MAY, THE MONTH OF MARY (MAY 31) – THE SOVEREIGN RIGHTS OF MARY
Our Lady is Queen and as such has the rights of sovereignty; we are his subjects and we must pay Her obedience and honor.
The obedience that the Virgin wants from us is the exact observance of the law of God. Jesus and Mary have the same cause: the glory of God and the salvation of souls; but this divine plan cannot be carried out unless the will of the Lord is fulfilled, as expressed in the Ten Commandments.
Some points of the Decalogue can be observed with ease; others demand sacrifices and even heroism. The continuous vigilance to safeguard the lily of purity is a great sacrifice, because it requires the dominion of the body, the heart free from all disordered affection and the mind always ready to ward off evil images and sinful desires; it is a great sacrifice to generously forgive offenses and to do good to those who do us evil. However, obedience to God’s law is also an act of respect for the Queen of Heaven.
Nobody deludes themselves! There is no true devotion to Mary, if the soul seriously offends God and cannot resolve to leave sin, especially impurity, hatred and injustice.
Every earthly queen is worthy of honor by her subjects. The Queen of Heaven deserves more. He receives the homages of the Angels and the Blessed in Heaven, who bless Her as the masterpiece of the Divinity; She must also be honored on earth, where She has suffered alongside Jesus, effectively cooperating in Redemption. The honors that are given to them are always inferior to those of which they truly deserve.
Respect the holy name of our Lady! Let us not pronounce Her name in vain; neither use Her name in oaths; when hearing Her name blasphemed, immediately say a prayer: “Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother!”
May the image of our Lady be always honored, by greeting Her and at the same time addressing some invocation and prayer to Her.
Let us greet the Queen of Heaven at least three times a day, with the recital of the Angelus Domini, and let us invite others, especially the family members, to do the same. Who is not able to recite the Angelus, substitute with three Hail Marys and three Glory be.
When the solemn feasts are celebrated in honor of Mary, let us cooperate in any way so that it will be a successful event.
The queens of this world have court hours, that is, on a date and time of day they are honored by the company of famous people; the ladies of the court are proud to be with their sovereign and in order to raise their spirits.
If you want to offer to tribute special attention to the Queen of Heaven, do not let a day pass without making an hour of spiritual presence with Mary our Queen. At a specific time, putting aside the occupations, and, if this is not possible, even while working, raise our mind frequently to our Lady, pray and sing Her praises, to repay the insults She receives from those who utter blasphemies. Those who nurture filial love for the Celeste Sovereign, let him seek with industry to find other souls who will honor our Queen with their time. Whoever organizes this pious practices, may rejoice in it, because he places himself under the mantle of the Virgin, even better within Her Immaculate Heart.
EXAMPLE:
A child, very precocious in intelligence and virtue, began to understand the importance of devotion to Mary and did everything to honor Her and to honor by considering Her his mother and Her Queen. At the age of twelve, he was well advanced already in paying Her homage. He even had made a little weekly schedule:
1. Every day I will offer a special mortification in honor of the Celestial Mother.
2. Every day I will visit our Lady in Church and pray at Her altar. Also invite others to do the same.
3. Every Wednesday I will receive Holy Communion, to pay homage to Mary Most Holy, so that sinners are converted. Also every Friday recite the Crown of the Seven Sorrows of Mary.
4. Every Saturday I will fast and receive Communion to obtain the protection of Our Lady in life and in death.
5. As soon as you wake up in the morning, turn your first thought to Jesus and the Divine Mother; while going to bed, in the evening, I put myself under the mantle of the Madonna, asking for Her blessing.
The good young man, if he wrote to someone, he always included a thought on our Lady; if he sang, on his lip there was always some Marian praise; if he told some stories to his companions or relatives, he mostly narrated graces or miracles performed through Mary.
He treated our Lady as his Mother and Queen and was reciprocated with such an abundance of favors, to achieve holiness quickly. He died at fifteen, visibly visited by the Virgin, who invited him to go to Heaven.
The young man we are talking about is St. Dominic Savio, the Saint of the youth, one of the youngest saints of the Catholic Church.
A Little Spiritual Flower Offering to our Lady:
– Let us obey without complaining, out of love for Jesus and Our Lady even in unpleasant things.
Prayer to Mary:
– Hail Mary, save my soul!
