A month set aside to honor Our Blessed Mother

As we begin the month of May, which is such a beautiful month for many reasons, let us not forget that this month is dedicated to Our Blessed Mother. Since this year, Easter is later in April, the entire month of May is part of our celebration of the Easter season and, in one way, this is even more appropriate as a time to honor Our Blessed Mother.
 
The one person who is ever present to Jesus during His Passion, death and resurrection, at the moment of His glorious ascension to the Father and is preeminent on the day of Pentecost is Our Blessed Mother, Mother of God and Mother of the Church. We have no one better to celebrate the Easter season with than Our Blessed Mother. Preaching some 400 hundred years later, St. Augustine said, “We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our hymn!”
 
Our Blessed Mother is the incarnation of what St. Augustine proclaimed as a joyful fact of our holy faith. She is the first disciple, the first witness to the deep and abiding joy of knowing Jesus as her Son and her Lord. Her life was the constant living of her Magnificat, her personal “alleluia” hymn in thought, word and deed of praise of the Living God. In one real way, Mary is the “holy magnet” of Catholic faith and life drawing others to Jesus because her “spirit rejoices in God her Savior.”
 
It is no wonder the Church sets aside this month to honor Our Blessed Mother. The Church wants and urges us to look to her, so we can know and understand what it means to know, love and serve God. It was Mary who shared in Our Lord’s sufferings for us and it is Mary who enjoys the full glory of heaven and who reminds us that this is what Jesus wants for us. 
 
In this month of May take some time each day to pray the holy rosary choosing for each day the joyful, sorrowful, luminous or glorious mysteries.  The holy rosary is that prayer anyone can pray. The holy rosary’s beautiful mysteries help us in praying to form a mental picture of the life of Jesus and Mary following Him. The holy rosary is an effective way to pray the Gospels and be drawn more intimately into the life of Jesus with His Mother.
 
“Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.”