Praying with our Blessed Mother

Introduction
The Church will celebrate the Jubilee Year next year with the theme, “Pilgrims of Hope.”
In order to prepare for this momentous event, this year is declared as the Year of Prayer.
The grace that I am asking for this year is this, “Lord, teach us to pray.” [Luke 11,1] The
last part of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is about Prayer. I was formed in the
Ignatian Spirituality as a seminarian and as a priest, the Carmelite Spirituality is my
inspiration and guide. However, I am very happy because I discovered another spiritual
master, St. Alphonsus of Ligouri. He is teaching me a lot about the Christian Faith
especially on the Blessed Mother.
Some Important Points for Reflection and Action
1. The more you spend time with Mary, the more you fall in love with her.
We live in a very busy world where we spend a lot of time on so many concerns. However, there
is an invitation to enter into the school of Mary so that I can spend time with him. The
devotion to the Holy Rosary is a very effective way of spending time with our Blessed Mother.
Those are moments of contemplation the life, ministry, death and Resurrection of our Lord
together with the Blessed Mother. If there is someone who loves the Lord, it is His mother. I
realize that the more I pray the Rosary, the more I am committed to her as my mother. She
teaches me how to love and to serve God and my brethren.
Mary is attracted to brokenness.
It seems that the places where she appeared are unexpected places and she talked with humble people.
Our Blessed Mother has a special love for those who are poor and neglected. One of my favorite
devotions is to Our Lady of Guadalupe. She communicated with Juan Diego, a native of that place.
She could have approached the Archbishop of Mexico or the Governor General but she chose Juan
Diego. She even introduced herself as his mother. It is a great consolation that our Blessed Mother
loves us unconditionally and is attracted to our brokenness.
Without prayer, the soul is without light.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Light of the word. The Blessed Mother is full of grace and full of light.
Looking at the world today, we are facing so many problems. Wars still go on in some parts of the
world. Many people are hungry. Many families are separated. It seems that many have forgotten to
pray. Without prayer, we are vulnerable to live in the darkness. It is in praying and loving that we
receive the light of our Lord. Our Blessed Mother was full of light because she lived always in the
presence of God.
All devotions originate from Sacred Scriptures.
Popular religiosity is very important. It must not be set aside because many people respond to God
through popular devotions. As I said before, the devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help during
Wednesdays attract people to enter the Church. In looking at her title as Mother of Perpetual Help, I
am reminded of the Wedding at Cana where our Blessed Mother helped the couple who during their
wedding, ran out of wine. It was the first miracle of our Lord. Indeed, our Blessed Mother is always
there to help us and will never leave us alone.
Conclusion
I agree with the statement that “in the darkest places, Mary is there.” She always prefers
those who are in dire situations. I just came across a saying of Blessed Fr. Marie Eugene
that is connected to what I learned during the first session:
“When there appears to be no grounds for hope, then this is the time when Mary is
revealed as most completely and profoundly mother.”