Mary Devotional for Moms

I have a very strong affection for our Blessed Mother.  

Not because the Catholic Church tells me to, but because I have always thought of her as my own mother.  Countless times I have called upon her for wisdom while raising my own children. Who better to ask for advice than the person who raised God himself?

Sadly, I think there is a misconception about Catholics and our view of Mary.  Too many times I’ve seen people belittling her and relegating her role as mother of our Savior to nothing more than an “empty vessel”.  

The truth is, Mary is so much more than just a vessel.  God could not have His son raised by anything more than a perfect woman.  Look at your own faults as a mother and you’ll see you’ve made misguided judgements or have regrets about decisions you’ve made.  Do you honestly think in your imperfect state you could raise the Son of God?  I don’t think so.

As for me, I choose to see our Blessed Mother as more than Jesus’s mother.  I choose to see her as a friend and confidante, someone who was always humble and obedient to God.  I see her as someone I want to aspire to be.

So how can we begin to imitate our Mother?  

Pray the Rosary 

This one goes without saying.  Undoubtedly the single most important devotional to Mary is the Rosary.  

While you’re contemplating the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, you are also praying to Mary for her intercessory prayers.  We are not praying to her, we are asking her to pray to God on our behalf.   

I have to admit that the Joyful Mysteries are always my favorite to say.  It starts off with Mary’s own humility in accepting her role as the mother of Christ, then ends with contemplation of the joy of seeking Jesus.  I see a complete fulfillment of her role in the will of the Father.  Humility, love of neighbor, poverty of spirit, obedience and seeking Jesus.  All the qualities a mother should have.

Divine Mercy Chaplet 

While not a specific devotional to Mary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet is a powerful prayer tool in the Catholic mother’s life.

Utilizing the beads of the Rosary, specific prayers are said to ask our Heavenly Father to ask for his mercy upon us.  In His great mercy, He offered His only son as a sacrifice for our sins.  The chaplet reflects upon that compassion and humbly asks God to let it flow through us and serve as a reminder of His forgiveness.

Emulation 

They say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.  I’m pretty sure Mary isn’t looking to be flattered, but she’s definitely looking to be imitated.  Regular reflection on her life and obedience will help us to align our will to the Holy Father’s.  She exemplifies everything a woman should aspire to be – obedient, humble, patient, pure and faithful.

While all of the above ideas will help us to imitate her life sounds great, the truth is, the modern woman has a set of challenges Mary did not.  

But, that doesn’t excuse us from trying.  

Charity – Charity to others should not just be in your own home.  There are always opportunities to assist others and show them patience and mercy.  This can be found anywhere from your own parish to the grocery store. Look for opportunities to assist others, even if it’s an inconvenience to you.

Humility – Being humble can mean putting yourself last whenever opportunities to be acknowledged arise.  And in this modern world, that happens a LOT.  Seems like everyone wants to be noticed these days.  Social media has changed the landscape of our home lives, often putting everything we do on display.  It may be tempting to go online and brag about our accomplishments.  I’m guilty of it too, especially when it comes to my children.  But God does His best work in us in private.  

Obedience is a bigger challenge these days.  Truthfully, it’s confusing for women to know their place in the world now.  Throughout history the man of the house was the leader.  But changes in society have forced us into new roles, often the leaders at work or home.  It’s a delicate tight rope to walk, balancing power at work with power at home.  

God made women and men uniquely different for a reason. In my own home, my husband is the head of our household. That doesn’t mean he orders me around. It means when it comes to big decisions, I trust his final judgement. Just as he trusts me with running our home and all the decisions that go into that. Both of us discuss these issues, but don’t interfere in each other’s roles.

Purity – If you’re a married woman, you’re probably thinking purity doesn’t really apply and relates more to chastity.  Not true at all.  There is such a thing as purity in marriage.  This includes not engaging in explicit materials (such as porn, lewd magazines, books or TV shows).  Seems like most content these days has some kind of questionable material and it can be hard to avoid.  However, we must still try to keep that kind of influence out of our lives, to the fullest extent possible.

Novenas 

Novena Prayer website has a wonderful collection of novenas to not only our Blessed Mother, but also to other saints.  I have often called upon St. Rita through her novena and she has never failed to assist in my prayers.  She is the patron saint of sterility, abuse victims, loneliness, marriage difficulties, widows, the sick, bodily ills, and wounds.  She also has a reputation for assisting with impossible causes, much like St. Jude and St. Philomena.

Consecration to Mary 

To consecrate means to offer yourself up in service to God.  Mary was the perfect example of service to God through her humble obedience in accepting the will of the Father.  We can also consecrate ourselves and our families to God.  St. Maximilian Kolbe composed this beautiful consecration prayer.

Reflection on Our Lady of Fatima

On the 13th of the month between May and October 1917, Our Lady appeared to three shepherd children, Lucia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinto Marto.  She warned of great wars that would occur because of the many sins of humankind.  She also gave three great warnings to the children.

Our Lady warned Catholics about hell, the need to repent and there would be terrible wars as punishment if her message wasn’t heeded.  Because of the stubborn pride of humanity, World War I and II are the result.

The message of Fatima is still relevant today and we can take action.  

First, we should console Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.  We can comfort God by participating in Eucharistic Adoration.

Second, we can offer our sacrifices for the conversion of sinners.  The angel taught the children to pray these words three times in a row for sinners.

Oh most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore you profoundly.

I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the Tabernacle’s of the world,

in reparation for the outrageous, sacrilegious, any indifferences by which He is offended.

Amen.

Third, we should consecrate ourselves to Our Lady.  St. Louis de Montfort’s consecration to Our Lady is a 33 day program consisting of various prayers and readings to help us grow closer to Mary and Jesus.  St. John Paul II told children about St. Louis de Montfort’s consecration and said, “This is how the little shepherds became saints so quickly.”

Father Michael Gaitley wrote a book titled, “33 Days to Morning Glory“, which shows us how to make that consecration.  Central to the consecration is attending the First Five Saturdays.

Conclusion

No matter how you choose to devote yourself to Mary, the simple act of trying pleases God. There are many ways we can imitate her life, even in modern times. Books and prayers can assist us in starting this process, but the best place to start is to pray to God to show you how He wants you to devote yourself to Mary. What is right for one woman may not be right for another.

Want to teach your children the 5 Prayers of Fatima? Download The 5 Prayers of Fatima free printable.