Marian Consecration With Aquinas: A Nine Day Path for Growing Closer to the Mother of God

Matt Fradd and Fr Gregory Pine are 2 of my favorite people, especially when it comes to talking about St Thomas. I need to draw closer to our blessed mother and this book provided great food for meditation on who she is. I like how each chapter begins with the authors explaining what we’re about to read from St Thomas Aquinas in more modern speech, so that when we read the angelic doctor’s words we have a clearer understanding of the point he’s trying to make. I also like that most of this book focuses on the common, every day prayer, the Hail Mary. St Thomas breaks it down line by line and reveals so much more depth behind the words I’ve sort of taken for granted. It’s renewed the prayer for me.It’s also nice and short so whether you read it in one sitting or over a 9 day novena, it doesn’t feel like a huge commitment.I recommend planning on ending in one of Our Lady’s feast days, but if you do, make sure when you count backwards on a calendar, you start counting with the feast day as “1” and not the day before like I did 😂 I ended up taking a day off when I realized I had started 10 days ahead.

I liked this book. The Book of consecrated of Mary help me to come closer to my Jesus through my mother Mary.

Thank you Matt and Fr. Gregory for making me discover my true vocation as a husband father and son. Holy Mary mother of God pray for us!

“This consecration will be a bit more theological than most,” Matt Fradd warns — or promises? — in the introduction, and in the next 75 pages he delivers. But if you winced at the thought of a theological read — or if, like me, you thought that Aquinas being attached to it made it harder — I can assure you you’re in for a treat. First, it’s only nine days, so this is a consecration — a setting aside, Fradd explains in English any of my kids — ages five to 15 — can understand. And nine days is doable. It doesn’t feel impossible. And that gets the gateway to consecration propped right on open, doesn’t it?Whether you have an hour a day or five minutes, this book will introduce you to a deeper Marian devotion through the quite lovely writings of St. Thomas Aquinas who, it turns out, was brilliant enough to write in ways that non-brilliant humans can understand. Each day includes a reflection and then some Aquinas.When you’re done you may find, like I did, that you want to do it again, more slowly. Beautifully done and easily accomplished, with a side order of grace and roses.

As a convert to Catholicism, it took me awhile to appreciate the power that veneration of Mary can have in our relationship to Jesus. I got this book because of my respect for the two authors, not knowing whether I would be comfortable with the actual process. At each step, the authors articulated my own doubts and then gave persuasive reasons for resolving them. Combine their modern sensibilities with St. Thomas' wisdom, and you have a little masterpiece.

I read St. Louis de Montfort on Marian Consecration years ago. I have only read the first 2 chapters of this book so far, but it has been a great reminder of what I promised those years ago. I look forward to reading the entire book soon.