Mary has shown herself to be your mother, Mary: Day 048

Mary has shown herself to be your mother

St. Ignatius Loyola recalls all the good reasons we have to call Mary our mother, and to honor her accordingly.

Mary has always shown herself to be your mother. She received you to her heart when Jesus gave you to her as her child. For this reason the Scripture calls Jesus Christ her “firstborn” (see Mt 1:25). You ought to be born in her and by her, after him. She has nourished you, not only by the graces her prayers have obtained for you, but also in a real way by the Body and Blood of her Son given to you in the Eucharist.

She has looked out for you, cared for you, loaded you with favors. All the graces you have received from the Lord have been solicited and obtained by her. This means that your call to the faith, the grace of a Christian education, of a first Communion, the grace of conversion and retreats, the grace that now leads you to give yourself entirely to God—all come to you from Jesus through Mary. When needed, Mary provides for the defense and salvation of her children extraordinary graces and wonderful miracles. What wonders have caused, sus- tained, spread everywhere, a confidence among Christian people! What striking proofs of her protection the Church recalls to our memory in solemn feasts and devout practices, enriched by precious indulgences! What titles Christians give her to testify to their gratitude: “Help of Christians, health of the sick, com- fort of the afflicted, refuge of sinners, gate of heaven, our life, our sweetness, our hope!” What a multitude of people gather to the places where she is most honored, where she obtains the most assistance to those who call on her! What prayers and acts of thanksgiving are offered at the foot of her altars! In our days, what conquests have been made by Our Lady of Victories! What favors have
been bestowed on all hearts devoted to the heart of Mary! —St. Ignatius Loyola, The Spiritual Exercises

IN GOD’S PRESENCE, CONSIDER . . .
What has Mary done for you personally to demonstrate her maternal care?
How have you expressed your gratitude for her care?

CLOSING PRAYER
From a prayer of St. Bernard of Clairvaux: My dear mother, if only I could love you as you love me! Yet I will not cease to do all that I can to honor and love you. My most sweet Lady, obtain for me grace to be faithful to you.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Remember to subscribe to my feed so you will not miss a day! This recurring feature at The Catholic Blogger is possible through the cooperation of author Paul Thigpen and publisher Saint Benedict Press. To get your own copy of this book, click below.