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

by Boniface Hicks

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

Allow the Blessed Mother to cherish you as a baby in her womb and rejoice in your dignity as a child of GodGrow in patience, humility, and love (Our Lady makes it simple!)Deepen your faith and live out your baptismal call to holinessClose “escape routes” in your relationship with God and live in the freedom of total surrenderTake refuge and receive consolation in Mary’s protective care Realize that sufferings and difficulty point to the hope and final victory that await youFr. 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 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.

Genres: Spirituality, Faith, Religion, Christian, Catholic

193 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 20, 2023

Reviews

[Keith Mokry · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far, the most impactful Marian Consecration I have done. Fr. Hicks offers Scripture readings, excerpts from recent Popes and saints, and brief reflections of his own to guide one’s prayerful meditation. The book is hardly his own then, but the synthesis of Marian texts that he provides within is abundantly fertile for prayer. In this, it presents at once a modern yet also well grounded Marian spirituality that is respectful to the living tradition of the Church. I think I will need to return to many of these reflections, even outside the context of Marian Consecration.

[Chandler Penn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t recommend this enough.

[Father Paul Werley · Rating 5 out of 5]

St. Thérèse of Lisieux once remarked: “We know well that the Blessed Virgin is the Queen of heaven and earth, but she is more mother than queen! Not only is she Jesus's mother, but she is ours as well.” I am so grateful for this new and profound rendering of St. Louis de Montfort’s beloved Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary, which seems to apply the above Marian insight of the Little Flower’s to de Montfort’s approach in a manner that makes it more personal and relatable to us today without detracting in the slightest from the familiar classic. From the beautiful reflections, including those taken from recent popes and saints, (and interspersed with recognizable and exquisite sacred art), to the mix of powerful classic litanies and prayers with deeply impactful freshly inspired ones, The Fruit of Her Womb helps the soul to grow at once in the awareness of the need of and in the strength of desire and love for the gift of being held safely in the womb of this most tender and loving of Mothers next to her Divine Son. Father Boniface helps us to identify and trustingly bring before the Lord those things that hinder us from joining Him in His defenseless, utter dependency upon the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother He chose to care for and nurture His Sacred humanity, so that we may receive the same maternal care from her for the spiritual life He has freely given us. Highly highly recommend this book. Thank you, Father Boniface!

[Oguz Alhan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once again, too much high expectations because of all the praises online. Not a bad book but did we really need another simple, basic, cliche consecration book?

[Annie Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forgot to put on GoodReads. Best Marian consecration I have done. Fr Boniface’s cadence of writing is so gentle, and really paints the picture of Jesus in Mary’s womb, and His trust in her. WOULD RECOMMEND!!!!
Also there are different litanies and prayers for each week, and they are so good. Especially the litany of humility 😍

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was beautiful. 10/10 I can’t recommend it enough!!

[Stephen Duquaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve gone through various iterations of the preparation to make an act of consecration. I like that there are options now based on SLDM True Devotion. I think that I would suggest 33 Days to Morning Glory to most people. This version was good too but I really didn’t connect with the main theme which was to identify with the child Jesus in his mother Mary’s womb. None of us can relate to that experience except on a theoretical level. I get the caution to avoid talking about being a slave to Jesus, but I could t relate to this analogy either. In this book the good was the litanies which were really powerful, the daily prayer duties, the papal reflections, and the questions for prayer. I almost gave it 5 stars.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this consecration. For me personally, every day had Scripture and meditations that spoke right to the heart of what I was going through. Fr. Boniface does a masterful job of selecting the best writings from Popes (especially Benedict XVI) and saints. I also loved that there was beautiful artwork for each day!

My only critique is that Fr. Boniface's own meditations fell a little flat. I don't know if they were just too short, but I didn't feel that he succeeded in having the thread uniting this consecration be that we are meant to be formed with Jesus in the womb of Mary. It almost feels like an add-on when it's supposed to be his main theme.

I really liked how he included prayers and litanies similar to St. Louis de Montfort's original consecration while adjusting them to fit his theme and daily life (e.g., sometimes giving the option of a shorter prayer if necessary). I would say that this book felt more appropriate for those who have already taken part in Marian consecration before just because there isn't a lot of catechesis on what it means such as giving Mary the merits of all your good actions. Overall, I would use this again to renew my consecration.

[Isaiah Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Good!

Fr. Boniface shares his tender love for the Blessed Virgin Mary in this book, and inspires the reader to entrust himself, helpless but loved with tenderness, affection, and fierce maternal love by the holy Mother of God.

The prayers assigned to accompany daily reading are very enriching, and I was able to pray with them with more understanding day by day as I read through Fr. Boniface's book. I read this book as a renewal of my consecration to Jesus through Mary, and it was my 4th or 5th time going through a formal preparation. I loved it! The artwork added a nice touch for meditation. The readings from many of our contemporary voices in the Church, such as St. John Paul II and St. Teresa of Calcutta (and many others) also was a great way to encounter the love for Mary they have/had.

I would recommend this book, whether you are new to Marian devotion or already on this road...it helped me embrace my baptismal identity as a son of Mary and encounter Jesus with Mary. I will definitely keep this one on my shelf.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually prayed through this consecration Lent if 2022 but it was not yet published in this beautiful book. For someone look8 g to make the De Montfort consecration or renew their consecration made in the past, this book is a treasure. It follows the itinerary of St. Louis de Montfort with selections of writings from the popes and saints. Artwork is beautiful and ready for your reflection. Each. Day has two short readings, a reflection , artwork , and beautiful prayers to say ( listed in back) . If you are a fan of Father Boniface Hicks you will not be disappointed. I will come back and do this again.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful! I really appreciate the intentionality that Fr. Boniface had in shifting some of the language in this version of the consecration. There is a lot of beautiful artwork (although I’m not a fan of the art that depicts baby Jesus looking kind of like an old man lol) and I love that writings from popes and saints were used as well. Also pretty cool to do this consecration while pregnant myself. Would recommmed. Happy feast of OLG ❤️👑

[Megan Warnecke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally renewed my Marian consecration after 6 years! My consecration day was the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.

I appreciated this refreshing perspective on Jesus’s total reliance on his Mother through pregnancy and childhood and how that mirrors our total dependence on Jesus. Biggest take aways were to recognize my own weaknesses and failings and to run to Mary to ask for her intercession with Jesus because she will take care of me the same way she took care of Jesus.

[Bradleya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this during Lent, and having never done a consecration, it certainly positively impacted my interior life. I liked how it started with a week of emptying ourselves of the influences of the world and I enjoyed the daily reflections it included from saints and popes. The author’s guiding questions and suggestions for accompanying prayers gave it helpful structure too.

[Matthew Purt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good method of consecration for contemporary audiences and for those making their consecration for the first time.

There are some very profound insights from Fr Boniface that merit great reflection. I throughly enjoyed his consecration.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was so great to pray with and think about. The imagery of the unborn child is essential to our culture today, and Fr. Boniface wrote about it beautifully. Best Marian consecration I’ve read!

[Noah Furin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great reconfiguration of St Louis de Montfort's consecration. Moves away from language of slavery towards a more helpful image of the child in the womb.

[MacKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Marian Consecration book I’ve used.

[Mary Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Different

Totally moving way of imagining Mary bringing us closer to Jesus in our preparation for consecration to Jesus. Thank you Fr. Boniface.

[Elizabeth Sahyouni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Marian consecration I have ever done!! 100% recommend for anyone wanting to do a consecration to Jesus through Mary especially if you are a mother!

[Monica Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful

Helps you to connect with Jesus through our mother Mary. This was my first consecration and will do it again.

[Francis Gonzalez]

Best Marian Consecration I’ve done so far…