Taken from the book “Saint John Paul The Great: His Five Loves” ~ Jason Evert
“Saint Maximilian Kolbe points out: ‘True knowledge of the Immaculata can only be acquired in prayer. The purer a soul is, the greater efforts it makes to avoid sin. . . the more and better will it get to know the Immaculata’.
If one was to ask John Paul why his pontificate was so fruitful, he would have unhesitatingly affirmed that it was due to the entrustment of his papacy to the Virgin Mary. Through her maternal mediation, God chose to do marvelous things. In countless ways, she reciprocated John Paul’s gift of self by giving herself to him.
. . .Years later in (his book) Crossing the Threshold of Hope, John Paul said, ‘The victory, if it comes, will come through Mary. . . . Christ will conquer through her, because He wants the Church’s victories now and in the future to be linked to her.‘
John Paul’s deep Marian piety is best expressed not by stories of theological reasoning, but the words of the following prayer he wrote, entitled ‘Totus Tuus’:
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.
Amen.”
John Paul’s papal motto was Totus Tuus. It is a shortened version of the phrase;
Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt ~ I am all yours, and all that is mine is yours.
Originally posted 2014-12-01 23:06:48.
This is my sort of article to read! Lines from the great Saints, daily meditations! Thanks Sarah 🙂