The four parts into which the book is divided form a progression from being caught up in daily happenings to moving towards oneness with Christ. The four sections are “Spirit of the World,” “Knowledge of Self,” “Knowledge of Our Lady,” and “Knowledge of Christ.”
This book of meditations, prayers, and reflections would be wonderful for any Catholic, from the one starting out in the faith to the one who has been an active member of the Church for many years. The practices of praying daily, becoming aware of the influence the spirit of the world has on us, coming to a deeper knowledge of self, then learning how to become united with Jesus through the Blessed Mother encourage a sort of retreat for the soul that is spread out over the course of several weeks.
I found it best to do the recommended prayers and reflections each day first thing in the morning. When I began my day with them, I found I’d continue meditating on what I’d read throughout the day. I’d begin to notice things in my own life I hadn’t before that related to each of the different parts of the book based on what happened during the course of the day.
The book suggests that when ready to make your consecration that you write out your own copy of the “Consecration to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom through the Blessed Virgin Mary,” sign, and date it. I recommend writing this long-hand. It really made me think about what I was saying and committing to when I took the time to write out a copy of the Consecration and sign it to save. I was thrilled when ten years after the fact I opened an envelope that had been in my mom’s attic and found the copy of my original handwritten signed and dated Consecration.
You can purchase this book here. I wrote this review of Preparation for Total Consecration for the Tiber River Blogger Review program. Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases. I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.
