Q&A: There are so many different forms of “consecrations” in the Church, and quite a few of these are consecrations to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It gets kind of confusing to know which of them to choose, or for that matter, if any of them are really necessary. What’s so special about the Montfort form of consecration and how does it compare with the others?
Fr. James McMillan, SMM
Submitted by: JC, New York, NY
Montfort’s Consecration: . . .
The word “consecration” simply means making something sacred by referring it in a special way to God. We speak, for instance, of the consecrated ground in a cemetery: ground that has been especially blessed for burial purposes. The chalice used at Mass is set aside for the purpose of divine worship; it would be unfitting to use it for any other reason.
The different consecrations that you refer to are, for the most part, reminders of our union with God and prayers that God will help us to make that union closer. We are already consecrated to God through our Baptism which has united us to Christ in His Mystical Body. In any of these consecrations, we renew that dedication to God and determine to live up to our baptismal promises.
. . . What’s the Difference?
All of this applies, of course, to the Montfort consecration as well. It is a dedication of ourselves to Christ through our Blessed Lady. It is a reaffirmation of our promises of Baptism: to renounce evil and follow Christ.
There is, however, an added feature in the Montfort consecration that is not present in the others, and this is what distinguishes it from the others. Not only does one renew and reaffirm the promises of Baptism, but he also hands over to Christ and our Blessed Lady all the value of his prayers and good works so that they can distribute that value as they see fit.
To illustrate: when we say a prayer for someone, or offer up our good works for someone, we give the value of those actions to the person we designate. If it is a prayer, let’s say, for the souls in Purgatory, then the fruits of that prayer apply to those souls, helping them in the purification that they are undergoing.
The Value of Our Good Works
But in the Montfort consecration, we leave this distribution to the Blessed Mother. We realize that she knows far better than we do how to distribute the value of our prayers and good works. We ask her to apply our spiritual riches to anyone she may choose and for any purpose she chooses.
This usually brings up the question: aren’t we leaving ourselves spiritually destitute, incapable of helping ourselves, or for that matter, helping the people that we pray for? It’s a good and valid question, but one that really arises from a sort of unconscious lack of trust in the goodness and power of our Blessed Lady.
Look at it this way: If you turned over every last cent you own to someone as wise and generous as the Blessed Mother, could you really imagine that person leaving you to starve to death? You can be sure that someone as knowledgeable and good as the Mother of God will certainly make sure that you are now better off than you were before.
The Montfort consecration calls for this kind of trust in Christ and His Blessed Mother. They know our needs and the needs of the people we pray for, and they know them far better than we do. Nobody, but nobody, is more loving, kind and generous than Christ and Our Lady. There is no possible way to outdo them in generosity.
Editor’s Note: If you wish to understand more fully the differences, listen to this Spiritual Insight: Difference between Consecration and (Montfort’s) Total Consecration (link).
