By Chris Sparks
I saw the Blessed Virgin, unspeakably beautiful. She came down from the altar to my kneeler, held me close to herself and said to me, I am Mother to you all, thanks to the unfathomable mercy of God. Most pleasing to Me is that soul which faithfully carries out the will of God. She gave me to understand that I had faithfully fulfilled the will of God and had thus found favor in His eyes. Be courageous. Do not fear apparent obstacles, but fix your gaze upon the Passion of My Son, and in this way you will be victorious (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 449).
In every crisis, turn to Mary.
In every need, turn to Mary.
In every difficulty, or trial, or tribulation, turn to Mary.
In everything, in life and in death, turn to Mary.
Continue to say the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary, to obtain the peace of the world and the end of the war, because only she can obtain it — Our Lady at Fatima, Portugal, July 13, 1917.
She is the Blessed Virgin Mother of God. She is the woman loved by God from before time and space, as Ven. Fulton Sheen makes plain. She is the loveliest work of the hands of God, and the holiest of all creatures, the woman clothed with the sun, with the moon at her feet and a crown of 12 stars on her head.
She is the greatest of us all, and so she loves us all, even the least, especially the least.
It is said that the beauty of Helen of Troy launched a thousand ships, but the Blessed Virgin Mary’s beauty has never ceased to launch ships, and lives, and prayers, and petitions, and works of art.
Our Lady’s tremendous strength conquers hell whenever she is welcomed into the fight. Her prayer obtains miracles. Her presence is a joy and a strength to goodness, and a defeat and an agony to evil.
In her Immaculate Heart, God dwells. She is the Mother of the Son, the Spouse of the Spirit, the Daughter of the Father.
The saints and the prophets have gone on and on about Our lady, telling of her virtues, of her beauty, of her goodness, of everything to do with her. The saints and the prophets will continue their proclamations about her till the end of time. Of Mary, there is never enough, as the ancient phrase says.
Every year, the Church gives us the entire month of May to spend in honoring Our Lady, in studying her words and deeds in Scripture and in the life of the Church, and in practicing devotion to her with special focus and dedication. Let me suggest a few specific practices to either begin or recommit to this month:
- Obtain a Miraculous Medal, have it blessed by a priest, begin wearing it on a chain around your neck, and pray the prayer inscribed on it daily.
- Pray the Rosary daily for peace in the world and in reparation for the offenses and blasphemies committed against her Immaculate Heart.
- Pray the Chaplet of the Ten Evangelical Virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
- Be enrolled in a scapular, whether it be the ubiquitous Brown Scapular, the Blue Scapular of the Marian Fathers and the Theatines, or one of the other scapulars offered by the Church to the faithful.
- Begin or continue making the First Saturdays devotion.
- Make or renew your Marian consecration.
- Join our Thirteenth of the Month Club, dedicated to the devotions requested by Our Lady at Fatima and to Our Lady’s service.
The world is in turmoil, suffering as it has in pandemics and epidemics past, caught between the errors of Russia and the truths of the natural law, shaking and twisting in the storm. Anchor yourself with Holy Mother Church on Our Lady, Help of Christians, and the Blessed Sacrament, her Son, as Don Bosco foresaw. Turn to Our Lady in May with your every need and intention, and with every need and intention of the entire world. Speak to her with love and do her the honor owed to a mother, for Mary, the Mother of God, is also she whose offspring are “those who keep God’s commandments and bear witness to Jesus” (Rev 12:17).
O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
Chris Sparks serves as senior book editor for the Marian Fathers. He is the author of the Marian Press book How Can You Still Be Catholic? 50 Answers to a Good Question.
{shopmercy-ad}