Hi again everybody. It’s finally May. I find May a month filled with new hope, as the days get longer, warmer and our gardens begin to come to life again. May is also the month we celebrate all our wonderful mothers.
So for today, I thought I would share with you some thoughts about the most precious Mother Catholics have ever known. Jesus’ mother and our heavenly Mother Mary. Why? Because Mary lived virtue perfectly. She was sinless.
Our Mother Mary is the best role model we could ever have in this world for both women and men. As Catholics, we are to be examples to others and so we need to practice living those virtues as well. So why not let ourselves be led by Mary? Virtue is what sets people apart which makes them great role models. Virtue enables a person to do the right thing regardless of the cost to themselves. Virtuous people are inspirational and have a positive effect on everybody.
A mother has a unique perspective on her child’s life. No other human being knew Jesus the way Mary did. She raised Him and was by His side His whole life. Jesus honours His mother Mary. Honouring the mother of God does not take anything away from God, it shows a deeper reverence for Him. Mary possessed many virtues but the main ones are humility, charity, purity, patience, self-denial, courage, and fortitude.
When Jesus died on the cross, He gave us His mother to be our mother and this is how Mary loves us. The fastest way to Jesus is through His mother Mary. Mary’s will is so perfectly conformed to God’s will, her prayers are never denied — they are that powerful. We don’t pray to Mary, we ask Mary to pray for us and to bring our concerns to her son Jesus. She intercedes for us.
When we pray, we say “Mother Mary, I offer up this concern to you, what do you and Jesus think I should do in this situation, will you pray for me Mary, and ask Jesus to hear my concerns”, and then name those concerns out loud. Mary guides, nurtures, and comforts us as our own mothers do, and she prays to her son on our behalf. She wants us to come and sit down beside her and speak to her about our day. She wants us to be close to her son.
By reciting the Hail Mary, we are asking this special blessed mother to pray for us in our time of need and also at the time of our death. That’s what mothers do. They pray for their children, they intercede for them.
Mary’s powerful 9 day Novena called “Mary, Undoer of Knots”, evolved by asking Mary to help us undo the “knots in our lives”, the complicated problems we all face from time to time. Good mothers help us untangle our messes and they help take care of our problems. Whenever I said this 9 day Novena for a complicated issue I faced in my life, I always received the right direction and eventually a solution to the issue I had been praying this Novena for.
By turning to Mary and by initiating Mary, you will find a richness and elegance that is lacking in many role models today. You will come to know a trustworthy and caring mother, that you can always rely on. So if
Mary is sinless and possesses all of the virtues of the ultimate role model and mentor, then wouldn’t she be someone we would want to ask for help and advice on our day-to-day issues? Also, in learning to imitate this ultimate role model, would that not lead us to that ultimate peace and happiness we so long for? Get to know Mary. Talk to her about your life and measure your own progress in virtues against hers. You can’t go wrong.
Also, don’t forget to hug your mom on Mother’s Day and say “thank you”. Teach your children to honour their moms for their special influence in their lives and remind them to be forever grateful for their love and support of them over the years. Happy spring dear family and friends.
Love always, MJ xo
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