Mother Mary, dear Immaculate Conception, we're all yours!

I had originally titled this post "Totus Tuus," but it was feeling a bit high falutin' to start things off in Latin after our recent forays into French. And simply, this is a short, happy post to say:

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

We're in! It's consecration day, and what love we will experience from now onward in the arms of Our Lady, under her mantle, close to little Jesus and His dear ones Therese and Marcel! 

You can see in the portrait above that Mary's holding a bunch of grapes. And do you notice how Jesus looks ready to pluck them? Wait, how can she be holding grapes when she's supposed to be holding us? Well, there's only one way I can see: Those grapes are us! And as to that darling little Jesus, I can only add: May He pluck us soon! 

I hope I sound very clever, but once again (really it's what I do, day in and day out), I'm just stealing good copy from Therese (and/or Marcel, the second Therese, but in this case, from the original).

Because as it happened, our sister had a word or two to say about grapes - just about the best words ever and one more reason I love her.

Her own older sister Pauline (Mother Agnes, who must then be our older sister too, since the sister of our sister . . .) wrote down everything Therese said during her last days on earth. And one day, Pauline tells us in Last Conversations, after our little sister had offered a cluster of grapes to the Infant Jesus, she (Therese) said:

"I offered Him these grapes to give Him the desire to take me, for I believe I'm this type."

Pauline continues: "The skin wasn't hard and it was very golden; tasting one grape, she said: Yes, this is my type!"

Ah, thin skinned, a beautiful color, and so tasty - that would be us, little Master and Miss Marcels!

Purple grapes or golden, in suffering and in joy, we're all Mary's now, and she has no other plan than to offer us to little Jesus. Her hand holds us up, His rests upon us from above, and need I say it?

No more worrying about anything, any more, ever! She's got us, He's got us, and we can trust them to never let us down.

We hardly need to pray, we're so closely embraced by Mother and Son, but let's do it anyhow, in thanksgiving, in petition, in utter abandonment of ourselves and all we are, all we have, all we have done and will do, and all those we love (which on a day of such superlative Love and Grace is absolutely everyone!) :

Draw me, we will run!

And for France today and ever after:

      Lord Jesus, have compassion on France.
                                     Graciously hold it tightly in your love and show it much tenderness.
                                     So ordain things that, full of love for you, it contributes to make you loved
                                     in all the nations on earth.
                                     O Love of Jesus, we now promise to remain always faithful to you
                                     and to work with a heart on fire to spread your reign throughout the universe.
                                                                                                                                           Amen.

If you want to pray our prayer in French, as Jesus asked Marcel to do (with Fr. Boucher's help), just scroll down to the prayer card that tops the next post. But if you're too tired, just ask Mary to say it for you - I'm sure her French is better, no matter how good yours is!

Happy consecration, Happy Immaculate Conception, and Happy feasting!
with tons of love from Miss Marcel, St. Therese, and Marcel.
​Because the views here do reflect those of the management (we hope!)!!