Just like everyone else, whenever we have a need, Vickie and I pray. We hold hands, and one of us takes the lead. If it’s me I talk directly to God for both of us, sort of like: “Dear God, our worries about (fill in the blank) are killing us. Please help us to think your thoughts, not our own. Take away our worries, and replace them with your peace. We put this problem on the altar of your love. We know you will take it from us and everything will be okay in your time, not ours. We know your will for us is better than anything we can imagine. Thy will be done. Okay, we’re not going to think about this anymore. Thank you, God.” That works pretty well, even though we may have to repeat it later in the day. Now if Vickie takes the lead, we hold hands and it goes exactly like this:
Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
And that works too. Vickie knows from experience: the best way to get to a son is through his mother.
Catholics who feel a bond with Mary know, as Martin Luther did, that when they go to God through Mary, it works. They can’t prove it intellectually. They know it through the spiritual fruits that sprout from their prayer: peace, understanding, gratitude. Jesus put it this way: “You will know them by what they produce. People don’t pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles, do they?” (Matthew 7:16, adapted). Catholics go to God through Mary and receive grapes, figs, apples, pears, and sometimes pizza. It works.
Mary’s presence in the lives of Catholics—and anyone else who goes to God through her—is the presence of a mother. She is the beat of Jesus’ heart. She is a mirror that shows us who and what we are. The mystic Meister Eckhart said it best:
What good is it to me if Mary is full of grace and if I am not also full of grace? What good is it to me for the Creator to give birth to his Son if I do not also give birth to him in my time and my culture?…We are all meant to be mothers of God.
Today’s post is excerpted from my book Why Stay Catholic? Unexpected Answers to a Life-Changing Question. Also be sure to read The Average Catholic and Mary (Part One).
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What a precious passage in your book! This would be such a perfect topic of discussion for a prayer group! It stirs up so many thoughts, ideas, memories, comments! Thank you.
May you both have a blessed day.
We will, Claire, we are. You made it sweet. We wish the same for you!
“May is the best of Jesus’ heart” might be a bit of a stretch, but it underlines the concept that for many people the best way to get to Jesus is through her Son. Whenever our family left on a vacation trip we paused in the driveway and everyone in the car said a Hail Mary together for a safe journey. The kids probably hated it then, but oddly, they do it now with their kids. That’s the beautiful, special, power of Mary.
Great example, Bob. Vickie and I were just driving home and an ambulance was racing ahead of us so we said a Hail Mary. Thank you, Mary!
I love this, Mike, and really needed it today. You (and Vickie) continue to inspire me in so many ways! Am so grateful for writers and pray-ers like you.
Thanks, Renee. I am grateful for your Facebook posts and pix. You inspire also.
I still have a Sodality medal from my high school days. She is a constant when I am not. This time of year I think of:
“Lovely Lady dressed in blue, teach me how to pray. God was just your little boy, you showed Him the way.”
What a beautiful simple picture in this little grade school poem. Always done by the first grade at the May/Mary celebrations in my parish school
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Marg, I love that prayer too. When I was putting together The Maryknoll Book of Inspiration with Sue Perry who is Lutheran someone sent that prayer in. Sue had never heard of it. I said, all the more reason to put it in!
I just want to say “Thank You” for your wonderful blog. You capture a spiritual depth while inspiring one to take daily action. Blessings.
Jeanne, your kind words mean a lot to me. Thank you so much.
I love your line about Mary as a mirror. As the mom of two young boys, I keep seeing myself in the stories of her life … in the love, the sacrifice, the worry, the encouragement, and the faith that she would make it through the many scary things she had to face as a mom. Thanks for your post.
Thank you so much, Ginny, for your beautiful comment.
Such a beautiful article… I have come to love reading your emails. Mary for me has been an importance in my life since May of this year. In May, I went on a retreat with my staff team here in Peru. It was there that we made a promise to prayer the Rosary everyday. The ‘Hail Mary’ or ‘Dios de Salve Maria’ is my favorite prayer of all times. I find myself ending my prayer time with my roommate or saying it after finding out about things that happened in this world. Calling upon Mary has provided sooooooo much miracles in my life. Plus, it is simple and Mary was simple. Gracias
Thanks for your inspiring comment, Tania.