This retreat prepares you to give (consecrate) your life to Mary to become more united with Jesus using the program by St. Louis De Montfort. The preparation retreat is 33 days but can be adjusted to fit your schedule.

Make the effort to offer the full 33 days to maximize your spiritual growth. I typically plan for 60 days which allows me to skip days AND remain firm in the commitment to the retreat.

Most of what you need can be found online. You can navigate the retreat here on any smart device. For a richer experience, consider purchasing some items. Plan to keep a journal to record insights and prayers.

Choose a feast day that celebrates Mary, the mother of Jesus, on which to complete your retreat and make your consecration. Then decide when to start your journey so that you can complete the preparation.

Having a friend available to share your retreat experience can help you stay focused and committed and offers an avenue to discuss the material. If you have someone you can consider a spiritual advisor, that may help with deeper questions. Or share your insights and ques ions here!

"We are all the children of our age. It is said that you cannot leave clothes in a smokey room, without them taking on the smell of smoke. Similarly, by living in an age whose spirit is radically opposed to that of Christ, it is only to be expected that most of us will become tainted by that spirit in one way or another, to a greater or lesser degree."

This period contrasts the beautiful Spirit of Christ to the Spirit of the World to help develop an awareness of how the allure of the world and effects of the Seven Capital Sins challenge our purity, constantly pulling us from the Spirit of Christ.

Use right and left arrows to navigate through reflections for this period.

Spirit of the World

Spend this period casting off the spirit of the world which is contrary to that of Jesus Christ.

Reflection

Read and reflect on the scripture passages below.  These words are from God to us today.  How do we apply these words to our daily life?  Do we ask for heavenly help each day?  What are our biggest challenges in living according to these expectations?  Let us bring our successes and our concerns to Our Father, to our guardian angels and to our many heavenly helpers.  Rest in quiet contemplation of the life God expects us to live embracing his will despite our constant struggles. – Bernadette Harmon

Matthew 5:1-19

The Beatitudes

1 When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 He began to teach them, saying:

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. 6 Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The Similies of Salt and Light

13 You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lamp stand, where it gives light to all in the house. 16 Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.

Teaching About the Law

17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Spirit of the World

Spend this period casting off the spirit of the world which is contrary to that of Jesus Christ.

Reflection

Read and reflect on the scripture passages below.  The Word of God challenges us today to make quiet offerings to God.  What offerings do we make each day?  Do we serve him quietly or publicly?  We can be confident in our service to the Lord, confident that even the smallest and least notable offering, whether it is a physical service or an act of forgiveness, is honored by him and serves his Body, the Church, and with more perfection than we can even imagine. – Bernadette Harmon

Matthew 5:47-48

47 And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? 48 So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 6:1-15

Teaching About Almsgiving

1 Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. 2 When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, 4 so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

Teaching About Prayer

5 When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. 7 In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

The Lord’s Prayer

9 This is how you are to pray:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 
10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. 
11 Give us today our daily bread;
12 and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
13 and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one.

14 If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.

This sheet is a work in progress. Click the link below to see the content at pray-every-day.com.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSlI1xrR285E