The Seven Last Words of Jesus from the Cross-Part 1: The First Word
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“The Virgin Mary is the surest, easiest, quickest, and most perfect means of reaching Jesus Christ.” Saint Louis de Montfort
A couple of summers ago, I was invited to do a Marian consecration using the book written by Father Michael Gaitley, “33 Days to Morning Glory.” I had never done a consecration, and honestly, I had no idea what it entailed nor why I needed it. Yet, whenever I receive an invitation like this out of the blue, I always think that it may be coming from God. Therefore, I bought the book and decided to give it a try. I was hooked from the first page. I was also recommended to look up the videos of Kitty Cleveland to guide me in my spiritual pilgrimage. It was a tremendous help. I committed myself to the 33-day journey and consecrated myself to Jesus through Mary on August 15, 2023, the feast of the Assumption of Mary.
The following year, I did a consecration to the Eucharist during Lent, using Matthew Kelly’s book “33 Days to Eucharistic Glory.” And immediately afterwards, I was invited to do a consecration to Jesus through St. Joseph, using the book written by Father Donald Calloway, “Consecration to St. Joseph.” This one I did as part of a group. Even though we did the readings and watched the videos on our own, we would meet once a week through Zoom to share our progress and encourage each other.
I joined this group once again to renew my Marian consecration on December 8, 2024, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. If doing the Marian consecration on my own was wonderful, renewing it with the “Consecrati” group took it to a completely different level. I already loved our Mama Mary, but after renewing my consecration, my relationship with her deepened to the point that she is now an essential ingredient in my daily life.
People ask me, “Why do you need to do a consecration to Mary or Joseph? Shouldn’t the consecration be to Jesus?” The answer is that we are indeed consecrating ourselves to Jesus, but Mary and Joseph, who are Jesus’ parents, lead us to Him. They are equipped in a special way to help us grow in holiness. There are no better persons to bring us closer to Jesus.
I will be renewing my Marian Consecration again on December 8th, and I would like for you to join me in this spiritual pilgrimage. Yes, you can do the consecration on your own, but I find that it is more helpful to do it with a group, because of the benefit of being able to pray and process your reflections with others. The group that I joined last year when I did the St. Joseph consecration has grown so much that now we have a website where you can sign up to join us in the next consecration. The 33-day journey begins on November 5th. Here’s the link to the website: https://www.consecrati.com/
As I navigate the storms of life, I have found that the times I have dedicated to the different consecrations, away from the noise and distractions of the world, have helped me find clarity, purpose, and peace. I have found solace in the whispers of His voice. I am offering you this gift -a sacred journey that will bring you closer to God. I encourage you to join us because as you consecrate yourself to Jesus through Mary, you will find the strength to navigate the tumultuous seas of life and the courage to walk confidently in His light.
Copyright © 2025 Christy Romero. All rights reserved. If you thought of someone while reading this, bless them by sharing it with them.
My name is Christy Romero and I am a cradle Catholic. I met my husband, Rafael, 46 years ago on a Youth Encounter, and we got married four years later. We have three young adult children who are all happily married, and two grandsons that have stolen our hearts. Even though I have always loved writing, God took me on a different career path. I graduated with a degree in Accounting in 1986, and thirty years ago, I established my practice to help small businesses and individuals with their tax filings. Last year, I decided to retire to spend more time with my growing family, and to dedicate more time to writing. I created a blog to share my meditations ten years ago, and I have a faithful following of family and friends. Now, I feel God urging me to share the Good News of the Church that He established over 2,000 years ago with a larger audience. In the words of St. Teresa of Calcutta: “I am just a little pencil in the hand of a writing God sending a love letter to the world.” You can find more of my writings at https://christysmeditations.blogspot.com/
