Mary Day by Day
Page 7
—Wis 6:10-11
REFLECTION. Mary is the sure way to go to Jesus and to find Him perfectly.
It is through her that holy souls, who are to radiate holiness, must find Jesus!
—St. Louis Grignion de Montfort
PRAYER. O Mary, you lead us unfailingly to Jesus. Help me to follow your inspirations in all things and to radiate your Divine Son to the whole world.
JUNE 8
LISTEN, my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth to speak parables, I will reveal mysteries of long ago.
—Ps 78:1-2
REFLECTION. Mary is the vessel and tabernacle containing all mysteries. All that was hidden from preceding generations was made known to her.
Even more, most of the wonders of the Divine plan of salvation depended on her.
—St. Gregory the Wonderworker
PRAYER. O Mary, help me to realize that like you every person has a role in God’s saving plan. Grant that I may fulfill my role, no matter how difficult it may be.
JUNE 9
ANOTHER angel came and stood before the altar, with a golden censer…. And with the prayers of the saints, the cloud of incense rose up before God from the angel’s hand.
—Rev 8:3-4
REFLECTION. The incomparable Mother of God is the purest golden censer.
In her our prayers are offered to the Eternal God.
—St. Ephrem
PRAYER. O Mary, you present our prayers to God without ceasing. Beg your Divine Son to forgive me my sins so that I may offer prayers to Him forever in heaven.
JUNE 10
IF you, evil as you are, know how to give good things to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
—Mt 7:11
REFLECTION. Everything that the Son asks of the Father is granted.
Likewise, everything that the Mother asks of her Son is also granted.
—St. John Vianney
PRAYER. O Mary, as our loving Mother you have our happiness at heart. Inspire me to ask only for those things that will further God’s glory and the salvation of souls, including my own.
JUNE 11
THE eyes of all hope in you … ; you open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
—Ps 145:15-16
REFLECTION. The Motherly Heart of Mary has a great desire to give us grace.
This desire is even greater than our desire to receive grace!
—St. Alphonsus Liguori
PRAYER. O Mary, you are forever looking for ways to give us grace. Grant me the grace I need for this day, and let me remember to ask for the same thing each day.
JUNE 12
OBSERVE … the commandment … : love the Lord, your God; walk in all his ways; keep all his commandments; cling to him; and serve him with all your heart and soul.
—Jos 22:5
REFLECTION. Love the Immaculata! Confide in her and consecrate yourself to her without reservation.
Strive to do everything as she herself would do it in your place, especially by loving God as she loves Him.
—St. Maximilian Kolbe
PRAYER. O Mary, I give myself completely to you. Help me to love you, to follow your example in all things, and to love God as you did all your life.
JUNE 13
BUT now that you are free from sin and slaves to God, the fruit that you have leads to holiness and results in eternal life.
—Rom 6:22
REFLECTION. Blessed are those who cherish your Name, O Mary.
Your favor will sustain them in the midst of trials, and they will bring forth fruits of salvation.
—St. Anthony of Padua
PRAYER. O Mary, may your holy Name be ever on my lips and in my heart. Let it be the key to a good life on earth and the password to a blessed eternity in heaven.
JUNE 14
WISDOM is sweet for your soul. If you find it, you will have hope, and your hope will not perish.
—Prov 24:14
REFLECTION. Mary is both the Mother of the Shepherd and the Mother of the Lamb.
That is why she is all our confidence and all our hope!
—St. Germanus
PRAYER. O Mary, you are the world’s best hope because you are the Mother of the Redeemer. I place all my hope in you—for today, for tomorrow, and for ever.
JUNE 15
COME and let us reason together … : If your sins are like scarlet, they may become as white as snow. And if they are red as crimson, they may become as white as wool.
—Isa 1:18
REFLECTION. The greater sinners we are, the more tenderness and compassion Mary has for us.
The child who has cost the Mother the most tears is closest to her heart!
—St. John Vianney
PRAYER. O Mary, you are full of compassion for us. If I should ever have the misfortune to fall into serious sin, help me to throw myself upon your loving mercy.
JUNE 16
MAY the Lord guide your hearts to the love of God and to the perseverance of Christ.
—2 Thes 3:5
REFLECTION. The love of Christ so wounded and transfixed Mary’s Heart that no part of it remained untouched.
Thus, she fulfilled the First Commandment in all its extension and without the slightest imperfection.
—St. Bernard
PRAYER. O Mary, your love for God is greater than the love of all human beings together. Teach me to love God with all my heart, all my mind, and all my soul.
JUNE 17
WHO do you think is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his household to give them food ? … Blessed is that servant whom his master finds doing so when he arrives home.
—Lk 12:42-43
REFLECTION. We have only one thing that we must do—that is, pray to the Blessed Virgin.
Ask her for the grace to love our Lord as she loves Him and to remain faithful to Him in life and in death.
—St. Bernadette
PRAYER. O Mary, you are the Virgin Most Faithful. Grant me the grace to love God and remain faithful to Him in all things.
JUNE 18
BEING rooted and grounded in love, may you come to comprehend … what is the breadth, length, height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses all understanding.
—Eph 3:17-19
REFLECTION. Do you wish to know the most intimate perfections of Jesus and the most hidden attractions of His love?
Then seek them in the Heart of Mary!
—St. Peter Eymard
PRAYER. O Mary, keep ever before me the tried and trusted Christian motto: “To Jesus through Mary.” And let me learn to seek your Divine Son in your Motherly Heart.
JUNE 19
THEY cried out to you, and from heaven you heard them and rescued them according to your compassion time after time.
—Neh 9:28
REFLECTION. Mary is not only called the Mother of Mercy. She is the Mother of Mercy.
And she proved that she is by the loving tenderness with which she helps us all.
—St. Alphonsus Liguori
PRAYER. O Mary, you are the Mother of Mercy. Plead my cause day and night before your Divine Son. In your mercy, do not let me be lost forever.
JUNE 20
PHILIP said to him, “Master, show us the Father, and that is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “… Whoever sees me sees also the Father.”
—Jn 14:8-9
REFLECTION. It is the nature of Jesus Christ to lead us surely to the Father.
In the same way, it is the nature of the Blessed Virgin to lead us surely to Jesus.
—St. Louis Grignion de Montfort
PRAYER. O Mary, you are our sure guide to Jesus. Let me learn to see you in Jesus and Jesus in you. For you are united with your Divine Son by the closest natural and supernatural bond.
JUNE 21
I EXHORT you, therefore, … by the mercy of God, to offer you
r bodies as a sacrifice, living, holy, and delightful, to God, your spiritual service.
—Rom 12:1
REFLECTION. O holy Mary, into your safe keeping I entrust my soul and body, this day, every day, and on the day of my death.
Through your holy intercession, may all my actions be ordered according to your will and that of your Divine Son.
—St. Aloysius Gonzaga
PRAYER. O Mary, in accord with the example of St. Aloysius, I offer you this day all my hopes and consolations, all my trials and miseries, my life and the end of my life!
JUNE 22
LET us draw near with a sincere heart and in fullness of trust, with our hearts cleansed from an evil conscience … and our bodies cleansed in pure water.
—Heb 10:22
REFLECTION. We must have frequent recourse to the Mother of God for she is the Mother of the supernatural life and the Mother of grace.
The Lord desires that we receive all graces through her, and this depends on our approaching her.
—St. Maximilian Kolbe
PRAYER. O Mary, you are the Mother of Divine Grace. Help me to approach you daily with a clean heart to obtain the graces God wishes to give me through you each day.
JUNE 23
AND I heard the voices of many angels around the throne…. They numbered thousands upon thousands, and they sang out loudly.
—Rev 5:11
REFLECTION. The nine choirs of Angels offer Mary millions of times each day the Angelic Salutation: Hail Mary!
In doing so, they ask her to honor them with one of her commands.
—St. Louis Grignion de Montfort
PRAYER. O Mary, you are the Queen of Angels. Let me say the “Hail Mary” every day and help me to carry out your commands received through my Guardian Angel.
JUNE 24
THE Lord is joined to you and chose you … because the Lord loved you and because he kept the oath he had sworn.
—Deut 7:7-8
REFLECTION. What treasure is superior to the Divine Love that animated the Heart of Mary?
It is from this Heart, as from a furnace of Divine Love, that the Blessed Virgin drew forth words of a most ardent love.
—St. Bernardine of Siena
PRAYER. O Mary, you are filled with God’s love. Obtain for me a share in that Divine Love so that it may inspire me to love God as much as I am able.
JUNE 25
LET me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and your face beautiful.
—Song 2:14
REFLECTION. Come, let us throw ourselves at the feet of this good Mother.
Let us cling to them and not leave them, until she blesses us and takes us for her children.
—St. Bernard
PRAYER. O Mary, you are the best of Mothers. I desire to be your child. Help me to remain ever close to you by following the teachings of your Divine Son.
JUNE 26
IF you search her out and follow her trail, she will make herself known; and once you have found her, do not let her go.
—Sir 6:27
REFLECTION. Breathing is not only the sign but even the very cause of life.
In like manner, the Name of Mary, continually on the lips of her clients, not only proves the presence of supernatural life but also causes and preserves it and gives them strength for everything.
—St. Germanus
PRAYER. O Mary, grant that your holy Name may be always on my lips and in my heart. May it keep me from sin and preserve the Divine life that comes to me from Jesus through you.
JUNE 27
WILL God really dwell with men on earth? If the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you, how much less this temple that I have built!
—1 Ki 8:27
REFLECTION. The Mother of God contained the infinite God under her Heart, the God Whom no space can contain.
Through her, the Trinity is adored, demons are vanquished, Satan is cast out of heaven, and our fallen nature is assumed into heaven.
—St. Cyril of Alexandria
PRAYER. O Mary, I revere you, who contained within you the God Whom no space can contain. Help me to be ever conscious of God’s presence in me through the grace of Jesus.
JUNE 28
BUT to those who did receive [the Redeemer] he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name.
—Jn 1:12
REFLECTION. Since the Redeemer preexisted, there had to be someone to be saved so that He would not come in vain.
As a consequence, we find Mary, the obedient Virgin, saying: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”
—St. Irenaeus
PRAYER. O Mary, you are the First among the Redeemed and you cooperated in the Redemption. Help me to cooperate in bringing the fruits of Jesus’ Redemption to all people.
JUNE 29
YOU have come to him with rich blessings, you have placed on his head a crown of purest gold…. For you have made him blessed forever.
—Ps 21:4-7
REFLECTION. The Name of Mary is second in blessings only to the Most Sacred Name of Jesus.
There is no other name in heaven or on earth that brings such grace, and hope, and sweetness to the devout.
—St. Alphonsus Liguori
PRAYER. O Mary, your Name brings God’s blessings to us. Let me pronounce your Name frequently and with loving confidence, so that I too may enjoy the blessings it confers.
JUNE 30
DO not urge me to leave you and depart from you. For where you go I will go, where you dwell I will dwell.
—Ru 1:16
REFLECTION. Ruth, whose name means “seeing and hastening,” was a figure of Mary.
For Mary, seeing our miseries, mercifully hastens to help us!
—St. Bonaventure
PRAYER. O Mary, like Ruth you remain firmly attached to your people, those redeemed by your Divine Son. See my miseries and make haste to help me.
July
JULY 1
IF you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will and it shall be given you.
—Jn 15:7
REFLECTION. Living in Mary means to love Mary with all our heart.
It means to love Mary so much that we are able to live as if we truly inhabited her Immaculate Heart.
—St. Louis Grignion de Montfort
PRAYER. O Mary, those who live in you live also in your Divine Son Jesus. Help me to live every moment in you so that I may live forever with Jesus and you in heaven.
JULY 2
OF his fullness we have all received, one grace after another. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
—Jn 1:16-17
REFLECTION. Our Lord Jesus Christ has obtained for us a magnificent treasure of graces.
But in the Divine Plan, not one particle comes to us without the mediation of Mary.
—Pope Leo XIII
PRAYER. O Mary, no one receives any favor except through you. Help me to ask you each day for the graces I need to remain faithful in my state of life.
JULY 3
WHOEVER feeds on me will hunger for more; whoever drinks of me will thirst for more. Those who obey me will never be put to shame; those who follow my instructions will never sin.
—Sir 24:20-21
REFLECTION. I am sure you do not want to experience any refusal on God’s part toward you.
Then do not offer Him anything—neither good works nor prayers—without entrusting them into the hands of Mary.
—St. Bernard
PRAYER. O Mary, you are our unfailing intercessor with God. I offer all my good works this day through your hands to your Divine Son Jesus.
JULY 4
MY faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him, and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
—Ps 89:25
REFLECTION. The Name of Mary refreshes her devoted clients.
It is music to their ears, hone
y in their mouths, and joy for their hearts.
—St. Anthony of Padua
PRAYER. O Mary, your holy name is great and brings us salvation. Let me strive to speak it with true love, boundless joy, and complete confidence.
JULY 5
TEACH me judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commands…. I keep your word.
—Ps 119:66-67
REFLECTION. If we look to Mary in all circumstances, we will immediately receive wise inspirations:
Be patient, kind, charitable; comport yourself well, suffer voluntarily, and offer your pains to the Lord. Hope and love always, and give your life authentic Christian meaning.
—Pope Paul VI
PRAYER. O Mary, you are our Mother and our Teacher, instructing us in how to live. Help me to heed your inspirations and follow your Divine Son more closely.
JULY 6
ENTER by the narrow gate…. How narrow is the gate and difficult is the road that leads to life.
—Mt 7:13-14
REFLECTION. We cannot enter a house without speaking to the doorkeeper.
The Blessed Virgin is the Doorkeeper of Heaven, and we cannot gain entry there without calling upon her help.
—St. John Vianney
PRAYER. O Mary, you are the entry for all into heaven. Let me call upon your help frequently on earth, so that when I come you will quickly open heaven’s door for me.
JULY 7
FOREVER will I bless your name. Every day I will praise you, and I will extol your name forever and ever.
—Ps 145: 1-2
REFLECTION. The Name of Mary contains within itself the brilliance of the virtues, the sweet refulgence of modesty, and the sacrifice that is pleasing to God.
It is the sign of hospitality and the center of holiness.
—St. Francis Xavier
PRAYER. O Mary, I want to be wholly devoted to your Holy Name. Grant that I may invoke it in both good times and bad with ardent love and endless praise.
JULY 8
ANYONE who does not carry his cross and follow me is not worthy of me…. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever lays down his life for my sake will find it.