I have always loved the Virgin Mary. On a daily basis I meditate on the Passion of Christ and I often think of the final moments of Jesus’ life and contemplate carefully the meaning of His last words.

“When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.” John 19:26-27

“Behold your mother!” Do you think Jesus was just speaking to the Apostle John in this moment? Is it likely that Jesus would have waited until He was dying on the Cross to make new living arrangements for His mother?

I believe, as do most Catholics, that Jesus was giving all creation His mother. The Virgin Mary would become a guide to the apostles that were building God’s Church and she would be a spiritual mother leading us to her Son Jesus, Our Lord and Saviour.

I will tell you a little bit about my own spiritual conversion. The Virgin Mary played a special role in it. I remember one day asking the Virgin Mary to help me be close to God and I heard her say in my heart “I will intercede for you daughter”. I remember saying “Thank you”,  but then I wondered what does she mean by “intercede”. At that time I will tell you I didn’t know what the word “intercede” meant. I had never heard that word before. I subsequently learned it meant I will intervene and help you. And the Blessed Mother did help me and she continues to try to help us from Heaven.

The message of the Virgin Mary is a simple one: “Do whatever he tells you.” John 2:5 In her many apparitions she has always encouraged us to “Pray! Pray! Pray! and do penance!

Prayer is the path that brings us close to God. We trust in Jesus and we pray for His blessing and His continuous guidance. As sinners we need not only to confess our sins but try our best to make amends for the errors we have committed and that’s what doing penance is all about. Penance is all about bearing fruit worthy of repentance, showing God we are truly committed to giving Him glory.

The prayer that the Virgin Mary advocates is the Holy Rosary. I now try to pray the Rosary every day. I really love praying the Rosary because it is a contemplative prayer that is a beautiful way to discover the meaning of the Scripture in our lives. If you have never prayed the Rosary before it involves meditating on various mysteries in the Bible and considering their meaning in our life. For example one of the mysteries is the “Annunciation”. In this mystery we remember the Angel Gabriel coming to announce that the Virgin Mary was chosen to be the Mother of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Our God. She responds with total faith “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38

In this mystery we are called to consider how trusting are we in the plans Jesus has for us? Do we hear God calling us? Have we answered with faith proclaiming that we are His servants?

Praying the Holy Rosary is like walking in a mystical Garden where the mysteries draw us back in time to walk on earth with Jesus and His Holy Mother and His first apostles. We reflect on the challenges they experienced and we draw on their holy example. Meanwhile while we are contemplating we are praying for the intercession of Our Mother in Heaven and for the mercy of Our Lord Jesus. We pray: “Oh my Jesus forgive us our sins and save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven especially those in most need of your mercy.”

Think of each bead in the Holy Rosary as a holy stepping stone designed to bring you closer to Jesus. We contemplate the meaning of our existence. We think about the virtues of Our Lord Jesus and His Blessed Mother Mary. We think about the choices we are making and whether they are pleasing to God. We reflect on the past, the present and the future and entrust all things to God, meanwhile we pray for the intercession of Our Holy Mother Mary that she may assist us in pleasing Her Son Jesus, Our Lord and Saviour.

The words of the prayer Hail Mary are drawn from Holy Scripture

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

(These are the words of the Angel Gabriel. “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” Luke 1:28)

Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

(These were the words of her cousin Elizabeth who was expecting St. John the Baptist: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” Luke 1:42)

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

(These are the final words of the prayer. We acknowledge her holiness and ability to pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.)

With confidence I encourage you to call upon the intercession of your Spiritual Mother, the Virgin Mary. She wants only to help you become closer to her Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

We love you Jesus and Mary! Thank you Holy Lord for giving us your Mother to intercede for us!