The month of May is the “month which the piety of the faithful has especially dedicated to Our Blessed Lady,” and it is the occasion for a “moving tribute of faith and love which Catholics in every part of the world pay to the Queen of Heaven. During this month Christians, both in church and in the privacy of the home, offer up to Mary from their hearts an especially fervent and loving homage of prayer and veneration. In this month, too, the benefits of God’s mercy come down to us from her throne in greater abundance” (Paul VI: Encyclical on the Month of May).
For centuries, the Catholic Church has set aside the entire month of May to honor Mary, Mother of God. Not just a day in May, mind you, but the entire month.
In the month of May, the Church calls us to open our hearts in a special way to Mary. Her presence in our lives is a motherly presence. We call her Our Blessed Mother. Indeed, from the Cross, Jesus gave her to us as our Mother and entrusted us to her as her children. Jesus’ words to John, the beloved disciple, were also addressed to all of us: Behold your mother! From the cross, Jesus gave us the beautiful gift of his mother to be our mother too. He made his mother the mother of all the members of his Mystical Body, the Church. Jesus invites us to accept Mary as our mother and to respond to her motherly love as true children.
Catholic devotion to Mary is, therefore, based on the will of Christ. Blessed John Paul II explained that “the words, Behold your mother!, express Jesus’ intention to inspire in his disciples an attitude of love for and trust in Mary, leading them to recognize her as their mother, the mother of every believer. At the school of the Virgin, the disciples learn to know the Lord deeply, as John did, and to have an intimate and lasting relationship of love with him. They also discover the joy of entrusting themselves to the Mother’s maternal love, living like affectionate and docile children.”
Mary always leads us to Jesus, her Son. When we go to her, we always meet Jesus, our Savior. She helps us follow her Son more faithfully. May we all, like Saint John, take Mary into our home and make room for her in our daily lives. God has entrusted to her the role of maternal intercession for us. She is Our Mother of Perpetual Help: she sees our needs and is ready to come to our aid. She is especially close to those who are suffering. The most ancient Marian prayer expresses Mary’s role as our advocate: We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin.” Mary presents our needs to her Son and intercedes continually on our behalf.
It is very fitting that we celebrate Mother’s Day during the Marian month. As we honor the Mother of God, our spiritual mother, we also honor our earthly mothers. On Mother’s Day, we remember with gratitude and affection our mothers, not only through material gifts, flowers, or cards, but also, and more importantly, by our prayers for them. We thank God for the gift of our mothers who conceived and gave birth to us, who cared for us, protected us, taught us, and loved us. Many passed on the precious gift of faith to us. We remember all our mothers, living and deceased. We thank them for their generosity and self-giving love.
Pope Benedict XVI said that “Mary is the image and model of all mothers, of their great mission to be guardians of life, of their mission to be teachers of the art of living and of the art of loving.”
Mary is a model for all of us on our earthly pilgrimage. She who was “full of grace” was “all holy.” She represents the paradigm of the authentic holiness that is achieved through union with Christ. She is our model of faith who adhered to God’s word throughout her life. She is our model of hope who stood firm at the foot of the cross. She is our model of charity who went in haste to visit and help her cousin Elizabeth. Her maternal love for her Son extends to us, her spiritual children. She is our sure guide to Gospel perfection.
On Mother’s Day, let us pray for all our mothers. And let us remember that we have a Mother in heaven, the Blessed Virgin Mary. We continue to rejoice with her during this Easter season. May the Mother given to us by Christ on the cross be ever at our side!
The following practices which are recommended by the Magisterium are offered as suggestions for honoring Our Lady during Her month.
The Regina Coeli
The ecclesial community addresses this antiphon to Mary for the Resurrection of her Son. It adverts to, and depends on, the invitation to joy addressed by Gabriel to the Lord’s humble servant who was called to become the Mother of the saving Messiah.
The Rosary
Also called the Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Rosary is one of the most excellent prayers to the Mother of God. Thus, “the Roman Pontiffs have repeatedly exhorted the faithful to the frequent recitation of this biblically inspired prayer which is centered on contemplation of the salvific events of Christ’s life, and their close association with the Virgin Mother.”
Consecration and Entrustment to Mary
The Roman Pontiffs have frequently expressed appreciation for the pious practice of “consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary” and the formulas publicly used by them are well known.
Louis Grignon de Montfort is one of the great masters of the spirituality underlying the act of “consecration to Mary”. He “proposed to the faithful consecration to Jesus through Mary, as an effective way of living out their baptismal commitment.”
The Brown Scapular and other Scapulars
The scapular is an external sign of the filial relationship established between the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother and Queen of Mount Carmel, and the faithful who entrust themselves totally to her protection, who have recourse to her maternal intercession, who are mindful of the primacy of the spiritual life and the need for prayer.
