devotion to mary

Two years ago, if you had told me I’d have a particular devotion to Mary, and to the rosary, I’d have laughed to your face. It’s not that I had a problem with Mary necessarily, it was that I didn’t know her and didn’t feel the need to know her. I respected other people’s devotion to her, it just wasn’t my thing. Over the last two years, I’ve begun to realize that just like Jesus, Mary was always there. She has shown me this in specific ways. I learned to pray the rosary because it was given to me as a gift and because I was desperate, and I’m so glad that I did.

Which brings me to where I am today, preparing to make certain promises to Mary because I’m grateful that she’s my mother, grateful that she’s our mother. My personalities are healing through Mother Mary’s presence and help, and she is aiding the conversion of us all. The ones that were afraid of Jesus have learned to love his mother first, to embrace her, and, when ready, she’s taken them to her son.

In the preparation for doing this (which will happen on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes), I’m doing a lot of reading. This morning it was impressed upon me that I would be promising even my good works to Mary, which at first gave me pause, but now it makes sense. The idea is that if I give it to Mary, when I go before God I go without anything to offer. That doesn’t sound nice, but the truth is that I don’t have a whole lot to offer anyway, and I need to not try to control or manipulate God with anything good that I can manage to do, because it is God that works that in me anyway.

The thing is, Mary will take whatever I have to offer, and she will bring to Jesus what she sees fit to bring. Mary will come to Jesus and say, “consider MaryClare, she has entrusted herself to my care,” and she will intercede and ask Jesus for favors on my behalf. Yes, I understand that I can go directly to Jesus myself, and I do, but loving Mary means also making a commitment to her as my mother. It also means releasing control of certain things which is something I need constantly to do.

The promises I’m going to be making aren’t necessarily easy promises to make, but they will be worth it. I’m thankful to have Mary as my mother, that Jesus is gracious enough to share her. She’s someone else to help me keep focused on Jesus, especially in the times I want to wander off. I can use all the help I can get there. As far as people to journey with in life, I’m glad that she’s there, and that she’s my mother.