Sep
19
2011
By Anonymous (not verified)
Question: I've heard that we're all called to be spiritual children of Mary. How exactly can I be her child?
Answer: My mother says that she learned to be a spiritual child of Mary after her own beloved mother died. She felt such a void in her life, since she had been so close to her mother. Even after she married my father, she spoke to her mother daily on the phone to ask her advice on many things.
She now does that with the Blessed Mother. Sometimes, she'll say a Hail Mary before making a decision. To remind her of Mary, she keeps a beautiful statue of Our Lady in her kitchen and regularly sits down next to it. Then, over a cup of tea, she has a spiritual conversation with the Blessed Mother, like she used to have with her mother.
Whenever we need help, Mary advises us, as she told the waiters at the wedding feast of Cana, "Do whatever [Jesus] tells you" (Jn 2:5). She simply wants to point us toward her Son, Jesus, and encourage us to open our hearts to Him. From the Cross, Jesus entrusted His mother to each of us when He said to her, "Woman, behold your son." Then He said to the Beloved Disciple, "Behold, your mother" (Jn 19:26-27).
In this light, Vatican II teaches us that Mary is our mother "in the order of grace" (Lumen Gentium, 62).
As our spiritual mother, Mary prays for us and offers us a model of how to live the spiritual life. The best way of opening our hearts to her is through prayer, especially by praying the Rosary. When we pray from the heart and meditate on these mysteries of our salvation, Mary can teach us about the life of her Son and help us become more like Him.
We need to learn to open our hearts like children do. Then, Mary will take care of the rest.
Father Joe Roesch, MIC, is the Marians' vicar general. He lives in Rome, Italy.
Answer: My mother says that she learned to be a spiritual child of Mary after her own beloved mother died. She felt such a void in her life, since she had been so close to her mother. Even after she married my father, she spoke to her mother daily on the phone to ask her advice on many things.
She now does that with the Blessed Mother. Sometimes, she'll say a Hail Mary before making a decision. To remind her of Mary, she keeps a beautiful statue of Our Lady in her kitchen and regularly sits down next to it. Then, over a cup of tea, she has a spiritual conversation with the Blessed Mother, like she used to have with her mother.
Whenever we need help, Mary advises us, as she told the waiters at the wedding feast of Cana, "Do whatever [Jesus] tells you" (Jn 2:5). She simply wants to point us toward her Son, Jesus, and encourage us to open our hearts to Him. From the Cross, Jesus entrusted His mother to each of us when He said to her, "Woman, behold your son." Then He said to the Beloved Disciple, "Behold, your mother" (Jn 19:26-27).
In this light, Vatican II teaches us that Mary is our mother "in the order of grace" (Lumen Gentium, 62).
As our spiritual mother, Mary prays for us and offers us a model of how to live the spiritual life. The best way of opening our hearts to her is through prayer, especially by praying the Rosary. When we pray from the heart and meditate on these mysteries of our salvation, Mary can teach us about the life of her Son and help us become more like Him.
We need to learn to open our hearts like children do. Then, Mary will take care of the rest.
Father Joe Roesch, MIC, is the Marians' vicar general. He lives in Rome, Italy.
pr2
