, proclaimed and prayed by the church. Especially since you are referring to reported apparitions, any messages coming from them can well be ignored. The contemporary preaching and teaching of the Church, the celebration of the liturgy, are more than enough to bring to us the authentic mind of Christ. Even if one of these alleged apparitions receives an “approval” of the Church it does no more than what the Church herself is now living, praying, proclaiming.
… Is the 33-Day Preparation Necessary?
Your question, then, should be divorced from any alleged apparition and framed this way; Is it necessary to make the long 33-day preparation as recommended by Saint Louis de Montfort before pronouncing the total consecration to Jesus the Eternal and Incarnate Wisdom, through Mary? And the answer is that in theory (and no one lives in that never-never land of theory!) it would not be necessary. The consecration is the consecration, provided that someone makes it knowingly and willingly. It would be valid whether they made the 33-day preparation or not.
However, in the practical order (whence we all live!) it appears to be highly doubtful. Doubtful that someone could truly make such an important step in life without first preparing for it. And the best preparation is clearly the one proposed by the saint who is the teacher of total consecration. In that sense, the preparation should be considered necessary.
Moreover, Saint Louis de Montfort insists so strongly on the preparation. It is difficult to ignore it and say that we are making the de Montfort consecration. It surely is his intention that the preparation he outlines be followed. Certainly, it most must be performed for those who are making the consecration for the first time. Read the True Devotion, numbers 227-233; it leaves no doubt about the importance of the preparation.
The 33-days of spiritual exercises insures that our consecration comes from the heart. And hopefully it will mark, as it has for Pope John Paul II, a turning point in our life.
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However, in the practical order (whence we all live!) it appears to be highly doubtful. Doubtful that someone could truly make such an important step in life without first preparing for it. And the best preparation is clearly the one proposed by the saint who is the teacher of total consecration. In that sense, the preparation should be considered necessary.
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