May...Month of Our Lady

Mary’s prayer is her constant gift to us. She does not ask the Redeemer for anything opposed to the reign of God and therefore opposed to our best interests. We must remember that Mary’s sole interest is to draw us to Christ and to make us fully a part of his Kingdom. Like every mother, Mary has set her hopes in us! She prays that ‘the Father will see and love in us what he sees and loves in Christ.’ The woman who stood near the cross now stands near the Lamb. She stands at the forefront of the immense multitude of people. Her every intercession is that we live in Christ Jesus.


There was nothing grudging about Mary’s consent to what God asked of her; she responded with a joy that can exist only in one who is truly free. Her joy and her freedom originate in the same source: her consonance with the will of God. Her will is not coerced by God’s will; rather, her will is in perfect harmony with his will…Mary teaches us that in order to find our freedom, we must first lose it, by obedience to God’s will…Self-mastery is the measure of our freedom. St. Alphonsus prayed to the Lord: “I want to do what you ask of me: in the way you ask, for as long as you ask, because you ask it.”                            ~ Cardinal James Hickey

Mary's Tender Courage

We may speak of her [Mary’s] ‘tender courage’ before the Cross. Her heart was rent, yet she continued to stand, to stand as a witness to the Crucified One. She continued to bear witness to the Lord whom she once carried in her arms! Indeed, St. Ambrose says of Mary, ‘stabat intrepida’ the Mother who stood before the cross while men fled.’ Here was the valor that only a mother could possess. Something like it can be seen every day. Mothers stay with their dying children no matter how terribly they are afflicted. Mothers find the courage to comfort their children dying of starvation or bleeding from gaping wounds. Their own suffering counts as nothing; all that matters is that they stand by their suffering children.

 ~Cardinal James Hickey

Mary’s Humility

Mary called herself God’s lowly servant. Her whole life speaks of humility in the presence of God and his mysterious will…In no other creature is the humility of God more clearly reflected than in the heart of the Virgin Mary, who embodies the paradox of the Gospel. Mary exults because God works in her, not to accomplish her purposes, but his! Yet, Mary’s election to be the Mother of God does not eliminate her humility. Humility continues to define Mary’s stance before the loving God. She is his servant, his handmaid, she seeks not her own glory but his! The essence of Mary’s humility was her single-hearted devotion to the plan and purpose of God. She entertained no thought of greatness because her Son set the standard of true greatness.  

   ~Cardinal James Hickey

“If you cannot equal Mary’s absolute purity,” says St. Bernard, “at least imitate her humility. The virtue of humility is essential. We can be saved without virginity, but not without humility. Even Mary’s virginity would not have been pleasing to God without humility. Mary certainly pleased God by her virginity, but she became his Mother because of her humility. The greatest qualities and gifts...are sterile if they are not accompanied by sincere humility. Mary’s maternity was the fruit of her humility; she conceived in humility...The fruitfulness of our interior life...will depend on our humility.

[Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, OCD, Divine Intimacy, Vol II.]

Mary’s Faith

“The Blessed Virgin,” affirms the Second Vatican Council, “advanced on her pilgrimage of faith...a faith never tainted by the least doubt...but still always faith.” It would be very far from the truth to think that the divine mysteries were so revealed to Mary...that she had no need of faith. Excepting the Annunciation and the events surrounding the birth of Jesus, we do not find any extraordinary manifestations of the supernatural in her life. Mary lived by pure faith, trusting in God’s word, even as we must. Mary always believed even when she did not understand. A faithful soul does not linger to inquire about God’s actions; even though not fully understanding them.

[Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, OCD, “Divine Intimacy, Vol II.]

Mary’s Hope

Mary, more than anyone, has hoped for and confidently awaited salvation. She did not trust in her own resources, but put all her confidence in God alone. And God...fulfilled her hopes, not only by showering his gifts on her, but by giving himself to her in all his plenitude. Mary’s hope was truly absolute and unshakable, even in the darkest and most difficult moments.

How poor our hope is compared to that of our Blessed Mother! The darkness frightens us, trials make us irresolute and sometimes, perhaps even doubt in God’s assistance. The Virgin Mary shows us the only way to real security, serenity and interior peace, even in the most difficult circumstances: the way of total confidence in God.”               

[Fr.Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, OCD, Divine Intimacy, Vol II.]

Mary’s Charity

She, whom the Angel greeted as “full of grace” is so much the more full of love. But the fullness of grace and of love in which Mary was constituted from the beginning did not dispense her from the active and assiduous practice of charity...For her, as for us, life on earth, was the way where progress in charity was always necessary.

The Lord’s commandment of love is fully realized in Mary who was perfectly humble and accordingly completely empty of self. This attitude is described in the Gospel when, she “went in haste” to visit Elizabeth...and just as she joyfully showed her Son to the shepherds and Magi, she would later offer him to the executioners who would crucify him. Next to Jesus, surely no one has loved mankind more than Mary.

Another aspect of her charity is evidenced in her tactfulness. When Mary found Jesus in the temple after days of anxious searching and keen suffering, she concealed her sorrow behind that of Joseph’s. The marriage in Cana was another example of Mary’s delicacy. She noticed the embarrassment of the bridal couple when the wine ran out. She handled the matter so tactfully that it passed unobserved even by the steward.

[Fr.Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, OCD, Divine Intimacy, Vol II.]