May 5 – The Month of Mothers, the Month of Mary

May is the Month of Mary.

Throughout the year we honor Mary in different ways, observing different facets of the Mystery of Christ and the way that Mary is intimately bound up in that.

May has come to be known for Catholics as the Month of Mary, but why is May dedicated to Mary?

In October we acknowledge Mary as Our Lady of Victory and Queen of the Rosary; so, October is now observed as the Month of the Rosary.

Then, in December, Mary is very intimately bound up with Advent and the Christmas Mystery – and Dec. 8 is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

So, why do we observe her again in May?

As we know, May is a month of springtime, of blossoming of flowers, of new life, and a time of birth. Thus, it has also become a season of honoring motherhood and also mothers. Even centuries before “Mother’s Day” was a formal national holiday in the United States, Catholics have honored Mary as the mother of all believers during this springtime month.

Besides that Our Lord and King Jesus Christ called Mary mother and honored her as such, on the Cross, Jesus told the Beloved Disciples (who also represents all of us), “Behold Your Mother.”

So, next Sunday, May 12, when we as a country honor our mothers, when we give them gifts and do things to show our honor, love and respect for them, so too we will also honor our spiritual Mother Mary, crowning her with blooming flowers and singing a hymn in love and honor of her!

We also have a couple of days celebrating Mary, as we remember Mary’s apparitions at Fatima, Portugal in 1917 on May 13; and we celebrate the “Visitation,” the event of Mary visiting Elizabeth on May 31.

Some prayer requests for this month:

Besides saying and extra prayer in thanksgiving for all our mothers, please continue to hold in prayer:

1) Those who last weekend received their First Communion

2) The graduates of our parishes, who will be honored at Masses this month

3) For those to be ordained for the Archdiocese of Dubuque May 24 and 25. Deacon Greg Lambert, who will be ordained a priest; and Hung Le, who will be ordained transitional Deacon, and so ordained priest next year.

Peace,

– Fr. Kevin