Daily May Devotions to Our Lady

[Seven77]

May 15
MARY: AT CANA

"In the Gospel, St. John has recorded a wonderful phrase of our Lady. At the wedding of Cana she turned to the waiters and said: ‘Do whatever he tells you.' That is what it is all about -- get­ting people to face Jesus and ask him: ‘Lord, what do you want me to do?' " 21

Let us offer to our Mother today:

Prompt obedience, when we are called or asked to do some errand or some act of service.

[Seven77]

May 16
MARY: AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS

"We find her on Calvary, at the foot of the cross, praying. This is nothing new for Mary. She has always acted like this, in fulfil­ling her duties and looking after her home. As she went about the things of this earth, she kept her attention on God."  22

Let us offer to our Mother today:

An act of contrition, said many times, asking
her to offer our sorrow for our sins to Jesus crucified.

[Seven77]

May 17
MARY: THE SORROWING MOTHER

"Our Lady is there listening to the words of her Son, united to him in his suffering, when he cried out ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' What could she do? She united herself fully with the redemp­tive love of her Son and offered to the Father her immense sorrow, which pierced her pure heart like a sharp-edged sword." 23

Let us offer to our Mother today:

The mortification of keeping quiet about any pain or discomfort, any inconvenience or disappointment, uniting it with her pain as she stood by her crucified Son.

[Seven77]

May 18
MARY: THE CO-REDEMPTRIX

"It is with good reason that the popes have called Mary co-redemptrix. ‘So fully, in union with her suffering and dying Son, did she suffer and nearly die; so fully, for the sake of the salvation of all souls, did she abdicate the rights of a mother over her Son, and im­molate him, insofar as it was in her power, to satisfy the justice of God, that it can rightly be said that she redeemed mankind to­gether with Christ.' This gives us a deeper understanding of that moment in the Passion of our Lord on which we shall never tire of meditat­ing: Stabat autem iuxta crucem Iesu mater eius, ‘There, standing by the cross of Jesus, was his mother.'" 24

Let us offer to our Mother today:

Five small hidden sacrifices in honor of the five major wounds of our Lord.

[Seven77]

May 19
MARY: HER FAITH

"If our faith is weak, we should turn to Mary. St. John tells us that it was because of the miracle that Christ performed, at his mother 's request, at the marriage feast at Cana, that ‘his disciples learned to believe in him.' Our Mother is always interceding with her Son, so that he may attend to our needs and show himself to us in such a way that we can cry out, ‘You are the Son of God!' "  25

Let us offer to our Mother today:

The "Memorare" for the person in our family who most needs the help of our Lady.

[Seven77]

May 20
MARY: OUR HOPE

"Our Lady, a full participant in the work of our salvation, fol­lows in the footsteps of her son: the poverty of Bethlehem, the everyday work of a hidden life in Nazareth, the manifestation of his divinity in Cana of Galilee, the tortures of his passion, the di­vine sacrifice on the cross, the eternal blessedness of paradise.

"All of this affects us directly, because this supernatural itiner­ary is the way we are to follow. Mary shows us that we can walk this path with confidence. She has preceded us on the way of im­itating Christ; her glorification is the firm hope of our own salva­tion. For these reasons we call her ‘our hope, cause of our joy.' " 26

Let us offer to our Mother today:

A smile when we do not feel like smiling.

[Seven77]

May 21
MARY'S PRAYER

"Let us ask the Blessed Virgin to make us contem­platives, to teach us to recognize the constant calls from God at the door of our heart. Let us ask her now: Our Mother, you brought to earth Jesus, who reveals the love of our Father God. Help us to recognize him in the midst of the cares of each day. Stir up our mind and will so that we may listen to the voice of God, to the calls of grace." 27

Let us offer to our Mother today:

A visit to Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament.

[Seven77]

May 22
MARY: EVER VIRGIN

"The purity, humility, and generosity of Mary are in sharp con­trast to our wretchedness and selfishness. To the extent that we realize this, we should feel moved to imitate her. We too are crea­tures of God, and if we strive to imitate her fidelity, God will surely do great things in us. Our small worth is no obstacle, be­cause God chooses what is of little value so that the power of his love may be more manifest."  28

Let us offer to our Mother today:

The prayer "Blessed be your purity"

[Seven77]

May 23
MARY: QUEEN OF THE APOSTLES

"If we take our Lady's hand, she will make us realize more fully that all men are our brothers -- because we are all sons of that God whose daughter, spouse, and mother she is. Our neighbors' problems must be our problems. Christian fraternity should be something very deep in the soul, so that we are indifferent to no one. Mary, who brought up Jesus and accompanied him through his life and is now beside him in heaven, will help us recognize Jesus as he crosses our path and makes himself present to us in the needs of others."  29

Let us offer to our Mother today:

A kind word, a friendly conversation, a helping hand to persons with whom we live or work.

[Seven77]

May 24
MARY: HELP OF CHRISTIANS

"Yes, we are still pilgrims, but our Mother has gone on ahead, where she points to the reward for our efforts. She tells us that we can make it. If we are faithful, we will reach home. Not only is the Blessed Virgin our model, but she is also the Help of Christians. And as we besiege her with our petitions -- 'Show that you are our Mother' -- she cannot help but watch over her children with motherly care." 30

Let us offer to our Mother today:

In addition to the mysteries of the day, one more part (five decades) of the Holy Rosary.

[Seven77]

May 25
MARY: OUR MOTHER

"Find out for yourself by personal experience the meaning of Mary's maternal love. It is not enough just to know that she is our Mother, and to think and talk about her as such. She is your Mother and you are her child. She loves you as if you were her only child in this world. Treat her accordingly. Tell her about every­thing that happens to you; honor her and love her. No one will do it for you or as well as you."  31

Let us offer to our Mother today:

Many affectionate thoughts and prayers, by saying "Mary, my mother" each time we pause in our work.

[Seven77]

May 26
MARY: THE WAY TO JESUS

"Mary does the immense favor of bringing to the cross, of placing face to face with the example of the Son of God, those who come close to her and contemplate her life. It is in this confronta­tion that Christian life is decided. And here Mary intercedes for us so that our behavior may lead to a reconciliation of the younger brother -- you and me -- with the firstborn Son of the Father.

"Many conversions, many decisions to give oneself to the ser­vice of God have been preceded by an encounter with Mary. Our Lady has encouraged us to look for God, to desire to change, to lead a new life."  32

Let us offer to our Mother today:

Teaching someone how to say the Holy Rosary.

[Seven77]

May 27
MARY: MOTHER OF FAIR LOVE

"This is what explains Mary's life -- her love. A complete love, so complete that she forgets herself and is happy just to be there where God wants her, fulfilling with care what God wants her to do. That is why even her slightest action is never routine or vain but, rather, full of meaning. Mary, our Mother, is for us both an example and a way. In the ordinary circumstances in which God wants us to live, we have to try to be like her."  33

Let us offer to our Mother today:

The resolution to say, before going to sleep every night, three Hail Marys.

[Seven77]

May 28
THE ASSUMPTION
MARY: TAKEN UP TO HEAVEN

"Mary has gone to heaven in both body and soul, and the angels rejoice. I can imagine, too, the delight of St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse, who awaited her in paradise. Yet what of us who remain on earth? Our faith tells us that here below, in our present life, we are pilgrims, wayfarers. Our lot is one of suffer­ing, of sacrifices, and privations. Nonetheless, joy must mark the rhythm of our steps. ‘Serve the Lord with joy' -- there is no other way to serve him."  34

Let us offer to our Mother today:

A smile when someone corrects us or misjudges us.

[Seven77]

May 29
MARY: THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN  

"She lives now and is protecting us. She is there [in heaven], body and soul, with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. She is the same person who was born in Palestine, who gave herself to God while still a child, who received the message from St. Gabriel the Ar­changel, who gave birth to our Savior, and who stood beside him at the foot of the Cross. In her, all ideals become a reality. But we should never think that this sublime greatness of hers makes her in­accessible to us. She is the one who is full of grace and the sum of all perfections . . . and she is also our Mother."  35

Let us offer to our Mother today:

The "Hail Holy Queen" at each hour.