Our Morning Offering – 2 May “Mary’s Month!” – Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter and the Memorial of St Athanasius (c295-373) Father and Doctor of the Church
Prayer to Mary, Mother of Grace By St Athanasius (297-373) Father and Doctor of the Church
It is becoming for you, O Mary,
to be mindful of us,
as you stand near Him
who bestowed upon you all graces,
for you are the Mother of God and our Queen.
Come to our aid for the sake of the King,
the Lord God and Master,
who was born of you.
For this reason,
you are called “full of grace.”
Be mindful of us,
most holy Virgin and bestow on us gifts
from the riches of your graces,
O Virgin full of grace.
Amen
One Minute Reflection – 1 May – Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Eastertide, the Memorial of St Joseph the Worker and the 1st day of the Month of Mary
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David and the virgin’s name was Mary...Luke 1:26-27
REFLECTION – “MARY, THE MOTHER OF GOD: “When the Blessed Virgin said yes, freely, to the plans revealed to her by the Creator, the divine Word assumed a human nature — a rational soul and a body – which was formed in the most pure womb of Mary. The divine nature and the human were united in a single Person: Jesus Christ, true God and, thenceforth, true man; the only begotten and eternal son of the Father and from that moment on, as man, the true son of Mary. This is why our Lady is the mother of the Incarnate Word, of the second person of the Blessed Trinity, who has united our human nature to Himself for ever, without any confusion of the two natures. The greatest praise we can give to the Blessed Virgin is to address her loudly and clearly by the name that expresses her very highest dignity: ‘Mother of God’.”
Let us offer to our Mother today:
Brief but frequent prayers of love, such as – “Mother of God, your petitions are most powerful.”… St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975) – “Mother of God and Our Mother,” – Friends of God 274
PRAYER – Almighty God and Father, Your ways are not our ways, teach us to willingly agree to them, for You know which way we should go. Help us to say “yes” always to Your plan and to render ourselves as a sacrament of Your divine love to all we meet. Fill us with the grace to be your tools to bring glory to Your kingdom. Our Father, who art in heaven, may Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Mary Mother of God, pray for us! Through our Our Lord Jesus Christ with You, in the union of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Rejoice! It’s 1 May and the beginning of the Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary
“God wills that all his gifts should come to us through Mary”
St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Mellifluous Doctor
It was in Rome, towards the end of the eighteenth century, one fine evening in May. A child of the poor gathered his companions around him and led them to a statue of Mary, before which a lamp was burning, as is the custom in that holy city. There, these fresh young voices sang the Litany of our Lady. The next day, the little group, followed by other children, again gathered at the feet of the Mother of God. Next came their mothers, to join the little assembly. Soon, other groups were formed and the devotion rapidly became popular. Holy souls, troubled by the disorderly conduct which always increases and becomes graver at the return of the pleasant springtime, saw in these growing practices the hand of God and they co-operated with the designs of Providence by approving and promoting this new devotion, as a public and solemn act of reparation. The Month of Mary was founded! … A Carthusian, A Month with Mary, London: Burns and Oates, 1950.
“This is the month in which, in the churches and individual homes, the most affectionate and fervent homage of prayers and devotions from the hearts of Christians are raised to Mary. It is also the month in which from His throne, descend upon us, the most generous and abundant gifts of the Divine Mercy.” … Blessed Pope Paul VI, The Month of Mary,1967
In our own times, we Catholics, wanting to be close to her always, offer her special presents in May: pilgrimages, visits to churches dedicated to her, little sacrifices in her honour, extra Devotions in her honour, floral ‘Crownings’, periods of study and well-finished work offered up to her and a more attentive recitation of the Marian Litanies and the Holy Rosary.
Opening Hymn from the Little Office of Mary
O Mary of all women, You are the chosen one, Who, ancient prophets promised, Would bear God’s only Son; All Hebrew generations Prepared the way to thee, That in your womb the God-man, Might come to set us free.
O Mary, you embody all God taught to our race, For you are first and foremost In fullness of His grace; We praise this wondrous honour That you gave birth to Him, Who from you took humanity And saved us from our sin.
AnaStpaul 
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