Queen of angels, Queen of martyrs, Queen of Patriarchs, Queen beauty of Carmel, Queen of Virgins, Queen of Confessors, Queen of the most Holy Rosary, Queen of our hearts—all of these are majestic and glorious titles given to the woman most honored, depicted in art, poetry, and literature for millenia—the Blessed Virgin Mary. Though these titles give honor to this “Masterpiece of Creation” (St Louis de Montfort), they don’t credit her most intimate role in the Blessed Trinity.
In the Trinity, Mary is the Daughter of God the Father, the Mother of God the Son, and the Mystical Spouse of the Holy Spirit. In sum, Mary is the living Temple and Tabernacle of the Blessed Trinity.
Mary is by far the closest to God, but she is still very close to us on earth. In this valley of tears, mourning and weeping, she is indeed “our life, our sweetness, and our hope.”
The essence of God is goodness; from this goodness flows the abundant gifts that He has given to us, is giving, and will be giving until the end of time. As Saint Paul reminds us: “There is more joy in giving than in receiving.” Of course, the greatest Gift that God the Father has given to the world, to all of humanity, and to each and every one of us individually is His Son Jesus Christ.
In Advent we prepare to relive and thank God for this Gift. On Christmas, we receive this Gift—thanks to the cooperation and obedience of the Blessed Mother Mary.
It was through Mary’s “yes,” her fiat, that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. How true that the Incarnation became a reality through Mary’s generous “yes,” through the most sublime and world-transforming words: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word.”
Mary generously gave to the world Jesus, our Lord God and Savior. Jesus is the Gift of Gifts and the reason for the Season of Advent, culminating in Christmas. Because we have received so much through her, now it is our turn to offer Mary gifts. Let us begin to offer ourselves to her this Advent and on this Solemnity of her Immaculate Conception.
1. A Morning Offering
As the sunrises, and we rise from our sleep, let us give our first thoughts and words of prayer to Jesus and Mary. Through them, we consecrate our day, all we think, say, do, and even intend. No better way to start off a new day than by giving all to Jesus through Mary.
2. Wearing a Scapular
As an exterior sign of our consecration to Mary, let us wear the brown Scapular of Our lady of Mount Carmel. By wearing this Scapular, we proclaim our belonging to Mary, asserting that we are in the School of Mary, are in the footsteps of Mary, in the family and Mary, and most importantly that we are in the Immaculate Heart of Mary. As we affirm our consecration to her, we can kiss the Scapular—by this gesture saying that we love Mary and desire to experience her love for us throughout the day.
3. Praying the Angelus 3x a Day
Another beautiful prayer that can mark specific times of the day is praying the Angelus. This wonderful Marian prayer encapsulates two key mysteries of the lives of Jesus and Mary: the Incarnation and birth of Jesus and the Paschal mystery, His Passion, suffering, death, and Resurrection. The Holy Father prays the Angelus in the Vatican every Sunday at noon.
4. Invoke Mary
Maria cogita, Maria invoca—this is an invocation very dear to the Congregation of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary. The Latin translates to “think of Mary, call upon Mary.” If we love a person and are convinced of that person’s love for us, then that person is always in our mind and thoughts. So it should be for Mary in our daily lives.
5. Get to Know Mary
The more we get to know the sublime virtues, presence, and holiness of Mary, the more we can love her and come to imitate her virtues. Many spiritual masterpieces have been written on Mary. I never tire of encouraging people to purchase The Glories of Mary, by Saint Alphonsus Maria Liguori—perhaps the greatest book ever written on the holy Mother. If you like, you might even buy my own Marian book, The Marian Compendium, published by TAN.
6. Imitate Mary
Knowledge generates love, love leads to following, and following leads to imitation. In the Louis de Montfort classic, the saint lists the ten key virtues of Mary that we are encouraged to know, love, and imitate. They are: deep humility, lively faith, blind obedience, unceasing prayer, constant self-denial, surpassing purity, ardent love, heroic patience, angelic kindness, and heavenly wisdom. Let us imitate she whom we love and follow by growing in these virtues.
7. Calling on Her in Temptation
To live is to be in a constant state of spiritual combat. Saint Ignatius in the Spiritual Exercises calls it the “Two Standards”—that of Satan and the other of Christ. In the Protoevangelium, we read, after the fall of Adam and Eve, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, her offspring and yours; and she shall crush your head with her heel” (Gen 3). So, in moments of temptation, let us launch into fiery and fervent prayer to the Mother of God; she will trample the ugly head of Satan with her heel. The Hail Mary is like the golden arrow in our quiver.
8. Seek Mary When Receiving Holy Communion
One of the hallmarks of the spirituality of Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta was her great love for Mary, the Rosary, the Miraculous Medal, and her tender devotion to the Immaculate Heart. Another secret of the sanctity of this saint was her fervent receptions of Holy Communion. The saint of the poor, upon approaching Holy Communion, would beg Mary for her Immaculate Heart so that she could receive Jesus in Holy Communion with burning love. So it happened!
9. Rely on the Rosary
When Our Lady appeared in Fatima from May to October of 1917, in every apparition to the three children, Jacinta, Francisco, and Lucia, she insisted upon praying the most holy Rosary. Finally, she then revealed her name and identity: Our Lady of the Rosary.
10. Become an Apostle of the Blessed Virgin Mary
If we want to bring others to Jesus, let us recognize the importance of introducing them to Mary. If we desire to glorify and magnify the Name of the Jesus, let us introduce many to His Glorious Mother. If we desire to witness miracles of grace, by means of radical conversions, let us place them in the hands and heart of Mary, and she will gently but firmly bring them to the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Bringing souls to Mary will never deflect, impede, or prevent them from coming to Jesus; quite the contrary.
The last recorded words of Mary in Sacred Scripture, in the context of the Wedding Feast of Cana are: “Do whatever He tells you” (Jn 2:5). No better advice could be given.
May you be an ardent and fiery Apostle of Mary, praying to her, invoking, imitating, and relying on her, and bringing many souls to her. No doubt stupendous miracles, conversions, and transformations will follow!
Image from Wikimedia Commons
