It is a long-standing Catholic custom that the spring month of May is dedicated to Our Blessed Mother and what a wonderful custom it is.
In the natural order of things May is a time when our weather is usually much different from the harshness of the winter months, plants of every kind are in bloom, crops planted earlier begin to grow and break the surface of the tilled soil and the sun shines warmer on all of us.
In the supernatural order of grace, May is a month when many of our children have that life-changing experience of receiving Our Blessed Lord in Holy Communion for the first time, many of our young adults celebrate the sacrament of matrimony; so many of our young people graduate from one of our Catholic schools armed with a solid foundation in the knowledge and understanding of our Catholic Faith, and often enough, our seminarians receive the sacrament of holy orders by being ordained as deacons and priests, and many more of our young people receive the beautiful sacrament of confirmation.
All of this occurs in the month dedicated to Our Blessed Mother, the Mother of God and our Mother. The reason I mention all of this is two-fold: first, that Mary as our Mother is an intentional gift to us all by Jesus Himself because He wants her to do for us what she did for Him in His earthly life. Second, as the Church has taught her children from ancient times and as it is repeated so clearly in the
Catechism of the Catholic Church: “What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ.” (487)
What this means for us as we approach the month of May is that we have an excellent opportunity each day of this month to reflect on the place of Our Blessed Mother in our lives. We can ask ourselves if the Blessed Mother is important to me as a Catholic and, if so, how important is she. In other words, do I find in her a way to come to know, love and serve God better? If I find that the Blessed Mother is not a part of my life as a Catholic, am I willing to ask myself why that is and then to begin to make her a part of my daily life?
To deepen our devotion to the Blessed Mother or to begin that devotion and needed relationship with her will always draw us closer to Jesus in every way. Read the Gospels to learn how Our Blessed Mother, not only followed Jesus faithfully, but always was bringing others with her to Jesus. She will do the very same for us. Pray the holy rosary to learn about the relationship she had with Jesus because she will assist us to have that very same relationship with Him. Finally, as the Church prays in one of its Prefaces for the Mass honoring her, Our Blessed Mother is
the pattern of holiness for all of us to follow.
Thus, as we enjoy the natural beauty of the month of May let this beauty direct our attention to the supernatural beauty of Our Blessed Mother. Her true beauty is supposed to be the true beauty of our souls, our persons and our lives. Ask her to continue to pray for us and to continue to bring us closer to Jesus, like the loving Mother she is and thank God for this most special gift of love which He has made for us.