Mother of Divine Grace

St. John Paul Il’s trust in our Blessed Mother has often been traced back to the loss of his own mother, Emilia, before he was nine. Those who knew him best believed that Mary provided the late Pope with a maternal influence. The saint explained this devotion in his comments to young people in the World Youth Day message in 2003: “Jesus gives his Mother to you so that she will comfort you with her tenderness. ... Throughout my life I have experienced the loving and forceful presence of the Mother of our Lord. ... Mary is the Mother of divine grace, because she is the Mother of the author of grace. Entrust yourselves to her with complete confidence!”
Dedicating the entire month of May to our Blessed Mother can be traced back to the early 17th century. As Catholics today, we are asked to celebrate this long standing devotion with liturgical, catechetical and pastoral initiatives. Marian processions, crownings, and student-led Rosaries often come to mind as we honor the Mother of our Lord. Perhaps, this year, in addition to these prayerful activities experienced in our parishes and Catholic schools, we might focus on the second of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary: the Visitation.
We sometimes think we have everything, when in fact we have nothing of our own. Whatever we have, we have from the Lord. He comes to us and blesses us and confers on us all the blessings of God’s creation. Elizabeth is very direct: Mary is blessed by the Lord. But as we reflect on this particular Mystery of the Rosary, we also remember that it is Mary who brings the Lord to us as she brought the Lord to her cousin, Elizabeth, Zechariah and John the Baptist.
In Mary’s outreach, she brings hope and the love of her Son.
So many people today speak of the pain of isolation. They feel no one really cares. Do we know of family members, neighbors, or parishioners that no longer receive our time and concern? Do we call or visit to see how they are doing? Is our only form of communication a brief and insincere text? Is there a family we used to see at Mass that no longer shares in our parish celebration of the Eucharist? Have we invited them back?
Please join me this May in asking our patroness, Our Lady of Lourdes, to lead us ever closer to her son Jesus. May our special intention be for Mary’s continued protection of the Diocese of Spokane, with special prayers for the return of those Catholics who may no longer practice the Faith. And let us pray for the grace to live each day in renewed faith and generosity of heart.