The act of consecrating oneself to the Blessed Virgin Mary is a venerable tradition in the Catholic Church.  It has been promoted by many saints, St. Louis de Montfort being one of the more popular proponents.  But consecration to Mary is also greatly misunderstood, especially by non-Catholic Christians.

Simply put, when a person consecrates oneself to Mary, that person decides to entrust his or her very life to Mary’s care, protection, and guidance.  Consecration is the act of placing oneself in Mary’s hands and heart and trusting that she will teach and form us, that she will lead us closer to Jesus, and that she will help us to live God’s plan; in short, that she will help us to become saints.

Objections are often raised to this act of piety: Is it not idolatry to entrust oneself to Mary who is only a human being?  Why should we consecrate ourselves to Mary when the only person to whom we should “belong” is God Himself?

My answer to this objection is one that is very simple, so simple that a child can understand it; and therein lies the beauty of the act of consecration to Mary: it is simple yet powerful.

As Christians, we are called to imitate Jesus Christ.  Entrusting oneself to Mary, then, is a way to imitate Jesus; for Christ literally entrusted Himself to Mary’s care: He was formed in her womb, under her heart.  When a person spiritually consecrates oneself to Mary, he or she is simply imitating what Jesus literally did: as Christ gave Himself to Mary, so too can we give ourselves to her.

In His humanity, Jesus allowed Himself to be taught and formed.  Mary (and Joseph) taught Him how to pray, how to do acts of kindness for others; they taught Him the Torah.  So, too, will Mary teach and form us.  By entrusting ourselves to her care, she will lead us closer to her Son; she will teach us how to pray and how to love Him more.

Consecration to Mary is not idolatry; it is perfect imitation of Jesus.

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