Two thousand years ago, Jesus looked down from the cross, where he hung under the weight of our sins, and “saw His mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby…He said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.” (John 19:26-27)

Seventeen hundred years later, St. Louis de Montfort’s deep desire to meet Jesus in a deeper way by ‘taking Mary into his home’ led him to write what would be considered one of the most influential documents on the Church’s consecration to Mary, Mother of God. From it came a phrase that many still cling to today: “Totus Tuus”, or “Totally Yours”, which was the heart of Montfort’s prayer:

“Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt. Accipio te in mea omnia.
  Praebe mihi cor tuum, Maria”

“I belong entirely to you, and all that I have is yours. I take you for my all.
O Mary, give me your heart.”

Four years after its completion, amidst Montfort’s passing and the chaos of the French Revolution, that manuscript went missing.

Amazingly, St. Louis de Montfort had foreseen this happening. He wrote: “…raging beasts will come in fury to tear to pieces with their diabolical teeth this little book…or they will cause it at least to lie hidden in the darkness and silence of a chest and so prevent it from seeing the light of day.” For 130 years, the book did indeed remain in darkness.

In 1842, a priest and librarian at the motherhouse of The Daughters of Wisdom in France discovered the handwritten document among the old volumes stored there. Realizing the treasure he had stumbled upon, he saw it published a year later, though it was obviously missing sections and important references - yet another fulfillment of Montfort’s prediction that the devil would seek to “tear it to pieces” as he caused it to “lie hidden”.

“Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Mother”, or “True Devotion to Mary”, as it was called, went on to be read and absorbed by many. It is no wonder that evil would shudder and attempt to shrink the impact of such a spiritually significant composition. The idea that one could draw closer to Jesus through a consecration to Mary, just as He had instructed his beloved disciple to do, was a dangerous one for any who would want to separate souls from their Savior.

In fact, just over 100 years post-publication, “Totus Tuus” became the motto of Pope John Paul II’s papacy. Although St. John Paul II had been devoted to Mary even as a child, wearing a scapular at age 10 and pilgrimaging to a nearby shrine to pray, he credited St. Louis Montfort’s work, which he discovered in his 20’s, with opening a new understanding of the relationship between Christ, Mary, and the Church: “I was already convinced that Mary leads us to Christ, but at that time I began to realize also that Christ leads us to His Mother” (St. John Paul II).

St. John Paul II believed, for himself and for the Church, that a close relationship with Mary led to a closer relationship with Christ: “By her complete adherence to the Father's will, to his Son's redemptive work, and to every prompting of the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary is the Church's model of faith and charity. Thus she is a ‘preeminent and . . . wholly unique member of the Church’; indeed, she is the 'exemplary realization’ (typus) of the Church.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 967).

In giving ourselves to Mary, we are not holding ourselves back from Christ. Much in the same way that pouring love out for a new child does not steal that love from his or her siblings, but rather amplifies it, devotion to Mary does not reduce the amount of love and oneness we can feel with Jesus, but instead gives a direct path to the heart that he so abundantly poured out to His Mother. How could drawing closer to the one who accepted the Incarnate birth distance us from God? How could loving Mary possibly steal away any affection we have for He who loved her first?

“…From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me - holy is His name.” (Luke 1:48-49)

She is blessed because He is holy. When we emulate the Mother of God, we prepare a place for Jesus to come into our lives. When we give Our Lady our all, Totus Tuus, we are taken to the foot of the cross and then directly into the throne room of heaven.

St. John Paul II Prayer:

Totus Tuus

Totally yours,
Immaculate Conception, Mary my Mother,
Live in me, Act in me,
Speak in me and through me,
Think your thoughts in my mind,
Love through my heart,
Give me your dispositions and feelings,
Teach, lead me and guide me to Jesus,
Correct, enlighten and expand my thoughts and behavior,
Possess my soul,
Take over my entire personality and life, replace it with Yourself,
Incline me to constant adoration,
Pray in me and through me,
Let me live in you and keep me in this union always.