By Brea Cannon
Liturgical Rhythm of Life
May is a month of beauty and change. In addition to the traditional memorials and days of celebration, Mother’s Day, First Communions, graduations, weddings, Memorial Day, May is a month filled with many great Church feast days and memorials. The Church dedicates this month to Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Did you know that the first Marian feast day recorded was celebrated as early as the sixth century! Texts have been discovered about “The Virgin Mary” that dates back to the first century, and the thirdecumenical council in 431 AD was held in Ephesus at the first church named after the Virgin Mary.
May is a month that does not shy away from honoring the Blessed Mother with multiple Marian feast days. Let’s take a look at a few:
May 13: Our Lady of Fatima
May 23: Mary, Queen of the Apostles
May 24: Mary, Help of Christians
May 25: Mary, Mother of the Church
May 31: The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Throughout this month of May, there are some great ways to grow in devotion to Mary and honor her as the mother of our Lord. Here are just a few ideas:
- Consecrate yourself to Mary — A Marian Consecration is a spiritual act of entrusting one’s soul and life to Jesus through Mary: Both St. Maximillian Kolbe and St. Louis de Montfort have different methods for a 33-day consecration to the Blessed Mother. A consecration to Mary is a powerful devotion that helps to foster a deeper union with God and through the mother of our Lord.
- Pray the Rosary — Consider praying the rosary every day through the month of May. This daily devotion and meditation on the life of Jesus through the mysteries of the rosary will more deeply unite you to the life of Christ through his mother.
- Host a May Crowning — As a family or as a community, honor Mary with a ceremony to crown a statue of her with flowers or a homemade crown to honor her as the mother of our King Jesus Christ.
- Pray with sacred scripture and Marian art — Lectio and Visio divina are forms of prayer that practice reading scripture and gazing at sacred art that lift our minds, hearts and visual senses to a deeper intimacy with God the Father. There are stages of prayer and meditation for each form of prayer.
- Honor all mothers — Celebrate all of the mothers in your life, biological mothers, adopted mothers, spiritual mothers and grandmothers. Lift these women up in prayer and show them a gesture of love and gratitude.
Here are a few other important feast days in May this year:
May 1: St. Joseph the Worker — Pope Pius XXII instituted this feast day to show dignity and honor the worker. St. Joseph gives us a holy example of a hard worker that provided for the Holy Family. On this day, consider praying for the those who are not dignified in work or may be out of work. Offer prayers of gratitude for jobs and employers who show human dignity through work.
May 14: The Ascension, a Holy Day of Obligation — According to St. Augustine, the origins of this feast day are attributed to the Apostles themselves. This a great day to go to Mass, and if it’s a nice day, get outside! Pack a picnic, look up at the clouds, fly a kite and turn your gaze to the sky, for our eternal home is with our Lord in Heaven. Also, be sure to start the novena to the Holy Spirit to end on Pentecost.
May 24: Pentecost — The traditional color of the liturgy for Pentecost is red. Plan to join our priests at Mass by wearing red. It is also a great day to recall the tongues of fire that appeared to Mary and the Apostles by having a bonfire outside. We also like to have a birthday cake to celebrate the birthday of the Church. In your fun celebrations, reflect on the gifts of the Holy Spirit and recall the graces you received at your own Confirmation.
As we enter into this beautiful month, let us all lift our hearts and minds to gaze up to our heavenly Father with Our Blessed Mother and the Holy Spirit with the conclusion of the Easter season on Pentecost.