May, Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary 

God chose to involve Mary in a unique way in the life and mission of Jesus, in the history of salvation. But how does he want her to be involved in our lives and missions, in our personal history of salvation?

[…] As baptized Christians, we have become members of the Body of Christ, adopted by grace into the family of God. And so, in this order of grace, Mary has become our spiritual mother. Jesus revealed this to us when he was dying on the Cross and spoke to Mary and to his youngest apostle, St. John the Evangelist. Here’s how St. John himself describes the exchange: When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. – John 19:26-27, NABRE

The Catechism picks up on this when it describes Mary’s role in the life of the Church and of all humanity: In a wholly singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope, and burning charity in the Savior’s work of restoring       supernatural life to souls. For this reason she is a mother to us in the order of grace. – CCC 968

Through prayers and holy images, and other devotional practices, Mary accompanies each one of us in our journey of faith, comforting and strengthening us with the power of her spiritual motherhood.

When we cultivate our awareness of and appreciation for this presence, it reminds us of one of the most important truths having to do with our Christian lives, and having to do with our desire to grow to Christian maturity: the primacy of grace.

Mary’s special role in salvation history didn’t flow from her having some kind of superpower; she wasn’t Wonder Woman. No, she was a normal human being, just like us, except for one thing: from the moment of her conception, she was “full of grace”, full of God’s grace.

And that’s how the angel greeted her at the Annunciation, when she became the mother of the Lord. He addressed her as “full of grace.” She is special and wonderful and honored because God’s grace set her apart, and because she cooperated generously with that grace.

Mary’s presence in our lives is a constant reminder of that essential truth. It reminds us that we are just children in the order of grace, that we are dependent, that we are needy. This is the secret to true humility, and without true humility we cannot grow in the divine wisdom that we long for and that we need.

River of Wisdom A Retreat Guide On The Rosary written by Fr. John Bartunek, LC, S.Th.D.  RCSpirituality.org