GabiAfterHours

St. Carlo Acutis will be canonized April 27, 2025.  

His parents gave an insightful interview concerning his life. That interview was published into a book. I was blessed to be asked to write the preface.

Links for the book will be in the comments.

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4 weeks ago | [YT] | 2,113

GabiAfterHours

JOIN ME... please.

Renew your Marian Consecration or do it for the first time... starting January 9th (Josemaria's Birthday) and ending on February 11th (Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes).

I wasn't planning on doing it this go around, but it is pretty clear that it is Mary's will. You can use any book but I recommend this one by the Academy of the Immaculate (link in the comments). I have done consecrations several times and this book is truly the most effective. It is the shortest and deepest... 4 minutes of reading per day and it doesn't cut corners. You can use any book, but this is the one I am going to use.

If you would rather an audio version I have 33 videos of me reading the text each day followed by a little reflection that people have found helpful... I will link that in the comments also.

FINALLY... don't do this alone. If this is your first time, Marian Consecration is so powerful that the devil will wage all of his efforts against you to keep you from doing it. Entrust the completion of this to Mary, but also have somebody to be accountable to. IF you are renewing, find somebody to renew with... or do it in solidarity with a person who is doing it for the first time, I promise these 4 minutes a day will be good for you.

The devil hates consecration so much, because in Consecration you give your life to Christ in the best way possible, under the guidance and protection of Mary... and she never fails. Consecration is an ongoing daily process that requires us to think about it, practice it, fail at it, and get back up.

2025 is a very special year. It is a jubilee year. A year of extraordinary grace... that grace (like all grace) comes to us from God through Mary. The jubilee door isn't in Rome... it is Mary. Try this... even if you fail even if you fall behind... Make your consecration prayer on February 11. 

Tell Mary I am a mess, but I am yours... and you are mine.

All in. Join me.

3 months ago | [YT] | 2,676

GabiAfterHours

2025 is upon us. Do you want change? Do you want to win this year?

1 habit that will dramatically impact every aspect of your life? One thing... Win the first battle of the day with the heroic minute.

Learn about it here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVl-2...

3 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 506

GabiAfterHours

One of the most powerful under valued Saints is St. Josemaria. His practical wisdom and mighty intercession has greatly impacted me. Today begins a novena to him that will end on his birthday January 9th.

(Check the comments for an incredible Josemaria story.)

St. Josemaria, intercede for me.

3 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,421

GabiAfterHours

I look back on my life and I ask myself… how did it get this way? I was raised with no faith. I had no father. I had tried praying, I had tried going to Church, I tried giving my life to Christ, but I still had only one direction… down.  

When did it all change? When I let Mary into my life. When I gave myself to Christ through Mary. When I made my Marian Consecration. I had no idea what I was doing when I made my first consecration, but it was a turning point. I have made countless consecrations since the first one… and I am just now getting a glimpse into the man that Mary is forming me into.

My friends do you want change? Do you want to become the person God created you to be? Do you want a fresh grace to be injected into your family? Make (or renew) your Marian Consecration. A good start date is Jan. 9th. It ends on February 11th.

I made my first consecration over a decade ago and I don’t even recognize the man I was back then. I again recently renewed it formally in October…. My most recent consecration has given light and meaning to every moment of every day. Mary has never let me down and I know she never will. She is trust worthy. She will guide you and protect you. Yes she will lead you down dark valleys, but trust her. With her you will keep going when all seems lost. With her you will be formed into a saint.

If I have your attention… look at the comments section, because I am a link to the YouTube page where I lead you day by day in Marian consecration and even read the short readings to you. In this post I am including a link to a short radio interview I did yesterday about Marian Consecration. Take a listen.

Over 10,000 people joined last year… for those that completed it, it was the opening of the door for a new phase of their lives. Honestly it doesn’t matter which preparation for consecration you do… just do it. Even if you prepare badly and fail miserably, still say the prayer at the end. Surrender to Mary, because never was it known that anybody who fled to her was ever left unaided. Trust her.


omny.fm/shows/the-drew-mariani-show/marian-consecr…

4 months ago | [YT] | 3,665

GabiAfterHours

One of my favorite novenas to pray is the novena to Our Lady Undoer of Knots. Every time I have ever offered this novena, because of some question or pressing need she has answered me.

It is in appropriate for an exorcist to question demons concerning things not related to the exorcism, but if you have read the book the Secret of the Rosary you know there is a famous passage where St. Dominic forces a demoniac to praise the name of Mary and to preach about the efficacy of the Rosary.

The exorcist of Milan did something similar a few years ago and this is what the demon confessed to him.
"Those who pray the rosary receive so many graces, so, so many graces, and I can't stand it. The novenas are also piercing my brain. I can't stand them. Above all the Mary Untier of Knots."
🪢 🪢 🪢
Our Lady Undoer of Knots, pray for us.

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4 months ago | [YT] | 2,047

GabiAfterHours

10/10 10/10 10/10

The War of the Rohirrim is my best movie for 2024. This movie is GLORIOUS. It is animated, it has A LOT OF VIOLENCE, but interestingly enough that’s one of the reasons it is so great. Important people die. I wouldn’t recommend it for little ones, but 13+ it’s a MUST see. Young people especially have been flooded with comic book style movies where nobody dies and nothing has consequences… This is different.

Tolkien fans should be proud. It isn’t 100% faithful to the source material (no movie is) but all the source material was covered, done justice, and it wasn’t polluted by Hollywood. There has been practically zero advertising for this… so I hope you see it. I believe it couldn’t have been pulled off financially if this wasn’t animation. You don’t need to be a LOTR super fan to enjoy this, but any causal viewer of the trilogy will love this.

I want to reiterate I wouldn’t take my 7 year old daughter to see this… it is animated, but it is a war movie (literally in the title). Way more violence than the LOTR trilogy. That being said I do plan on taking my 12 year old daughter. One of the leading characters is a woman and she isn’t an insufferable Girl Boss, but she is good and noble. She isn’t in the source material, but we see everything through her eyes and I think the material is served by this perspective.

Josef was literally clapping when it finished. Seriously.

Josef (16): ““Dang, that was impressive…” “Dad, you know it’s good when you are writing the script for the post before it finishes.”

"The horn of Helm Hammerhand shall sound in the deep... one last time."

Extended Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4Wps...

(Video review coming soon. Yes... I am going to be consistently reviewing movies that might appeal to families so you know what to expect from a Catholic perspective. Check the shorts section of our page.)

4 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 400

GabiAfterHours

COLLAB: I was blessed to collaborate with my new friend Alex Jurado from the Voice of Reason on YouTube. We were both invited by Fr. Ambrose of St. Michael's Abbey in Orange County to discuss Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Empress of the Americas!

I was already a fan of Alex's work, but when we met it was an instant friendship. We plan on getting together soon to make videos. Check out the video we did on Our Lady of Guadalupe. I will pin it in the comments. God bless you and Mary be with you!!!!

4 months ago | [YT] | 3,425

GabiAfterHours

I recently received this Rosary testimony from a friend... 😭😭😭
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The greatest piece of advice I have ever received came to me as I was just coming back to the faith. I was still trapped in a habit of mortal sin, and spiritual attacks raged on against me. The advice was simply to pray the whole Rosary. I could barely manage one Rosary a day, let alone four. But I no longer had a taste for the world, and I wanted out of its grip. I picked up my Rosary and faithfully began saying four Rosaries a day, doing my best to meditate on each of the 20 mysteries. Within a few days the thought of mortal sin repulsed me, and my habit was broken. My devotion to Jesus became real and ardent. Peace flooded my life. Signs of grace poured down. I was hooked.

I prayed the whole Rosary for several years. It wasn’t until my third child was born that I began saying a single daily Rosary. By the way, I cannot stress enough the importance of praying at least one Rosary a day. You might not know it yet, but the Rosary is your lifeline. At the end of this last summer, Our Lady repeatedly nudged my heart to get back to praying four Rosaries a day. She knew the variety and weight of crosses that were about to come, and our good Mother wanted to equip me.

Recently, the Lord allowed a trial that knocked the wind out of me. It nearly knocked the faith out of me, too. I will never forget the moment when I was laying on my bed, hot and angry tears washed down my face, and through gritted teeth I told Jesus, “I want nothing to do with you.” I turned over in a huff, and was eye level with the Rosary next to my pillow.

I felt a brief temptation to give up that prayer altogether, but I grabbed it anyway and started muttering my Hail Mary’s. Those next two weeks were filled with my angry obstinance. It was the first time in many years that Jesus didn’t feel like my closest friend, and the storms howled. In the midst of feeling angry and frightened and abandoned, I nevertheless felt Mary firmly at my side.

On one of the worst days, when I was experiencing a true crisis of faith, I received a message from a friend who was praying for me. She said, “I have prayed for you so often, and just keep seeing Mary right behind you, quietly present, watching, loving, and mourning with you.” Our Lady brought me back to friendship with Jesus by the end of that second week.

I have dozens of stories of Our Lady and the miracles she has obtained for me and my family through the Rosary. Nothing delights Mary so much as the recitation of this prayer! When you give yourself over to Our Lady, she does everything for you. Being a child of Mary is one of the sweetest consolations that God has given to us in this valley of tears.

I encourage you with all my heart to try praying the whole Rosary. Give it two weeks. Your life will change. “The holy Rosary is a powerful weapon. Use it with confidence and you’ll be amazed at the results.” -St. Josemaria Escriva
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(If this testimony in anyway resonated with you... YOU MUST watch the video I am putting in the comments. The young woman who wrote this testimonial is also featured in that video.)

4 months ago | [YT] | 3,092

GabiAfterHours

CALIFORNIA friends.... I will be speaking in Newport Beach on Thursday 12/12/2024 (Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe). This is a last minute arrangement as I will be in town filming a testimonial for this channel. Come visit! The topic will be on how to become a Saint... with/in/through Mary.

4 months ago | [YT] | 739