Top photo caption: A statue of the Blessed Mother, crowned with spring flowers, stands outside St. Catharine Church, part of St. Catharine & St. Margaret Parish in Spring Lake. Mike Ehrmann photo
A reflection from Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.
May arrives each year like a gentle homily written in blossoms and light. The darkness of winter gives way to color, warmth and new life. The Easter season unfolds in hope; and the Church, in her wisdom, invites us to turn our hearts in a particular way to Mary, the Mother of God and Mother of the Church. It is not by accident that this month — so alive with beauty — is dedicated to the one through whom Life Himself came into the world.
Love for Mary is as natural to the Christian as love for one’s own mother. She is, after all, the Mother of the Lord Jesus, who is at once our Savior and our Brother. In honoring her, we do not turn away from Christ but toward him more perfectly. As St. Louis-Marie de Montfort reminds us, we never give more honor to Jesus than when we honor his Mother, for we go to her only as a sure path leading to him. We worship Christ as God; we love and venerate Mary as his Mother — and as ours.
This truth is not a later invention of devotion, but a gift born from the Cross itself. In his final moments, the Lord Jesus looked upon his Mother and the beloved disciple and spoke those tender and powerful words: “Behold your mother.” From that hour onward, the disciple took her into his care — and so have we. In that sacred exchange, John stands for the whole Church. Jesus gave his Mother to us, and he gave us to her. It was his dying wish, his final act of love, his lasting gift.
From that moment forward, the Church has never ceased to love Mary. The saints have spoken of her with a depth that reflects not exaggeration, but gratitude. St. Bernard of Clairvaux, so devoted to the Blessed Virgin, wrote simply: “About Mary, never enough can be said.” And again he counseled: “In danger, in anguish, in uncertainty, think of Mary, call upon her. If she guides you, you will not grow weary; if she protects you, you need not fear; if she leads you, you will reach your goal.”
This confidence is not misplaced. A mother’s love is unconditional and total. Even if one could gather all the love of all mothers into a single heart, it would not equal the love Mary bears for her children. Such love invites a response — not out of obligation, but out of recognition. It is only natural that we return love with love, turning to her in every circumstance of life.
And so the Church places on our lips the prayers that have formed generations of believers. The Hail Mary, learned at a mother’s knee, echoes through the centuries as both greeting and plea: a recognition of God’s grace at work in her, and a humble request for her intercession. It is a prayer both simple and profound, binding together heaven and earth in the communion of saints. Alongside it, the Rosary, the Angelus, the Regina Caeli, the Memorare, and so many other devotions draw us again and again into her care, and through her, into deeper union with her Son.
In our own time, Pope St. Paul VI reaffirmed what Christians have always known: Mary remains ever the path that leads to Christ. Every true encounter with her results in an encounter with him. This is why Marian devotion, when rightly understood, never distracts from the Gospel but illuminates it. Mary’s entire life points beyond herself: “Do whatever he tells you.”
May, then, becomes more than a tradition — it becomes an invitation. In a world often marked by uncertainty, suffering and confusion, we are encouraged to turn again to our Mother. With the simplicity of children, we can pray: “Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now.” And with trust born of faith: when we are in danger or our hearts are troubled, we can turn to her, confident that she is our comfort and our help.
In every age, the Church has found refuge beneath her mantle. In times of crisis and in moments of quiet grace, she leads her children unfailingly to the heart of her Son. She who stood at the foot of the Cross now stands beside the Church in all her trials and hopes, interceding, guiding and loving.
As we move through this month of May, surrounded by signs of new life, may we renew our devotion to Mary with sincerity and joy. Let us take her into our homes and into our hearts, as the beloved disciple once did. Let us entrust to her our needs, our families, our Church and our world.
And as she always does, she will lead us — gently, faithfully and surely — to Jesus, the Light of the World, the fullness of life, and the source of all that is good, true and beautiful.