Totus Tuus

Hello, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ! My name is Adelaine Nohara. I’m a candidate for the vocation of consecrated virginity in the world, and I am thrilled to be with you as the new Director of Spirituality for Our Lady of the Rosary Shrine.

Many years ago, while visiting Martyr’s Shrine in Midland, I encountered a beautiful young Polish priest in the confessional. In his thick Polish accent he asked me, “What is the purpose of our Catholic Faith?” I said something about loving God and getting to Heaven. Smiling, he answered, “Yes…and no. Union with God. That is the purpose of all our Communions: It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” These words made a profound impression on me. I felt like I was being spoken to by a young Karol Wojtyla – the man who became the great Pope St. John Paul II.

I love John Paul II deeply and look to him as my spiritual “Papa”. His theological contributions to the life of the Church are incredible, yet his towering intellect and charismatic personality found their inspiration and direction in an unpretentious spirituality: True devotion to Mary, lived according to the teaching of St. Louis De Montfort. Union with Mary was the characteristic of John Paul II’s interior life. His episcopal motto – Totus Tuus – means Totally Yours. It signifies, “Mary, I am all yours, and all that is mine is yours.”

Now, if the purpose of our Catholic Faith is union with God, why would St. Louis de Montfort, Pope St. John Paul II and a plethora of other saints devote themselves to the practice of union with Mary?

The saints sought union with Mary because Our Lady is an arrow that points us to Jesus. The Word of God was conceived within her immaculate womb, and loved by her during every moment of His earthly existence. There is no space between Mary’s spirit and the Holy Spirit; her love is God’s love, her will is God’s will, her affections are God’s affections. Having accompanied her Son from the cradle to the Cross, she knows His Sacred Heart better than anyone, enabling her to teach us how to love Him with the purity He desires…and Jesus WANTS us to come to Him through her. With the words, “Behold your mother!” (John 19:26), Jesus entrusted all of humanity to Our Lady’s care at the foot of the Cross. Her spiritual mission is to mother us into the life of His Kingdom – a life of union with God.

The closer we are to Mary, the closer she will lead us to Jesus. It’s really that simple! This is why we pray the Rosary – the beautiful prayer composed of twenty mysteries which Popes have called “the Gospel on a string.” Over the coming months, we will be reflecting on the various fruits of the mysteries of the Rosary, beginning with humility – the virtue Our Lady lived in the mystery of The Annunciation.

As we meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary, we are invited to ponder the virtues of Jesus and Mary, that the fruits of the mysteries may come down into our hearts. I invite you to ask yourself this question: Does my praying of the Rosary help me live the fruits of the mysteries each day?

If you are struggling to incarnate the fruits of the mysteries in your daily life, you may find the following method of meditation helpful:

As you recite the Our Father for each decade, ask yourself: What is happening in this mystery?
As you recite the first five Hail Mary’s of each decade, ask yourself: How is the fruit of the mystery being lived in this mystery?
As you recite the last five Hail Mary’s of each decade, ask yourself: How can I live the fruit of this mystery in the unique circumstances of my life?
As you pray the Glory Be of each decade, ask God for the strength to glorify Him by living the fruit of the mystery you have just contemplated.

As we cleave to Our Lady and meditate on her virtues, she will mould our hearts according to the pattern of her Immaculate Heart, cultivating her virtues within us. With every Rosary we pray, may we allow her to take us by the hand and lead us into perfect union with God.