Dear Mary Jean:

I am sure the good Father was well intentioned and in some respect he may be correct depending on the circumstances.

I think the Father meant that we need to consecrate ourselves to Jesus and Mary. This means that we will live our lives, and offer up our prayers to Jesus and Mary.

But, there can be many reasons that our prayers are not answered the way we wish, that we do not achieve what we expect. One aspect is that any prayer or any activity that involves other persons can sometimes not come out because it involves the free will decisions of the other person. God does not force anyone to do anything against their will.

If we pray that the next door neighbor will do something to stop their dog from barking all night, God will not force them to do it. He can inspire them to do it, but He will not force them. Thus, despite your prayer in the name of Jesus and Mary, the dog may still bark all night because the neighbors choose to do nothing about it.

If we start a ministry that fails, it may have nothing to do with not doing it in the strength of Jesus and Mary, it may be because the people who are needed to make the ministry successful choose not to do what they needed to do despite God's prompting them. God does not intrude upon our free will.

Bottomline: Our prayers and our activities may be done in perfect prayer and fully in the power of Jesus and Mary and still not succeed. This is not because it was God's will for it to fail, but because the will of the people involved in the project did not bend to God's will.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary