Immortal Rose

May, one of the most delightful months of the year, is again upon us. It is that month when nature has completely shaken off the rigors of frosty winter and replaced them with a kaleidoscope of flowers weaving their fragrance among the verdant fields.

In many countries, May is the month of Mother’s Day, while for Catholics it is also the month in which they celebrate two mothers: the earthly one who gave them birth, and the heavenly one, the Virgin Mary, who “by her maternal charity… cares for the brethren of her Son.” (Lumen Gentium, 62).

The hustle and bustle of life, our many worries, disappointments and failures, the different opinions and strange behaviour of people around us may often lead us to a mood of insecurity, moral confusion, and apprehension. In these moments one may easily lose hope in the future, and accept a mediocre and shallow existence devoid of any real meaning as the norm.

Is it possible to find greater purpose to our days and life? Are we just the plaything of events and situations or is it in our power to access new hope, life and energy that will enable us to become the authors of our own life-stories?

In this month of May, thanks to the example of Mary of Nazareth, each one of us may experience, through faith, the certainty of being an essential part of a grand plan of salvation; we can experience a self-fulfilment based on faithfulness to God’s love.

Since the Annunciation, Mary offered herself fully to the plan God had designed for her. She found in the Almighty’s words communicated to her through the archangel Gabriel the light and strength to overcome all that life would bring her.

To be a Christian means to accept, like Our Lady, the plan that God has for each one of us; it means to place all our projects and situations in life, even the saddest and most incomprehensible, within the framework of a plan inspired and sustained by Our Father’s wisdom-filled love.

It is a wonderful thing to feel, and know with certainty, that we are not born out of pure chance as though we were merely the result of a series of random combinations. It is truly comforting to know that our life was planned right from the start; that God has known and loved us since the beginning of Time; that though life is certainly in our hands, our loving Father also has a big say in its development.

Mary is not someone different from us in quality (as God would be), she is different from us in quantity, for she is the model of what we hope to be. She is the one who responded most fully to God’s call; she is therefore “the example, as well as the guide and inspiration, of everyone who seeks to be the servant of God and humanity, and the obedient agent of the promptings of the Holy Spirit”. (Cardinal John J. Wright)

Our Lady’s love is so great that she considers us her loved ones, and she calls us to be the best we can be: followers of her Son. In fact, she addresses the same words to us that she addressed to the servants at the Wedding of Cana, “Do whatever He tells you.”

In May 2010 Pope Benedict XVI pronounced these profound words on the Immortal Rose, “The Church’s tradition of dedicating the month of May to the Virgin Mary harmonizes very well with both the natural and the liturgical contexts. Indeed, she is the most beautiful flower to have unfolded since the Creation, the ‘rose’ that appeared in the fullness of time when God, by sending his Son, gave the world a new springtime. At the same time she is the humble and discreet protagonist of the first steps taken by the Christian community: Mary is its spiritual heart since her very presence among the disciples is a living memory of the Lord Jesus and a pledge of the gift of his Spirit.”

May the Virgin Mary, the Immortal Rose, assist all of us in our necessities. God bless you!