May Day turned out to be warm, bright and sunny after a decidedly chilly last week in April. I unwrapped my statue of Mary, which had been shrouded for safe keeping in a clean tea towel. Mary is our mother and, like many mothers, she is also a mother to all she meets. That instinct to nurture and love is with us from an early age.
From the moment the angel appeared to Mary and told her that she had been chosen to be the Mother of God, nothing would ever be the same. From the time that seed started growing in her womb, her place in the Holy Family was secured.
How will you show your devotion to Mary in this her special month of May? Will you set up a May altar in your prayer space or at home? Where will you go to collect flowers to adorn the feet of the Virgin Mary? Will you make a special effort this month to pray to Mary, for all the women in your family? Can you make an effort to pray the Rosary, in particular the Joyful Mysteries, which are all about five key moments early in the life of Mary?
Prayer changes things and the repetitive rhythm of the Rosary is comforting in this fast-paced world. In prayer, we still our minds and give our hearts to God. We are nicer to each other after prayer has happened. Jesus, Mary and Joseph are in our hearts.
Significant days: May is the month of Mary
St Brendan (16 May)
Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (31 May)
Easter Season is also known as Eastertide and we celebrate new life and the Resurrection of Jesus over fifty days until Pentecost.
Listen: ‘Bring Flowers of the Rarest’ and ‘A Mhuire Mháthair’, Fifth Class Grow in Love (Seasonal Lesson)
Consider: Making a May altar at home or in your classroom
Pray: The Rosary with your class or your family over a week in May, each day focusing on a different decade of the Joyful Mysteries
Read: The Rosary Priest: A Biography of Patrick Peyton by Tom Mulligan
— Amanda Smith