Day 23 or 24 of the 33 day Consecration to Mary - Finding Peace Instead of Anxiety

Today is day 23 or 24 of the 33-day consecration to Mary, depending on whether you were ending on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. I went to confession and the priest said the Lord wanted to give me peace instead of the heaviness I had. He gave me a penance of having to breathe in, saying “Come Holy Spirit,” and breathe out, giving God the stuff that was bothering me. I was hyperventilating by the end of the day, breathing in and out deeply about all the stuff I have been thinking about…but I think there’s some peace in there somewhere. I’m grateful for a tangible project to explain how to get peace. Talking about peace and saying, “Don’t worry,” sounds very nice when you aren’t feeling stressed. And when you are feeling stressed, it can all go out the window. Saint Pio, affectionately known as Padre Pio, once said that it insulted God for us to worry. He said God is far more powerful than anything we could be worried about and that everything is going to work for the good (Romans 8:28). I do believe those things. But I appreciate that even Mary said told the 12-year old Jesus she suffered from anxiety when she couldn’t find Him. And it always impacts me to know that the first suffering in Jesus’ Passion was anxiety. The Lord has compassion and wants to defeat anxiety. This Sunday, we will hear in the second reading from Philippians 4: 6-7, “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” So, breathe in and breathe out. Say with me, “Come, Holy Spirit,” and “Bulldoze this landfill of problems.” Trust the Lord that His peace can come to guard your heart. Today, we consecrate ourselves, our families, our nation and our church. A Solemn Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Most Holy Virgin Mary, tender Mother of men, to fulfill the desires of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the request of the Vicar of Your Son on earth, we consecrate ourselves and our families to your Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, O Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and we recommend to You, all the people of our country and all the world. Please accept our consecration, dearest Mother, and use us as You wish to accomplish Your designs in the world. O Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and Queen of the World, rule over us, together with the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, Our King. Save us from the spreading flood of modern paganism; kindle in our hearts and homes the love of purity, the practice of a virtuous life, an ardent zeal for souls, and a desire to pray the Rosary more faithfully. We come with confidence to You, O Throne of Grace and Mother of Fair Love. Inflame us with the same Divine Fire which has inflamed Your own Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. Make our hearts and homes Your shrine, and through us, make the Heart of Jesus, together with your rule, triumph in every heart and home. Amen. --Venerable Pope Pius XII