As we begin the month of May, we pause for a moment to recognize the presence of the Blessed Mother in our lives, our liturgy and the Church today. His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI shared a beautiful comment in his Regina Coeli blessing on the third Sunday of Easter: (Translation provided by Rocco Palmo – gratefully borrowed here.)
“The Madonna was for [the early disciples] mother and teacher, a role she continues to develop for the Christians of every age. Each year in Eastertide, we relive most intensely this experience and maybe for this reason the popular tradition has consecrated to Mary the month of May, which normally falls between Easter and Pentecost. This month, which we begin [today], is useful for us to rediscover the maternal function which she develops in our lives, that we may always be docile disciples and courageous witnesses of the risen Lord.”
As we strive to do the Lord’s will in our daily lives – the little day to day decisions as well as the more significant ones – let us fix our eyes on Mary who was so faithful a disciple; from the moment she said, “Yes” to the Angel’s message, her life was never the same. Mary allowed her love for God and His incarnate Son to be the defining boundary for all her actions. Mary’s love for the Lord showed itself in her profound union with the Lord’s will for her throughout her life – in the few details we learn in the Gospels and the many details that remain obscured on this side of eternity. May she intercede for us and teach us to unite our hearts as lovingly as she did to the will of her Son.
“The Madonna was for [the early disciples] mother and teacher, a role she continues to develop for the Christians of every age. Each year in Eastertide, we relive most intensely this experience and maybe for this reason the popular tradition has consecrated to Mary the month of May, which normally falls between Easter and Pentecost. This month, which we begin [today], is useful for us to rediscover the maternal function which she develops in our lives, that we may always be docile disciples and courageous witnesses of the risen Lord.”
As we strive to do the Lord’s will in our daily lives – the little day to day decisions as well as the more significant ones – let us fix our eyes on Mary who was so faithful a disciple; from the moment she said, “Yes” to the Angel’s message, her life was never the same. Mary allowed her love for God and His incarnate Son to be the defining boundary for all her actions. Mary’s love for the Lord showed itself in her profound union with the Lord’s will for her throughout her life – in the few details we learn in the Gospels and the many details that remain obscured on this side of eternity. May she intercede for us and teach us to unite our hearts as lovingly as she did to the will of her Son.
“The fruit of love is obedience . . . Oh, my God! How happy we would be, if we were recognized by the exact practice of the solid virtues of our vocation, as the Son of God, in this world, made Himself known by the works of His mission!” St. Jane de Chantal
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