33 Days to Morning Glory

The act of waking up just as the sun is rising, haziness filling the room, eyes blinking, hair stuck to parts of my face, and the humbling thought “Where am I” racing through my head is something I have tried to romanticize for the past week and a half. The numbers I set on my alarm each night seem to taunt me with the knowledge that they will be the first thing I see when I awake and I will loth the sight.

Deciding to do something that you know will deliberately remove a certain comfort or habit, which you wouldn’t necessarily consider a vice, but which you would also probably not feel comfortable abstaining from, is how I felt about the initial suggestion of limiting the amount of time I could sleep in each morning. This suggestion was courtesy of my friend, who also suggested that we consecrate ourselves to Our Lady at the start of this academic semester. 

This had been something I had been interested in doing for some time, but never had the kind of accountability to go through with it until she proposed we do it together. Very often I experience strong desires to do similar things of this magnitude, but will then find myself trying to figure out ways to make the experience fit into my life more seamlessly by cutting corners or adapting the experience to best fit my comfort level. The discipline and dedication or heart required to complete the process of consecration seemed completely unattainable to me until she decided that we would do it together. 

This all sounded great, I finally had the accountability to keep me on track and see through what I set out to accomplish. However, when she told me she planned to do the daily readings and prayers early in the morning, I immediately doubted my ability to complete the consecration. The feeling that I was setting myself up for another disappointment crept into my subconscious. There was no way of easing myself out of waking up early, I was trapped. It's never until the things we use to bring us comfort are taken away that we realize how vulnerable we are without them. I understand this is a dramatic way of referring to sleeping in, but that is how I felt at the moment, vulnerable to the possibility of failing if I wasn’t able to keep the thing that brings me so much earthly comfort. 

But as each morning starts anew, and I find myself leaving my bed before the sun has even fully risen, I have found greater comfort in the feeling that action has given me. Not physical comfort, which has never improved after all these mornings, but rather spiritual comfort which sets one’s soul on fire and allows for any human needs or desires to be fulfilled. And while the very human longing to not go through with the act of rising early is still ever-present, the longing to grow close to Our Lady is the victorious feeling that wins out over any temporary one. 

Just as a loving parent watches over their young child trying to make their way in the world, so too does Our Lady watch over us with the same intense love. When I was little, I thought to show my Blessed Mother I loved her, that I needed to do things worthy of her praises, and only then will I find favor in her. However, this process of Consecration has made clear to me the love she has for all of her children is equal, and even if I were to end my Consecration right now, her love would not waver. We needn’t move mountains to impress Jesus and His Mother but rather resolve ourselves to remain simple of faith, forever holy and trusting in Him. This has been an enlightening realization because I have found myself, more than once since the start of these 33 days, feeling prideful of what I am choosing to partake in and imagining myself on a higher heavenly pedestal in the eyes of Mary, the sinful arrogance of someone who struggles to humble themselves. Reading and praying along with the 33 Days to Morning Glory book alone will not bolster anyone to sainthood, rather it should be seen as a stepping stone used to help to continue on your journey to holiness by fully entrusting yourself to Our Blessed Mother. By reading and writing from and about some of the greatest saints, such as Mother Theresa, St. Maximilian Kolbe, and St. John Paul II, in this book, I have found myself continually inspired and energized by their accounts of answering God’s call to them and doing so by first entrusting in His Mother. 

 As children, we are required to do nothing to be loved, just as a newborn baby is loved without reserve, simply for existing, this is how Mary views us. But she does desire us to align our wills with her son’s which does require us to make an effort towards do what is pleasing to Him. Comfortability in faith, while certainly not inherently bad, may prevent people, as it did for me, from actually realizing the plan that Christ may have for your life. By remaining stagnant and refusing to challenge myself I was never able to improve my spiritual life. Committing to 33 Days to Morning Glory and waking early every morning, has been the first thing to truly help improve me so that I may better live out the life He has planned for me here below. Although I won't be down with the process of consecration for several weeks, I recommend this sacred action to anyone stuck feeling like their relationship with Jesus is one-sided or that their prayers are not being heard, Jesus is the biggest momma’s boy ever and growing closer to Him may first require getting close with the woman who knew Him the best. I also want to add that while Mary is often seen as a Saint that only women can grow close to due to the embodiment of perfect feminine virtues, this is very untrue because she is ultimately the greatest boy mom who ever lived and desires greatly for all her sons to call upon her wherever in need. While our lives may be finite, heaven is eternal and each morning is a moment for me to partake in this heavenly glory through these 33 days which I have found is worth getting up early for.

February 2025