I take you as my Mother...

 An unexpected gift of this season of "pandemic" has been the gift of time. When schedules abruptly cleared, home became the sanctuary it was always meant to be. Many of us tackled projects, resurrected old hobbies, started new ones, and found ways to cherish the ordinary days.

My children and I have been cherishing the days of the Easter season by going through a Marian Consecration using a book for children by Carrie Gress.

For 34 days we've gathered each evening to read the day's passage, talk through the discussion questions, and pray to Mary, our Mother. Together we relished the beautiful blue-on-white illustrations, took joy in connecting some of our favorite children's stories with our Catholic faith, and considered the lives of saints who had a special devotion to Our Lady. 

My children (and I) learned that you don't have to be grown-up and mighty to do beautiful things for Our Lord and His Mother. With St. Therese and her "Little Way" as an example, we can offer all of the little parts of our day for Our Lady's intentions.

Our consecration culminated yesterday on the Feast of Mary, Help of Christians. We gathered in our little playhouse-turned-chapel and took turns praying the consecration prayer. We took Mary as our Mother and asked her to always remember us as her devoted children. I made a copy of the prayer for each of us to sign and date. 

We chose to start our consecration so that it ended on the feast day of Mary, Help of Christians with the hope that we can someday soon make a pilgrimage to the Holy Hill Basilica and National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians in Wisconsin. 

Holy Hill

Every night for 34 days, sharing the beauty of Our Lady with my children. What a gift! We didn't miss a single evening. There were no school functions, no social gatherings, no 4-H meetings, no sports practices to disrupt or distract us. I know for certain we wouldn't have been able to dedicate ourselves to this consecration without the precious gift of time that God has granted us all through this "pandemic."

 

Mary, Help of Christians, ora pro nobis!