I don't know if it's even possible for me to explain the deep respect and love I feel for the Blessed Mother.
I am constantly taken aback by how perfect she is. I mean, seriously, she is perfect, and it's just so much to comprehend. You all know how big of an impact Mary has had on me, and the special place she holds in my heart (in case you've forgotten, check out my initial blog post explaining how she grabbed a hold of my heart and refused to let go). Perhaps it was due to the closeness I've always felt with my own mother; perhaps it was due to the lack of depth my faith had up until that point; perhaps it was due to some reason that only the Blessed Family knows--regardless, Mary opened up an entire new spectrum of beauty for me, one that I never would have found on my own.
So now, I want to honor her. I want to show her that for all she has done for me, I want to honor her in a way that will glorify her actions and show people her love. I mean, think about it. She is perfect. Of course we can look to our fellow saints or the highly-praised Saints for guidance, but ultimately they are all flawed. We are all flawed. Mary alone is the perfect human being. She is what God intended humanity to be. It completely humbles me all the time. I try so hard to be a faithful Christian, and in doing so I try to bring other people with me--but ultimately, I am so terribly flawed. Mary isn't. She lived to glorify God. I want to live to glorify God.
In this past week, I've been visiting a certain blog very often. It is that of Father Eric Sternberg, one of the priests from St. Paul's. He has been talking a lot about Marian Piety, which really gets me excited. I love soaking up knowledge and learning more and more about our mother. He kind of touches on one of the things I love most about Catholicism: "as Pope Benedict XVI stated in his most recent apostolic exultation Verbum Domini, 'Catholics are not a people of the book; they are a people of the Word.'" I love this. I love that the teachings of the Church are not limited to what is said in the Bible. It is a living faith, not a faith based off of a book. Saints continue to be canonized and Mary continues showing herself to people around the world. The beauty of this faith stays alive, and a huge part of that is because of Mary.
My point here is that I want to show Mary--and the rest of the world--how beautiful she really is. I'm really into routine, as Alanna talked about a little in her last post, so I've begun incorporating Mary into my daily routine. I don't commit to saying the rosary daily. I wish I could, but in trying that I had lost the feeling, the love of praying it, and I couldn't let that happen. I wasn't going to let the act of prayer be some sort of burden. So instead, I pray it when I need Mary, I pray it when I'm overwhelmed by her love; I pray it when I'm with someone holy (or, in a holy place, like I was last week during one of the best nights of my life!). Like always, friends, I'm sure I will (if I haven't already) sound like a washed-up wannabe motivational speaker, but you are all nice and loving people, so I assume you will forgive me. Please incorporate Mary into your day. When school gets stressful, say a Hail Mary. When homework gets unbearable, pray the rosary. When friends and family and life seem too overwhelming and awful, type in Blessed Mother on Flickr (which will first show you Mother Teresa, a completely amazing woman whom we should all strive to be like, but will soon show you beautiful statues of Mary... and also some strange little girl that takes far too many pictures of herself). Look to her in times of struggle, but praise her in times of joy. She intercedes in our prayers. She strengthens them and makes them perfect for Jesus, perfectly worthy to be heard by our Lord. She is perfect. We can't fully understand it, but it's true. Love her for it; show her your love. Even better? Show your love for Mary by showing your love for Jesus. I promise, she'll be even more honored.
Try it out, friends. See what happens.
Love you, praying for you.
Taylor
As a student for 9 years at a Catholic school named after Mary and her Immaculate Conception, I've always been told Mary was this incredible woman. I went to masses said in her name, I "prayed" the rosary with my class and the rest of the school, I researched her for homework assignments, I was the model Catholic student.
ReplyDeleteBut did I believe in anything I was doing? Did I understand that this wasn't just another weak, pitiful woman who feel for some ridiculous scheme made up by a man? No. I believed in God, sure, but I was pretty lost considering everything else.
The rosary has always been this strange beaded tool. It was more of a barrier than a pathway. We were taught the motions of praying the rosary, but not how to actually pour yourself out into a prayer.
I'm all about girl power. And I see what Mary has done for such a strong, beautiful girl such as yourself, and I realize, Mary's a pretty cool lady. I'm coming to see the beauty in the namesake of my church, not just the old people snoring in the pews or a priest I have a hard time relating to.
Instead, I talk to Mary. She's kind of like the perfect messenger.
~Alanna