A few
weeks ago I listened to a mom tell this story: One day,
soon after putting her statue by my kitchen sink, I was
losing my patience with no one listening to me,
so I turned around and looked at Mary
and prayed. From behind me I could hear my kids:
"What's Mommy doing?" "I
think she's talking to the Mary statue."
I turned around and they were all smiling at me, "Do you
feel better now Mommy?" "Yes, I do! Now go clean up your
toys and take a bath!" Mary
brought calm to my home.
Mary
was totally human! She lived an ordinary life. There must
have been times she burnt the dinner, had to be patient with
an annoying person, or just wanted to sit down and cry.
She was born without sin,
but she wasn't incapable of sin (think of Eve). Mary fought
to keep her soul pure. That is why she gives us hope;
she won the battle we're trying to
fight. So go to her; she wants to help!
The
second symptom is to get stuck on the statue in the niche;
to get caught up in the devotionals and forget the heart of
the devotion. Statues,
images, medals, prayers, novenas and rosaries are all rich
traditions of our faith when we use them to draw Our Lady
into our heart, into our homes, and into our families.
How will we know if we are?
By how much we are imitating Our Lady
in our daily life. It's easy to pray the
decade of the Wedding of Cana - but it's another thing to
imitate Our Lady's selflessness by going out of our way to
meet someone's need.
So
how can we bring her down out of the niche and into our
daily lives?
. Put an image of Our Lady
where you need the most help - your
kitchen, TV lounge or even at your computer.
. Try out the family rosary;
you could begin with just one decade every week or every
night.
. Put aside the music for a bit on your next family car trip
and entrust your journey to
her protection.
. Never
walk past an image or statue of Our Lady without telling her
at least "hello!"
. At Mass, catch the moments her name is
mentioned, and sincerely
ask for her help.
A
true devotion to Mary is building a relationship with
someone who loves you as only a perfect mom can.
She wants to be a part of
your life. You don't need to fly to the
Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, or to Lourdes or Fatima
to meet Our Lady. You can meet her
right at your kitchen sink.
