May, the month of Mother Mary

May is the month of Mother Mary. There are many people who have written about this important feast in the Church. But most people, even Catholics, are not aware of this important event.

For centuries, the Catholic Church has set aside the entire month of May to honor Mary, Mother of God. The custom spans both centuries and cultures with roots going back as far as Ancient Greece. In the past, May 1 was seen as the end of winter and the start of new growth. In the Philippines, the month of May coincides with the harvest season.

During the olden times, the tradition of Tricesimum or “Thirty Day Devotion to Mary” came into being. Also called Lady Month, the event was then held from Aug. 15 to Sept. 14 and is still observed in some areas. The idea of a month dedicated to Mary can be traced back to the baroque times. It wasn’t always held during May, but the Month of Mary included 30 daily spiritual exercises honoring Mary.

It was in this era that Mary’s Month and May were finally combined, making May the month of Mary with special devotions organized on each day throughout the month. This custom became widespread during the 19th century and remains in practice today. In 1945 Pope Pius X11 solidified May as a Marian month after establishing the feast of the Queenship of Mary on May 31st. After the Second Vatican Council, this feast was moved but May 31 became the feast of the Visitation of Mary.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the most famous women in the history of the world. Throughout history and even by non-Catholics  she has become an exemplar of purity. However, for Marian scholars not much is known about the personal life of this young Jewish girl whose name was actually Miriam. The first time she is mentioned in the Bible is in the Gospel where according to Luke “the angel Gabriel was sent from God to ...a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph of the House of David and the virgin’s name was Mary.”After that very little is written about Mary.

The New Testament does not tell the story of Mary, the Mother of God. We see Mary visiting Elizabeth, the birth of Jesus in a manger; bringing her son to the temple; the arrival of the Magi; the flight to Egypt; Passover in Jerusalem; Mary at the wedding in Cana; her efforts to see Jesus during His ministry throughout the Holy Land; her presence at His crucifixion; and then as she is surrounded by her Son’s followers after the Resurrection.

These are the only stories the New Testament which tell us about the Mother of God. The books do not tell Mary’s story. They are instead about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

However, there is no question that Mary was and still is the human closest to Jesus. She was the only person present at all the important stages of His brief appearance on earth.

Ever since she was called Hail Mary, she has been exalted and called by many names – Queen of Heaven, Mother Inviolate, Ark of the Covenant and Tower of Ivory. For the past 2,000 years people have been petitioning her; and, reciting the Hail Mary for 1,000 years. There is a prayer dedicated to Mary:

“ Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee;

Blessed art thou among 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.

This is probably the second most recited prayer in the Catholic Church, next only to the Lord’s Prayer or the Our Father. But how many Catholics understand the significance of each line of this short but powerful prayer.

For most people, this is not a prayer but a plea for assistance in seeking God’s love. This prayer has also been called as the Angelical Salutation.

The first part of the prayer embodies the greeting Gabriel made at the Annunciation. The second part comes from Mary’s visit to Elizabeth and her relatives crying out, “Most blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” The last plea comes from the Council of Trent, a series of ecumenical meetings held in northern Italy in the 16th century to counter the Protestant Reformation. At one of those meetings the line : “pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death” was approved.

The Protestant Reformation condemned what they called as the idolatry of Mary. However, there has been growing acceptance of her role within the spiritual lives of many Christians. The rise of feminism has aroused interest in the role of women in the Bible. Timothy George, dean of the evangelical Beeson Divinity School noted: “Mary was a disciple of Christ before she was His mother for if she had not believed she would not have conceived.”

Mary is the great Mediatrix, the mediator between humans and Christ. It is not by chance that Christ’s first miracle was at the request of His Mother Mary. This was at the wedding in Cana where the wedding party ran out of wine. Mary quickly interceded by asking her Son to help.

Daniel Levy wrote: “Mary is a reminder of humanity’s brief moments on Earth during which we feel joy, warmth love and grief over those closest to us.”

Creative writing classes for writers of all ages

While Write Things is in hiatus from its regular Saturday sessions at Fully Booked BGC, it has tried to keep its clientele busy with weekly writing topics and prompts disseminated every week to its mailing list.  If you should wish to avail of these writing ideas, please message us your email address at Facebook.com/writethingsph or email [email protected].

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