A venerable tradition exists in the Church of highlighting a particular devotion each month of the year. Some of these devotions are, unfortunately, lesser known today. To name a few: January is dedicated to honoring the Holy Childhood of Jesus; February, the Holy Family; July, the Precious Blood of Jesus.
The month of May is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and thankfully this devotion seems to be alive and well in the Church. Some parishes and Catholic schools still practice the tradition of the May Crowning. Many parishes also have May Devotions, which usually consist of exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, the praying of the Rosary and Benediction.
The month of May, then, is a fitting time to evaluate our own personal devotion to Mary. The Church teaches that devotion to the Mother of God is not simply one devotion among many. One Catholic may have a deep devotion to St. Anthony while another Catholic may be devoted to St. Therese. However, Marian devotion is different in that every Catholic ought to possess a deep love and devotion to the Blessed Virgin. It ought to be an ordinary part of every Catholic’s spiritual life.
There are many ways to live this devotion: the frequent recitation of the Rosary, a daily act of entrustment to her care, or even the 33-day Marian consecration, made popular by St. Louis de Montfort.
In what ever way we choose to live this devotion to Mary, it is certain that by doing so, she will always lead us closer to her Son.
