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The Heart of Evangelization: Totally Yours
Evangelization can sound intimidating. We imagine missionaries in distant lands, theological debates, or complicated catechetical lessons. But at its core, evangelization simply means handing ourselves over to Christ so that He may work through us. In other words, we say to Him what Mary said at the Annunciation: “Let it be done to me according to your word.”
That spirit is beautifully summed up in two small Latin words that shaped the life and papacy of Saint John Paul II: Totus Tuus — Totally Yours.
Taken from the writings of St. Louis de Montfort, this phrase expresses a complete entrustment to Mary, who always leads us to her Son. For John Paul II, Totus Tuus wasn’t just a motto on a papal coat of arms. It was a roadmap for evangelization, a way of saying: if we are Mary’s, then we are Christ’s. If we are totally hers, then we can be totally His.
Businesses like Totus Tuus Co. echo this same mission by helping families surround their children with signs of faith, devotion, and beauty — gentle reminders that evangelization begins not with grand speeches but with living the faith in daily life.
Pope John Paul II’s Witness of Totus Tuus
When Karol Wojtyła became Pope John Paul II, he placed Totus Tuus on his papal crest. This wasn’t a pious slogan. It was born out of his youthful struggle with Marian devotion. He worried at first that giving himself too much to Mary might overshadow Christ. But reading St. Louis de Montfort’s True Devotion to Mary changed everything.
“Totus Tuus” became his act of consecration — not only personal, but for the entire Church. It meant trusting Mary to guide him into deeper union with Christ, and entrusting his papacy, his priesthood, and his sufferings into her hands.
As he once explained: “Through the Totus Tuus, the expression of full and joyous acceptance of the spiritual maternity of the Virgin Mary, the Christian seeks to be taken into that maternal charity with which the Redeemer’s Mother cares for the brethren of her Son.”
This is the heart of evangelization. To be “Totally Yours” to Mary is to be a vessel of Christ’s love to others.
Planting Seeds of Totus Tuus in Family Life
While my children may not yet know the Latin phrase Totus Tuus, I see its seeds growing in our home. The other day, my oldest daughter explained to her younger siblings the meaning of the Feast of the Assumption. Later, she told me she wanted to move our Marian statue from the living room into her bedroom, because having Our Lady nearby made her feel calm and peaceful.
My oldest son, during Evening Prayer, noticed connections between the Liturgy of the Hours and the Mass — a beautiful reminder that even at a young age, children can begin to see how the rhythms of the Church weave together.
These aren’t theological dissertations. They are little acts of entrustment — moments of handing daily life over to God. They show that Totus Tuus is not something reserved for popes and saints, but a spirituality that can flourish in the domestic church.
Companies like Totus Tuus Co. recognize this truth by creating resources that help parents foster Marian devotion and evangelization at home. A child-friendly devotional or a small reminder of Mary’s love can give children the same sense of peace my daughter found in placing that statue in her room.
Living Evangelization as “Totally Yours”
What does it look like to live evangelization through Totus Tuus? It means surrendering our plans, our comfort, even our weaknesses to God through Mary. It means believing that our small, everyday offerings — praying the Rosary with our kids, going to Confession as a family, or attending parish events together — are seeds that bear fruit in God’s time.
And it means seeing evangelization not as a performance but as a witness. When our children see us turn to Mary in prayer, they learn trust. When they hear us ask for forgiveness, they learn humility. As they see us receive the Eucharist with reverence, they learn the source of strength for their own journey.
In this way, the motto Totus Tuus becomes not just words on a page but a way of life: we are totally God’s, totally His, through Mary.
A Prayer of Totus Tuus
Saint Maximilian Kolbe, whose Marian consecration inspired Pope John Paul II, composed a prayer that expresses this spirituality perfectly. John Paul II himself prayed it often. May it inspire us, too, to entrust our lives fully to Mary and Christ:
Totus Tuus Prayer
‘Totally Yours’ Prayer composed by St. Maximilian Kolbe and recited by St. John Paul II
Immaculate Conception, Mary, my Mother.
Live in me. Act in me. Speak in and through me.
Think your thoughts in my mind.
Love, through my heart.
Give me your dispositions and feelings.
Teach, lead 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 and thanksgiving.
Pray in me and through me.
Let me live in you and keep me in this union always. Amen
Evangelization as a Gift of Self
Totus Tuus is more than a motto. It is a pathway of evangelization: giving ourselves completely to Mary so that she may lead us completely to Christ. Pope John Paul II embodied this in his papacy, but families are called to live it, too — in homes, classrooms, and parishes.
Whether through a child’s question at prayer time, a Marian statue in a bedroom, or a quiet Rosary said after a long day, evangelization begins when we entrust ourselves “Totally Yours.”
With every small act of consecration, we echo Mary’s fiat and Christ’s gift of self. And like John Paul II, we discover that the more we entrust ourselves to Mary, the more we become vessels of God’s love in the world.
Thanks again to today’s article sponsor! Visit Totus Tuus Co. to discover resources that help your children grow closer to Jesus through Mary, and bring the spirit of “Totally Yours” into your family’s daily life.
