THOUGHTS ON THE MONTH OF MAY
Why is May traditionally set aside as a month for special devotion to Mary? There are many traditions but the one I find very intriguing finds its beginnings in the name of the month itself. May comes from Maia, through the latin Maius. Now Maia in roman mythology was an earth goddess and the month of May was named in her honor. Taking it a step back in Greek the name, maia means “mother”. It is very probable that the early Christians , they did so often, looked at the culture in which they lived to find helps for their devotion. The ordinary Romans celebrated the feast of Maia what an appropriate time, they might have thought, to celebrate the feast of our mother in Faith, Mary. Another example of Baptizing something already exisiting in pagan culture.

How best to show devotion to Mary? Of course, the highest type of devotion is imitation, following her example. Some of the points of our lives as followers of the Lord which Mary highlights are:
She was a great listener to the word of God. By listener I do not mean passive, but active response to the Word. Our Lord puts her as an example of this when He says of her: Blessed rather are those who do the will of my Father. Mary conceived Our Lord by saying “yes” to the Word she heard.
Mary also gives us a deep insight into the meaning of life. At the Annunciation when the angel announced that she would be the mother of God Mary had an intuitive sense that her life was more than just for herself. She sensed that this was a moment of decision in her life in which she would say either yes or no to the place which God had for her in the plan of salvation. Life, for Mary, was always connected to this unfolding plan of God.
Mary teaches us about be disciples of the Lord. Her entire life was spent following her Son . She was connected to Him in such a deep and profound way that you could almost say that His life was her’s. She walked with Him through the good times and the bad, in the times when the crowds proclaimed Him as their king, and when they rejected Him. She walked with Him during the pain of Good Friday, and the glory of Easter. She stood in the midst of the disciples in the upper room on Pentecost.

Using her as an example May would be a great time to increase our love of Scripture as the way God speaks to us. It would also ask us to reflect on the meaning of life and see in the living of our lives the plan of God. Finally, to look at our lives as a walk with the Lord.