Marian Reminder: Weekly Message for 9-05-17

Dear Friends in Christ,

Think of the months linked to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and May or October might come to mind. May has its processions, October has the rosary.

Poor September can get overlooked. It shouldn’t. It has the feasts of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, the Most Holy Name of Mary, and Our Lady of Sorrows — a notable Marian triad, indeed.

Her birth marked a new chapter in salvation history. The one who would be Mother of the Redeemer was now with us.

Then there is the holy name which graces the lips of millions who seek her intercession with her divine Son. So many hearts hang their hopes on the woman to whom Our Lord has a hard time saying no.

Jesus’ attentiveness to her pleas is easy to understand. Who else stayed by his side at so many sorrowful moments, including Calvary?

The example of Our Lady of Sorrows is a reminder that the following of Christ is not an easy path. It’s also an example that provides a kind of guiding principle for Ask a Priest.

For lots of hard, and sometimes heartbreaking, questions arrive in the Ask a Priest inbox. Sometimes the only answer is to try to help people understand that the cross they bear can be an instrument of holiness — if it is embraced with love and faith.

At the point it’s no longer about asking a priest but rather asking the Blessed Mother for strength. She who counseled, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5) will help people do just that: Our Lord’s will in their lives.

You might consider drawing closer to Mary with the help of one of our Retreat Guides.

It would be a fitting way to mark a sometimes undervalued Marian month.

In Christ,

Father Edward McIlmail, L.C.
Ask a Priest contributor
contact@rcspirituality.org