Day 22
Totus Tuus — “Totally Yours.”
Today, Fr. Gaitley shares a powerful moment in the life of St. John Paul II — the assassination attempt on May 13, 1981, the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. As the pope lay bleeding in St. Peter’s Square, he later said, “One hand fired the bullet, another guided it.” That “other hand,” he firmly believed, was Mary’s. She had saved his life.
This dramatic moment reveals the depth of John Paul’s Marian devotion, embodied in his papal motto: Totus Tuus — “Totally Yours.” This wasn’t just a phrase; it was a lifelong commitment to Jesus through Mary. He had entrusted his entire papacy, his mission, and his very life to her care. And after the attempt on his life, he renewed that consecration with even greater fervor.
Fr. Gaitley explains how this Marian spirituality shaped one of the pope’s most important acts: the consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, carried out in union with the bishops of the world. In doing so, John Paul entrusted not just himself, but all of humanity to Mary’s maternal mercy and protection.
Mary’s gift of mercy is not limited to popes or saints. She desires to save, guide, and form each of us in love. Consecration opens the door to that mercy. Today, we’re invited to echo John Paul II’s Totus Tuus with confidence, knowing that through Mary, we are always safe — and always led straight to Jesus.
