Welcome to the movement of the Holy Family. This is day 13, I think, of our preparation for consecration to marry on December 8th, but since I can't even count 10 Hail Mary's, how does anyone expect me to know which

day out of 33 we're at?

So let's begin in the name of the Father and the

song in the Holy Spirit and let's call to mind all those we've promised to

pray for Mary is the sacrament of the Holy Spirit. But how do we understand what this means?

The Catechism in paragraph 1131 defines a sacrament as having three essential parts.

Sacraments are efficacious signs, instituted by Christ and life is dispensed to us.

Let's take this first part.

Sacraments are efficacious signs. This means they are signs that

make present what they signify and they make happen what they signify. A stop sign signifies that I should stop, but it cannot make me stop.

A sacrament is different. It is a sign that makes happen what it signifies.

And Mary is an efficacious sign of the Holy Spirit.

Mary is a sign of the Spirit.

She is the perfect representation of the spirit. She is the perfect representation of the maternal and

educative mission of the spirit to form Jesus in us. But Mary is also a sign that makes this maternal mission of the spirit effective.

The presence of Mary makes the mission of the spirit happen so that the spirit may form Jesus in us.

That's why when we consecrate ourselves to Mary

or turn to her in prayer as we do in the Rosary, the mission of the Holy Spirit to bring Jesus to us and

form him within us takes place.

This is why John Paul wrote,

The Rosary mystically transports us to Mary's side

as she is busy watching over the human growth of Christ in the home of Nazareth, and this enables her to train us and mold

...