April 30, 2007 - 26 days until ordination

Today is the last day of April. Tomorrow we enter into the very month of my ordination. May is traditionally a Marian month. Mother's Day is within this month as is the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the 31st of May. Maybe more importantly is that May is the month when nearly all the ordinations to the priesthood, including mine, take place. Priests tend to have a special devotion to Mary. She is the Mother of Christ and we, acting in the Person of Christ, become her sons as well. Mary is an ideal example for the priest. She said yes to God's call for her to devote her live in service to God just as priests devote our lives to the service of God. She taught Jesus, loved him and watched over him. We ask her to do the same for us: to teach us how to draw closer to her Son, to love us with the love of a Heavenly Mother and to watch over us.

Mary was there when Jesus began his ministry at Cana. She was with him during his ministry as we see in various passages of the Gospels. She watched with love and compassion as he carried his Cross. She held his lifeless body when he was taken down from the Cross. She was there when he rose to new life. How could a priest not have a devotion to her.

Mary is present throughout the life of a priest if we just turn to her. She is there when we begin our ministry as often the priest asks for a Marian hymn to be sung at their First Mass (as these thoughts run through my head I think of my sister, Becky, who I asked to sing a Marian hymn at my First Mass. She hasn't revealed which hymn she will sing, but I just hope it isn't Mary had a little lamb!!!). We pray to her throughout our ministry, especially praying the Rosary for the needs and requests of our people. When we have crosses to carry - burdens in our life that all priests face - we can see her with us, loving us and having compassion for us. We turn and ask her to embrace us in our times of struggle when we feel helpless or lifeless. We rejoice in praise and thanksgiving for new life - baptisms, marriages and other joyous events within the Church. The devotion to Mary, for a priest, is not simply a prayer to someone in heaven...it is our calling out to our Heavenly Mother, the mother of Christ, in our joy, sorrow, struggle and grief of being a priest of Jesus Christ.

God is great...all the time. All the time...God is great. Until tomorrow...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 13:12 | link | comments |
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