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The month of May is a season of new growth, of Spring in full blossom, of life reborn after Easter. It is also, appropriately, the month which the Church especially dedicates to Mary, the mother of Jesus and our spiritual mother.

During May, many Catholic Christians draw closer to Mary and honor her as our mother in ways both old and new. Pope Paul VI wrote that, “In this month, too, the benefits of God’s mercy come down to us from her throne in greater abundance.”


The practice of honoring Mary in May arose near the end of the 13th century. A few centuries later, Jesuit students at the Roman College fervently embraced this custom, and from there it spread to the entire Church. Over the centuries, the popes have continually recommended May devotions to Our Blessed Mother, such as praying the Rosary, wearing the scapular and Marian medals, and consecrating ourselves and our families to Our Lady.

Mary was most likely a teen when the angel Gabriel announced that God had chosen her to be the mother of His Son, the Messiah, the Redeemer of the world. Mary asked how this could happen, since she was a virgin. Gabriel replied that the Holy Spirit would come upon her, and overshadow her, and her child would be called holy, the Son of God. Mary believed God and accepted His invitation.
 

   
“Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her” (Luke 1:38)--The New American Bible. 

Mary’s “Yes” didn’t stop there. She obeyed God faithfully all her life, caring for Jesus and preparing Him for His mission. At the Cross, even though she loved Jesus more than any other person ever could, she offered him up to the Father—out of love for us. And it was on the Cross that Jesus gave her to us, in the person of Saint John, to be our spiritual mother, to bring us all home to heaven. 

As spouse of the Holy Spirit, Mary quietly and resolutely mothered the early Church, until she was assumed, body and soul, into heaven to reign forever with Jesus. Mary is our model and mother in our journey of following Christ to heaven. Pope Benedict urges us to ask Mary’s help in following Jesus, and to “do whatever He tells you.”

We hope you have a blessed May and if you are looking for resources to help you honor Our Blessed Mother this month, Autom offers an expansive selection Marian items including great Catholic prayer books, beautiful rosaries and Miraculous medals.