Consecration to the Immaculata - Preparation Day 7
Day Seven
Please make of me, of all my powers of soul and of my
body, of my whole life, death and eternity, whatever most
pleases you
With these words, we surrender to her our whole being,
all the faculties of the soul, namely the intellect, memory and
will, all the faculties of the body, all the senses, and each individually,
our strengths, health or infirmity. We give to her
our entire life with all its features, be they pleasant, sad, or
indifferent. To her we offer our death, at any time, in any place,
and in any way it shall befall us. We even surrender to her
all of our eternity. Indeed, we have the firm hope that only
in Heaven shall we belong to her in an incomparably more
perfect fashion. Thus, we voice the wish and prayer that she
grant that we will become more and more perfectly hers in
every aspect.
Explanation:
Hence all our consecrations are always rather an expression
of our longing, our striving towards a state which we
can never attain here on earth. All the more reason to fix
our gaze on eternity; not only because our exile will come
to an end then, because we will 'enter into the joy of the
38
Lord', but also because at that point we will really, truly forever
and ever belong to HER: fully owned by our Mother,
entirely childlike, our small hearts completely engulfed by
the flames of HER loving heart. Then we shall be allowed
to completely absorb HER love and mercy within ourselves
and love our beloved Saviour as SHE has loved HIM and
shall love HIM forever.
Spiritual reading:
Chapter: Dust Rags for the Immaculata, p. 68
**********
CHAPTER SEVEN
Dust Rags for the Immaculata
AFTER ALL THAT HAS BEEN SAID, one could get the impression
that the Knight of the Immaculata is a very important person, someone
essential, perhaps even indispensable. In order to understand the true
nature of the Knight even more precisely, therefore, it is important
to know whom the Immaculata has actually selected for this great
movement.
“When you shall have done all these things that are commanded
you, say: We are unprofitable servants,” says the Savior. “I am who
am; you are the one who is not,” said God the Father to St. Catherine
of Sienna. “God is everything; we are nothing,” explained St. John of
the Cross. “Without Me you can do nothing.” When God works in His
creation, He usually makes use of secondary causes, uses instruments,
yet in these instances all wisdom and creative power as well as the
resulting work are ultimately traced back to Him. The instrument can
boast only that it was deemed worthy of existing and of being enlisted
in God’s service.
These principles are the foundation of the Christian life. Anyone
who does not build on this foundation is building on sand, and
sooner or later his spiritual house will collapse (see Matthew 7:24).
69
Am I called to be a Knight of the Immaculata? O Mary, then you have
picked a really useless instrument!
But this does not say enough: often enough we are among those to
whom the Savior must say, “You wicked servants!” Chosen by God,
singled out and preferred to so many others, permitted to know the
truth and to be children of God, brothers and sisters of Christ, temples
of the Holy Ghost, heirs of heaven, children of Mary, we have often
been unfaithful to this lofty calling. How often? As often as we have
sinned! Many thousands of times!
These souls are chosen from among thousands to be
brides of the Sacred Heart. But when they neglect themselves,
when they seek their happiness somewhere out in the world,
instead of in front of the tabernacle, oh how much they
wound the Heart of Jesus! Yes, they wound Jesus more than
all other men.
On the cross, our Savior prayed for those who had
crucified Him, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what
they do.” But He will not be able to say that about these consecrated
souls, because they had the opportunity to come to
know Him through meditations, conferences… Accordingly,
they willingly and knowingly turn away from Him and thus
despise His love, which is the highest possible love, because it
is divine. When in earthly life someone loves another person
with all his heart and in response receives indifference, that
hurts! If worldly men, despised by those whom they love so
much, can be carried away even to the point of committing
suicide, because they cannot endure the pain, how much
70
greater pain must then the most Sacred Heart of Jesus feel,
when His infinite love is despised!1
This is what the instrument looks like, then, which the Immaculata
wishes to make use of.
Instead of using a suitable brush to paint her works of art on earth,
she makes use of a simple broom.
The one who said this was a great Saint. How much more should
we humble ourselves and with astonishment praise the incomparable
love of Mary, who even… makes use of dirty dust rags in order to
complete her work on earth!
Let us imagine that we are a paintbrush in the hand of an
infinitely accomplished painter. What does the brush have to
do in order for the most beautiful picture to appear? It must
allow itself completely to be guided. It would be ridiculous
if the paintbrush were to lecture an earthly artist and try to
correct him. But when the Eternal Wisdom, God Himself,
uses us as His instrument, then we will work well and produce
a perfect result only if we allow ourselves to be absolutely and
completely guided by Him in everything.2
Because we are nothing but instruments in the hands of the
Immaculata, we are allowed to do only what she wants from us.3
Whatever we do, even if it were a more than heroic act that
shook all the evil in the world to its very foundations, it will
1 Conference, November 4, 1938.
2 RN 11 (1932), p. 133.
3 Letter to his brother Alphonsus, dated December 8, 1920.
71
be worth something only insofar as our will is in agreement
with her will and, through her, with God’s will.4
There is a test by which someone can easily find out whether he
really is an instrument or whether he is only making a pious pretense:
contradictions and humiliations. The instrument, indeed, does not
ask about the success, about the result, because that is the master’s
business. The instrument just has to carry out the artist’s will; then,
and only then, is success and victory assured as well.
Someone who looks only at the outward appearances of
the entire work is sorely mistaken. What is important is the
interior progress. But we cannot see what is happening in the
depths of the soul. And it is a good thing that God conceals
from us the fruits of our labors; otherwise our self-love would
ruin everything. Besides, we don’t have to know about all that.
At the last judgment we will see it, and that is enough…
The Knight of the Immaculata is her property, and so it is
our duty to let ourselves be guided by her exclusively. Whether
it be through activities such as, for example, the printing of
newspapers, or through prayer, good example, whether one’s
efforts are made in common with others or scattered to the
four winds, whether here or somewhere else, whether here
on earth or in heaven, all of that is secondary. The essential
thing is to let ourselves be guided by the Immaculata, so as
to become a better, an ever more perfect instrument in her
hands. What kind of a chisel would it be that was constantly
4 RN 4 (1925), p. 26.
72
turning askew in the hands of the sculptor? He could never
complete his intended project. Or what sort of a pen would
it be that similarly resisted the hand of the writer? He would
put it down, because it would be unsuitable for his work.
Therefore let us at last stop kicking and struggling in the
hands of the Immaculata. Let us stop wanting to understand
and anticipate everything according to our own way of
thinking…
It is not our business to worry about the future, what it
will be like, how and where we will be working, for in these
matters Divine Providence guides everything, down to
the slightest details. The Immaculata knows about all this
with absolute certainty. This thought, that nothing happens
without God’s permission, ought to reassure every one of
us. The Immaculata will accomplish what she wants, and
nothing, absolutely nothing will be capable of hindering
the fulfillment of her purposes. The whole world and all
the devils can do nothing against God’s will. Let us allow
ourselves therefore to be guided by the Immaculata! And
when she sends us contradictions and humiliations, then it
is, after all, what is best for us…
On the other hand, it is an unhappy soul that does not
allow herself to be guided completely by the Immaculata, that
constantly wriggles out of her hands. The Immaculata cannot
use such a soul in order to accomplish a more important
task. Such a soul will not only be unhappy herself, discontent
73
and overly critical, but will also make everyone around her
unhappy.5
Of ourselves we can do nothing, absolutely nothing, but
with her help, in her, we will convert the whole world. We will
cast the whole world at her feet, if only we belong entirely to
her, if only we are unconditionally hers.6
5 Conference, March 8, 1940.
6 Conference, December 31, 1938.
Please make of me, of all my powers of soul and of my
body, of my whole life, death and eternity, whatever most
pleases you
With these words, we surrender to her our whole being,
all the faculties of the soul, namely the intellect, memory and
will, all the faculties of the body, all the senses, and each individually,
our strengths, health or infirmity. We give to her
our entire life with all its features, be they pleasant, sad, or
indifferent. To her we offer our death, at any time, in any place,
and in any way it shall befall us. We even surrender to her
all of our eternity. Indeed, we have the firm hope that only
in Heaven shall we belong to her in an incomparably more
perfect fashion. Thus, we voice the wish and prayer that she
grant that we will become more and more perfectly hers in
every aspect.
Explanation:
Hence all our consecrations are always rather an expression
of our longing, our striving towards a state which we
can never attain here on earth. All the more reason to fix
our gaze on eternity; not only because our exile will come
to an end then, because we will 'enter into the joy of the
38
Lord', but also because at that point we will really, truly forever
and ever belong to HER: fully owned by our Mother,
entirely childlike, our small hearts completely engulfed by
the flames of HER loving heart. Then we shall be allowed
to completely absorb HER love and mercy within ourselves
and love our beloved Saviour as SHE has loved HIM and
shall love HIM forever.
Spiritual reading:
Chapter: Dust Rags for the Immaculata, p. 68
**********
CHAPTER SEVEN
Dust Rags for the Immaculata
AFTER ALL THAT HAS BEEN SAID, one could get the impression
that the Knight of the Immaculata is a very important person, someone
essential, perhaps even indispensable. In order to understand the true
nature of the Knight even more precisely, therefore, it is important
to know whom the Immaculata has actually selected for this great
movement.
“When you shall have done all these things that are commanded
you, say: We are unprofitable servants,” says the Savior. “I am who
am; you are the one who is not,” said God the Father to St. Catherine
of Sienna. “God is everything; we are nothing,” explained St. John of
the Cross. “Without Me you can do nothing.” When God works in His
creation, He usually makes use of secondary causes, uses instruments,
yet in these instances all wisdom and creative power as well as the
resulting work are ultimately traced back to Him. The instrument can
boast only that it was deemed worthy of existing and of being enlisted
in God’s service.
These principles are the foundation of the Christian life. Anyone
who does not build on this foundation is building on sand, and
sooner or later his spiritual house will collapse (see Matthew 7:24).
69
Am I called to be a Knight of the Immaculata? O Mary, then you have
picked a really useless instrument!
But this does not say enough: often enough we are among those to
whom the Savior must say, “You wicked servants!” Chosen by God,
singled out and preferred to so many others, permitted to know the
truth and to be children of God, brothers and sisters of Christ, temples
of the Holy Ghost, heirs of heaven, children of Mary, we have often
been unfaithful to this lofty calling. How often? As often as we have
sinned! Many thousands of times!
These souls are chosen from among thousands to be
brides of the Sacred Heart. But when they neglect themselves,
when they seek their happiness somewhere out in the world,
instead of in front of the tabernacle, oh how much they
wound the Heart of Jesus! Yes, they wound Jesus more than
all other men.
On the cross, our Savior prayed for those who had
crucified Him, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what
they do.” But He will not be able to say that about these consecrated
souls, because they had the opportunity to come to
know Him through meditations, conferences… Accordingly,
they willingly and knowingly turn away from Him and thus
despise His love, which is the highest possible love, because it
is divine. When in earthly life someone loves another person
with all his heart and in response receives indifference, that
hurts! If worldly men, despised by those whom they love so
much, can be carried away even to the point of committing
suicide, because they cannot endure the pain, how much
70
greater pain must then the most Sacred Heart of Jesus feel,
when His infinite love is despised!1
This is what the instrument looks like, then, which the Immaculata
wishes to make use of.
Instead of using a suitable brush to paint her works of art on earth,
she makes use of a simple broom.
The one who said this was a great Saint. How much more should
we humble ourselves and with astonishment praise the incomparable
love of Mary, who even… makes use of dirty dust rags in order to
complete her work on earth!
Let us imagine that we are a paintbrush in the hand of an
infinitely accomplished painter. What does the brush have to
do in order for the most beautiful picture to appear? It must
allow itself completely to be guided. It would be ridiculous
if the paintbrush were to lecture an earthly artist and try to
correct him. But when the Eternal Wisdom, God Himself,
uses us as His instrument, then we will work well and produce
a perfect result only if we allow ourselves to be absolutely and
completely guided by Him in everything.2
Because we are nothing but instruments in the hands of the
Immaculata, we are allowed to do only what she wants from us.3
Whatever we do, even if it were a more than heroic act that
shook all the evil in the world to its very foundations, it will
1 Conference, November 4, 1938.
2 RN 11 (1932), p. 133.
3 Letter to his brother Alphonsus, dated December 8, 1920.
71
be worth something only insofar as our will is in agreement
with her will and, through her, with God’s will.4
There is a test by which someone can easily find out whether he
really is an instrument or whether he is only making a pious pretense:
contradictions and humiliations. The instrument, indeed, does not
ask about the success, about the result, because that is the master’s
business. The instrument just has to carry out the artist’s will; then,
and only then, is success and victory assured as well.
Someone who looks only at the outward appearances of
the entire work is sorely mistaken. What is important is the
interior progress. But we cannot see what is happening in the
depths of the soul. And it is a good thing that God conceals
from us the fruits of our labors; otherwise our self-love would
ruin everything. Besides, we don’t have to know about all that.
At the last judgment we will see it, and that is enough…
The Knight of the Immaculata is her property, and so it is
our duty to let ourselves be guided by her exclusively. Whether
it be through activities such as, for example, the printing of
newspapers, or through prayer, good example, whether one’s
efforts are made in common with others or scattered to the
four winds, whether here or somewhere else, whether here
on earth or in heaven, all of that is secondary. The essential
thing is to let ourselves be guided by the Immaculata, so as
to become a better, an ever more perfect instrument in her
hands. What kind of a chisel would it be that was constantly
4 RN 4 (1925), p. 26.
72
turning askew in the hands of the sculptor? He could never
complete his intended project. Or what sort of a pen would
it be that similarly resisted the hand of the writer? He would
put it down, because it would be unsuitable for his work.
Therefore let us at last stop kicking and struggling in the
hands of the Immaculata. Let us stop wanting to understand
and anticipate everything according to our own way of
thinking…
It is not our business to worry about the future, what it
will be like, how and where we will be working, for in these
matters Divine Providence guides everything, down to
the slightest details. The Immaculata knows about all this
with absolute certainty. This thought, that nothing happens
without God’s permission, ought to reassure every one of
us. The Immaculata will accomplish what she wants, and
nothing, absolutely nothing will be capable of hindering
the fulfillment of her purposes. The whole world and all
the devils can do nothing against God’s will. Let us allow
ourselves therefore to be guided by the Immaculata! And
when she sends us contradictions and humiliations, then it
is, after all, what is best for us…
On the other hand, it is an unhappy soul that does not
allow herself to be guided completely by the Immaculata, that
constantly wriggles out of her hands. The Immaculata cannot
use such a soul in order to accomplish a more important
task. Such a soul will not only be unhappy herself, discontent
73
and overly critical, but will also make everyone around her
unhappy.5
Of ourselves we can do nothing, absolutely nothing, but
with her help, in her, we will convert the whole world. We will
cast the whole world at her feet, if only we belong entirely to
her, if only we are unconditionally hers.6
5 Conference, March 8, 1940.
6 Conference, December 31, 1938.