The Fruit of Her Womb: 33-Day Preparation for Total Consecration to Jesus

St. Louis de Montfort inspired a spiritual revolution in teaching us about Marian consecration and giving us a thirty-three-day plan to prepare our souls for that big step in our relationship with Jesus. In these pages, Fr. Boniface Hicks guides you through this "retreat" to help you gain a deeper trust in and childlike dependence on our loving God.

"What this consecration teaches us is that we have a sweet, loving, perfect Mother who actually wants to live in this intense relationship with us," Fr. Boniface reflects. "And so, if we accept Mary's invitation to this relationship, we will find all the healing and happiness we have always longed for."

You'll spend the first twelve days emptying yourself of the spirit of the world, followed by a week focused on self-knowledge. You'll then spend a week dedicated to knowledge of Mary before concluding the final week, centered on knowledge of Jesus.

Only ten minutes per day will produce spiritual renewal and wholehearted trust in Jesus through Mary. These short, personal chapters will show you how to:

• Allow the Blessed Mother to cherish you as a baby in her womb and rejoice in your dignity as a child of God
• Grow in patience, humility, and love (Our Lady makes it simple!)
• Deepen your faith and live out your baptismal call to holiness
• Close "escape routes" in your relationship with God and live in the freedom of total surrender
• Take refuge and receive consolation in Mary's protective care
• Realize that sufferings and difficulty point to the hope and final victory that await you

Fr. Boniface provides practical tips on opening your heart to God's grace and profoundly beautiful reflections that will lead your soul to intimate union with our Lord through our Lady. Each daily meditation includes a Scripture passage, related quotes from popes and saints, questions to guide you on your journey, and traditional prayers to prepare for Marian consecration.

This book affirms what St. Louis teaches us: that Mary's womb is the best place to be formed perfectly into saints and into Christ Himself. By contemplating Jesus through Mary, the first tabernacle of the Lord, your love of the Holy Eucharist will become more fervent, and your heart will be inflamed as you pray the Rosary and reflect on the mysteries of her Son.

Father Boniface Hicks, OSB, is a Benedictine monk of Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Since his ordination to the priesthood in 2004, he has provided spiritual direction for many men and women, including married couples, seminarians, consecrated religious, and priests, even while completing his PhD in computer science at Penn State University. He became the programming manager and an on-air contributor for We Are One Body(R) Catholic radio in 2010 and has recorded thousands of radio programs on theology and the spiritual life. Father Boniface has extensive experience as a retreat master for laity, consecrated religious, and priests. He became the director of Spiritual Formation for Saint Vincent Seminary in 2016 and has offered courses there on spiritual direction. In 2018 he became a founding contributor of the Saint Vincent Seminary Institute of Ministry Formation through which he offers teaching on the spiritual life and also provides spiritual direction formation.