May: A month to walk with you, Maria
For centuries, the month of May has been consecrated with special affection and devotion to the Virgin Mary. With the offering of songs, flowers, prayers, and gestures of tenderness, the Christian people have learned to view this time as a privileged space to contemplate the mother of Jesus and allow ourselves to be accompanied by her maternal presence. But why May? Why does Mary occupy such a special place in the Christian faith? How can we live this month differently today? May this month and our entire lives be a tribute, a contemplation that helps us walk alongside Mary, and remain at her side like the beloved disciple at the foot of the cross, to find in her comfort, light, hope, and companionship.
Mary, believing woman, disciple and mother
All true devotion to Mary is born from attentive and active listening to the Word of God. In the Gospel accounts, we can appreciate Mary as a woman profoundly docile to God, a model of active, silent, and courageous faith. Her "yes" at the Annunciation (cf. Luke 1:26-38) was not just a one-time response, but the beginning of an entire life dedicated to God's plan. Mary welcomes, contemplates, guards, suffers, and hopes. She is present in the brightest moments and in the darkest: at Cana and on Calvary, in the solitude of Holy Saturday and in the joy of Pentecost.
She is the first disciple, the docile woman, the mother who accompanies, the believer who inspires. Therefore, Mary is an essential figure in our Christian faith: in her, the destiny of the Church and the Christian vocation are realized. From the Holy Scriptures, we understand that Mary is not worshipped because only God is worthy of worship, but she is venerated with profound love, because in her is revealed what God can do in those who surrender themselves totally to Him.
The month of May: a love story
Why May? There are historical, cultural, and also spiritual reasons. In many parts of the world, May marks the blossoming of spring. It's the time of life, of rebirth, of color, of fruit. And Mary is precisely the most beautiful flower in God's garden, the new woman who opened the path of grace to the world.
In the Middle Ages, May was already considered a special month to honor her, but it wasn't until the 17th and 18th centuries that the custom of dedicating flowers to her, praying the rosary, creating home altars, and singing litanies became popular. A simple yet profound gesture: crowning her with our love, recognizing in her the Queen of heaven and earth, but also the close mother who understands our struggles.
Today more than ever, we need to return to these rich devotional practices: a family rosary, a prayer of trust, a statue with fresh flowers, a Marian hymn at the beginning of the day. Not out of empty habit, but because in Mary we find a tenderness that never disappoints, a presence that strengthens.
Mary in the liturgy and in the life of the Church
The liturgy holds Mary in a very special place. Although her worship is always in connection with Christ, as the Second Vatican Council teaches us, the Church celebrates her with special joy on many feasts: the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Assumption, the Immaculate Conception, and countless popular devotions. In May, moreover, the recitation of the rosary, Marian processions, novenas, and celebrations that reflect the devotion of the people are more intensely celebrated.
But the most beautiful thing is that Mary is present in every liturgical season: in Advent as a woman of expectation, at Christmas as the Mother of the Child Jesus, in Lent as the faithful disciple, and at Easter as a witness of hope. She is not just a figure of one month, but a companion throughout the entire journey.
Mary in our daily lives
Throughout the ages, Mary has inspired art, music, poetry, architecture, and theater. She has been invoked in various circumstances: wars, earthquakes, pandemics, and so on. She has been the consolation of mothers, a refuge for migrants, the hope of the poor, and the star of sailors. She has a thousand faces and one heart. She is the Virgin of Carmen, of Guadalupe, of Fatima, of the Rosary, of Sorrows, the Queen of the Apostles, but above all, she is the woman who knows how to be with others.
“Next to You, Mary” is also the beautiful title of a prayer book we want to share with you this month. A book written by Cardinal Luis José Rueda Aparicio that is not only for reading, but for living. In its pages, you will find prayers that spring from the heart of the believer and touch every dimension of our lives: Mary as Mother, Teacher, Queen, Companion, Friend, Woman of Silence, Virgin of Joy, of Work, of the Cross. Each prayer is like a pearl in the rosary of life, and it teaches us to see Mary in liturgical seasons, in moments of struggle, in family, in mission, in illness, in joy.
This book is an invitation to enter into an intimate dialogue with Mary. To contemplate her not only as a model, but as a living presence. Because Mary is not a memory of the past, but a mother for today. Whoever approaches her with trust always finds a home.
Tips to grow in your relationship with the Virgin Mary:
- Pray the Rosary as a dialogue of love. Don't just repeat words. Contemplate with Mary the mysteries of Christ's life, and let her teach you to act like Him.
- Keep a statue of Mary in your home. Let it be a place of prayer, where you can light a candle, bring her a flower, or simply gaze upon her and rest in her tenderness.
- Read the Bible with her. Before opening the Word of God, ask Mary to accompany you as she did the disciples, and to help you welcome and keep the Word in your heart.
- Pray with the book "Together with You, Mary." Make this book your companion in May. Its prayers will help you discover new facets of Mary in the diverse realities of your life.
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Imitate her lifestyle. Mary is not only to be admired, but to be imitated: her silent faith, her availability, her active tenderness, her inner strength, and her hope in the Lord.
- Entrust your struggles and projects to her. Mary is not shocked by our weaknesses. Let us speak to her sincerely. She intercedes for us and encourages us, as she did at Cana: "Do whatever He tells you."
Your Mother's voice
Speak to us, oh mother,
your voice is sweet and powerful,
Your voice fills us with hope,
That voice of yours, Maria,
Who prayed in the house of Elizabeth:
“My spirit rejoices,
in God my Savior” (Lk 1, 46-47).
Mother of the Good Shepherd,
Teach us with your voice that vocation is
service, fidelity and joy,
with missionary courage to respond to the call
of Jesus, your beloved Son,
who tells us every day: “Come, follow me” (Luke 18:22).
Mother, give us the joy of hearing your voice,
that voice that lifts us up,
Your beautiful voice encourages and guides us.
Mother, the one heard in Cana:
“Do whatever He tells you.”
Amen.
Taken from: Next to you, Maria, p. 189.
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