Mary's Attunement: The Mother We Need the Most
- Abby Thomas
- 12 minutes ago
- 3 min read
A few days ago, my daughters took turns wearing a flower crown as we
walked our usual route through the neighborhood. The air this time of year still has a bite, so we were all bundled up in hooded sweatshirts, a humorous contrast to the floral crown vibe. The girls traded off wearing the pink-and-white rose-covered crown until their ears grew cold. Then the crown was exchanged for a hood, and the other would take her turn.
When I think of flower crowns, I imagine beautiful dresses…not gray hoodies. But my girls are girly girls, and the flower crown was a necessity!
As I watched my one-year-old admiring her shadow with the crown on her head, I was brought back to second grade, when I was given the opportunity to carry the flower crown during a May Crowning at Mass.
Because May is the month of Mary, many parishes honor our Blessed Mother with a May Crowning this time of year. By presenting Mary, the Queen of Heaven and Earth, with a crown of flowers, we honor her role as our Queen and Mother, trusting that drawing near to her will lead us closer to her son.
I want to be honest, I love our Blessed Mother, and I recognize the importance of fostering a relationship with her. But somewhere along the way, I lost the enthusiasm I had for her as a little girl.
My parents had a strong devotion to Mary, and we prayed a family rosary every single night after dinner. My parents were enthusiastic about making a Marian consecration and so in elementary school, I remember consecrating my life to her. I can’t say I fully understood what that meant at the time, but I knew it was an honor to entrust my life to Mary and to have her in my corner.
Now, as a mother myself, I am desiring a deeper relationship with Our Blessed Mother. You are never too old to need a mom and I am in need of maternal guidance now, more than ever.
What I love most about Mary is that she is personal, yet gentle. She has the patient and loving touch that every child needs and never pushes too hard. She is attentive, meaning she does not approach every child the same way. There are hundreds of titles of Mary and countless ways she meets each of her children and attends to their unique needs. Through this deep attunement, she is able to lead her children closer to her son using a path designed specially for their spiritual journey.
Thank you, Mother Mary, for loving me exactly as I need. Thank you for guiding my spiritual journey and leading me into deeper intimacy with your Son.
Mary, Mother of Mercy, Pray for me.
Mary, Mother of good counsel, pray for me.
Mary, Seat of wisdom, pray for me.
Mary, Queen of families, pray for me.
Mary, Queen of peace, pray for me.
Until next time, your sister in Christ,
Abby
P.S. Be sure to follow along with Catholic Country Chronicles this month as we deepen our Marian devotion by diving deeper into a few of the titles of Mary. Over the next few weeks, we will be blogging about our favorite Marian titles and sharing how the Blessed Mother has been guiding our lives.
Be sure to download this beautiful Litany of Loreto (Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary) to include in your prayer this month!
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