Daily May Devotions To Mother Mary

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Meditations from “Handbook of Prayers”: [url="http://www.theologicalforum.org/marketplace/product_desc.asp?Sku=0-933932-60-X&Category=94"]http://www.theologicalforum.org/marketplac...amp;Category=94[/url]

Used with permission of Midwest Theological Forum
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[b][color="#4169E1"]May 1 - Mary; Mother of God[/color][/b]

"When the Blessed virgin said yes, freely, to the plans revealed to her by the Creator, the divine Word assumed a human nature - a rational soul and a body - which was formed in the most pure womb of Mary. The divine nature and the human were united in a single Person: Jesus Christ, true God and, thenceforth, true man; the only-begotten and eternal Son of the Father and from that moment on, as man, the true Son of Mary. This is why our Lady is the Mother of the Incarnate Word, of the second Person of the Blessed Trinity, who has united our human nature to himself for ever, without any confusion of the two natures. The greatest praise we can give to the Blessed Virgin is to address her loudly and clearly by the name that expresses her very highest dignity: 'Mother of God'."

[b]Let us offer to our Mother today:[/b]

Brief but frequent prayers of love, such as: "Mother of God, your petitions are most powerful."




[b][color="#4169E1"]May 2 - Mary: The Most Perfect Creature[/color][/b]

"She who is full of grace, the object of God's sacred choice, exalted above all the angels and the saints, lived an ordinary life. Mary is as much a creature as we are, with a heart like ours, made for joy and mirth as well as suffering and tears. Before Gabriel communicates to her God's plan, our Lady does not know that she has been chosen from all eternity to be the mother of the Messiah. She see herself as a lowly creature. That is why she can acknowledge, with full humility, that 'he who is mighty has done great things' for her."

[b]Let us offer to our Mother today:[/b]

Many glances of affection and many words of love, when we see her image or picture in our home, in the church, or anywhere.



[b][color="#4169E1"]May 3 - Mary and the Blessed Trinity[/color][/b]

"Through the Incarnation of Our Lord in her immaculate womb, Mary, the Daughter of God the Father, is also the Spouse of God the Holy Spirit and the Mother of God the Son."

[b]Let us offer to our Mother today:[/b]

A "Hail Mary" each time the clock strikes another hour.

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[b][color="#4169E1"]May 4 - Mary's Family: The Trinity on Earth[/color][/b]

It is only natural that the Church rejoices as it contemplates the modest home of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. We read in the hymn from matins on the feast of the Holy Family: "It is pleasing to recall the lowly house at Nazareth and its slender resources, it is pleasing to tell again in song Jesus' hidden life. Jesus grows up in hidden seclusion, to be trained in Joseph's lowly trade. The loving Mother sits beside her dear Son, the good wife by her husband, content if her loving attention can ease and comfort them in their weariness."

Let us offer to our Mother today:

A loving review of her life with Jesus as we recite the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary.

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[b][color="#4169E1"]May 5 - Mary: Her Immaculate Conception[/color][/b]

How would we have acted, if we could have chosen our own mother? I'm sure we would have chosen the one we have, adorning her with every possible grace. That is what Christ did. Being all-powerful, all-wise, Love itself, his power carried out his will... This is the clearest reason why our Lord granted his Mother, from the very moment of her Immaculate Conception, all possible privileges. She was free from the power of Satan. She is beautiful, spotless and pure in soul and body.

Let us offer to our Mother today:

The renewal of our baptismal vows.

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[color="#4169E1"][b]May 6 - The Annunciation-Mary: The First Tabernacle[/b][/color]

If you seek Mary, you will find Jesus. And you will learn a bit more about what is in the heart of a God who humbles himself, discarding all manifestations of his power and majesty to take the form of a servant. Speaking in human terms, we could say that God outdoes himself, because he goes much further than he need in order to save us. The only way to measure what he does is to say that it cannot be measured; it comes from a madness of love which leads him to take on our flesh and bear the weight of our sins.

Let us offer to our Mother today:

The Angelus recited with great affection.

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[color="#4169E1"][b]May 7 - Mary: Our Model in Ordinary Life[/b][/color]

We can't forget that Mary spent nearly every day of her life just like millions of other women who look after their family, bring up their children and take care o£ the house. Mary sanctifies the ordinary everyday things — what some people wrongly regard as unimportant and insignificant: everyday work, looking after those closest to you, visits to friends and relatives. What a blessed ordinariness, that can be so full of love of God!

Let us offer to our Mother today:

Affectionate details of service and attention to those closest to us.

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[color="#4169E1"][b]May 8 – Mary: Mother of Christ[/b][/color]

Iesus Christus, Deus homo: Jesus Christ, God-man. This is one of "the mighty works of God," which we should reflect upon and thank him for. He has come to bring "peace on earth to men of good Will," to all men who want to unite their wills to the holy will of God — not just the rich, not just the poor, but everyone: all the brethren. We are all brothers in Jesus, children of God, brothers of Christ. His Mother is our mother.

[b]Let us offer to our Mother today:[/b]

Jesus Himself, when we receive Him in Holy Communion.

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[color="#4169E1"][b]May 9 – Mary: Welcoming the Shepards[/b][/color]

You must look at the Child in the manger. He is our Love. Look at him, realizing that the whole thing is a mystery. We need to accept this mystery on faith and use our faith to explore it very deeply. To do this, we must have the humble attitude of a Christian soul.

Let us offer to our Mother today:

Small hidden sacrifices, especially those that go against the grain.

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[color="#4169E1"][b]May 10 – Mary: Presenting Jesus in the Temple[/b][/color]

She teaches us to have charity. Remember the scene of the presentation of Jesus in the temple. An old man, Simeon, 'said to his mother Mary, Behold, this child is destined to bring about the fall of many and the rise of many in Israel--and to be a sign which men will refuse to acknowledge; and so the thoughts of many hearts shall be made manifest; as for your own soul, it shall have a sword to pierce it.' So great is Mary's love for all mankind that she, too, fulfilled Christ's words when he affirmed: 'Greater love has no man than this, that he should lay down his life for his friends.'
Let us offer to our Mother today:

A pilgrimage to one of her shrines.

[a spiritual pilgrimage today would please her too... spend some time on [url="http://www.lourdes-france.com/index.php?texte=1&langage=en"]the official Lourdes website[/url] - check out the webcams.]

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[color="#4169E1"][b]May 11 – Mary: Welcoming the Magi[/b][/color]

"Going into the house they saw the child with Mary, his Mother." Our Lady is always by her Son. The Magi are not received by a king on a high throne, but by a child in the arms of his Mother. Let us ask the Mother of God, who is our Mother, to prepare for us the way that leads to the fullness of love. Cor Mariae dulcissimum, iter para tutum: "Most Sweet Heart of Mary, prepare a safe way!" Her sweet heart knows the surest path for finding Christ.

Let us offer to our Mother today:

A visit to a poor person to communicate Our Lady’s concern for that person.

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[color="#4169E1"][b]May 12 – Flight into Egypt with Joseph and the Child Jesus[/b][/color]

The mystery of Mary helps us see that in order to approach God we must become little. As Christ said to his disciples "Believe me, unless you become like little children again, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven." To become children we must renounce our pride and self-sufficiency, recognizing that we can do nothing by ourselves. We must realize that we need grace, and the help of God our Father to find our way and keep to it.

Let us offer to our Mother today:

A visit to a lonely person to share the joy of trusting in God alone.

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[color="#4169E1"][b]May 13 – Mary: Her hidden life with Jesus[/b][/color]

I like to go back in my imagination to the years Jesus spent close to his Mother, years which span almost the whole of his life on earth. I like to picture him as a little child, cared for by Mary who kisses him and plays with him. I like to see him growing up before the loving eyes of his Mother and of Joseph, his father on earth. What tenderness and care Mary and the Holy Patriarch must have shown towards Jesus, as they looked after him during his childhood, all the while, silently, learning so much from him. Their souls would become more and more like the soul of that Son, who was both Man and God. This is why his Mother, and after her St Joseph, understand better than anyone the feelings of the Heart of Christ; and the two of them are thus the best way, I would say the only way, to reach the Saviour.

Let us offer to our Mother today:

The effort of doing our work well, on time, with competence and finesse.

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[b][color="#4169E1"]May 14 – Mary: Loosing and finding the Child Jesus[/color][/b]

The Mother of God, who looked for her Son so anxiously when he was lost through no fault of her own, and experienced such great joy in finding him, will help us retrace our steps and put right whatever may be necessary when, because of our carelessness or our sins, we have been unable to recognise Christ. With her help we will know the happiness of holding him in our arms once more, and telling him we will never lose him again.

Let us offer to our Mother today:

A good, sincere, sorrowful confession of our sins and failures, in the sacrament of Penance.

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[color="#4169E1"][b]May 15 – Mary: At Cana[/b][/color]

In his Gospel St. John has recorded a wonderful phrase of our Lady. At the wedding of Cana she turned to the waiters and said: "Do whatever he tells you." That's what it's all about — getting people to face Jesus and ask him: "Lord, what do you want me to do?

Let us offer to our Mother today:

Prompt obedience, when we are called or asked to do some errand or act of service.

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[color="#4169E1"][b]May 16 – Mary: At the Foot of the Ccross[/b][/color]

We find her on Calvary, at the foot of the Cross, praying. This is nothing new for Mary. She has always acted like this, as she fulfilled her duties and looked after her home. As she went about the things of this earth she kept her attention on God.

Let us offer to our Mother today:

An act of contrition, said many times, asking her to offer our sorrow for our sins to Jesus crucified.

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[b]May 17 – Mary: Sorrowing Mother[/b]

Our Lady is there listening to the words of her Son, united to him in his suffering, 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?' What could she do? She united herself fully with the redemptive love of her Son, and offered to the Father her immense sorrow, which pierced her pure Heart like a sharp edged sword.

Let us offer to our Mother today:

The mortification of keeping quiet about any pain or discomfort, any inconvenience or disappointment, uniting it with her pain as she stood by her crucified Son.