REFLECTION. Those who love Mary must silence within themselves the desires of the senses.
They must also silence the disordered longings of the passions.
—St. John Eudes
PRAYER. O Mary, you well know all the temptations that exist in the world. Help me to curb my evil desires and practice self-discipline, so that I may safeguard my union with your Divine Son.
MAR. 11
PRAY without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
—1 Thes 5:17-18
REFLECTION. During her earthly life Mary lived in continual prayer.
Therefore, all who are devoted to her must pray—and pray continually.
—St. Louis Grignion de Montfort
PRAYER. O Mary, you know the secret of prayer. Let me be convinced that more things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. Whenever I slack off in my prayer life, gently lead me back to it.
MAR. 12
AND whatever you do, in word or in acts, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
—Col 3:17
REFLECTION. We must accomplish all our actions through Mary, with Mary, and in Mary. In that way, we will also accomplish them all through Jesus, with Jesus, and in Jesus.
—St. Louis Grignion de Montfort
PRAYER. O Mary, through your Immaculate Heart I offer all my prayers, works, and sufferings to Jesus. I offer them for the intentions of His Sacred Heart and the salvation of the world.
MAR. 13
WHO shall ascend the mountain of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? The one with innocent hands and a pure heart.
—Ps 24:3-4
REFLECTION. To whom shall we look except to you, O Mary?
Your most pure glance is on this poor world, enveloping and bathing it in an atmosphere of purity.
—Pope Pius XII
PRAYER. O Mary, you are the Immaculate Conception, “our tainted nature’s solitary boast.” Help me to have clean hands and a pure heart so that I can ascend to the heavenly mountain of the Lord.
MAR. 14
TEACH me to do your will, since you are my God. Your Spirit is good; may it lead me on level ground.
—Ps 143:10
REFLECTION. This faithful handmaid never, in either thought or word or deed, contradicted the Most High.
Entirely despoiled of her own will, Mary lived always and in all things obedient to the will of God.
—St. Thomas of Villanova
PRAYER. O Mary, you obeyed God in all things. Help me to obey the Divine will for me down to the least detail, no matter how difficult it may seem. For in doing God’s will is my good.
MAR. 15
WHOM do I have in heaven but you? And when I am in your presence, the earth delights me not…. God is my heart’s strength and my heritage for ever.
—Ps 73:25-26
REFLECTION. Divine love so penetrated and filled the soul of Mary that no part of her was left untouched.
She loved with her whole heart, with her whole soul, with her whole strength, and was full of grace.
—St. Bernard
PRAYER. Mary, you chose God as the one thing necessary. Teach me to set my heart on God and help me to carry out His saving plan for me on earth.
MAR. 16
I CONSIDER all as loss … so as to know him and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings, becoming like him in death, and hoping somehow to attain the resurrection from the dead.
—Phil 3:8-11
REFLECTION. The Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith and loyally persevered in her union with her Son unto the Cross….
There she united herself with a maternal heart to His sufferings.
—Vat. II: Church, 59
PRAYER. O Mary, you suffered with Jesus as you stood beneath the Cross and you offered your suffering with His. Help me to accept my daily crosses without complaint and offer them for the good of the world.
MAR. 17
WHOEVER hears you hears me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.
—Lk 10:16
REFLECTION. Do not be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her enough.
And Jesus will be very happy, because the Blessed Virgin is His Mother.
—St. Theresa of Lisieux
PRAYER. O Mary, when Christians show love and honor to you they show love and honor to your Son. Let my love for you grow every day and redound to the glory of Jesus and to my salvation.
MAR. 18
A WOMAN has sorrow when about to give birth … ; but when the child has been brought forth … , she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child is born into the world.
—Jn 16:21
REFLECTION. Mary paid the debt of gratitude that was due from womankind because of Eve.
Not of man, but immaculately of her own self, she conceived of the Holy Spirit by the power of God.
—St. Cyril of Jerusalem
PRAYER. O Mary, by your conception of Jesus you furthered the Divine Plan of Salvation and laid the basis for a theology of woman. Let me learn from you how sublime is the role of women in the world.
MAR. 19
JOSEPH … did as the angel … had commanded him and took Mary as his wife. He did not know her until she brought forth a son, and he called him Jesus.
—Mt 1:24-25
REFLECTION. The Church is indebted to Mary because it is Mary who gave the Church her King, Jesus Christ.
After the Blessed Virgin, it is to St. Joseph that the Church owes the most gratitude and veneration.
—St. Bernardine of Siena
PRAYER. O Mary, you loved Joseph and depended on him as the head of the Holy Family at Nazareth. Help me to have a great devotion to him and to call upon him in times of doubt and fear.
MAR. 20
HER I loved and from my youth sought her out…. She manifests her noble birth by union of life with God, for the Lord of all has loved her.
—Wis 8:2-3
REFLECTION. My hope for you is that with every passing day and every passing moment you will get closer to Mary Immaculate.
May you come to know her ever better and love her ever more.
—St. Maximilian Kolbe
PRAYER. O Mary, you are the Immaculate Mother of God. Let me come to know you better and love you more each day. And let me cooperate with all the graces you dispense to me at every moment.
MAR. 21
YOU will sing as on a night when a festival is celebrated, and have joy of heart, as when people go with flutes to the mountain of God.
—Isa 30:29
REFLECTION. Rejoice and be glad, for you have the Blessed Virgin for your Mother.
Serve her with great joy, for she is very deserving of it. Have recourse to her in all difficulties, and you will always be helped.
—St. Joachima Vedruna de Mas
PRAYER. O Mary, I thank God for giving you to us as our Mother and I rejoice in your saving help. May I stay close to you in good times and in bad, for you are keenly interested in all that concerns me.
MAR. 22
THEN he said to the disciple, “Behold your mother.” And from that moment the disciple took her into his home.
—Jn 19:27
REFLECTION. The Blessed Virgin directs to us all the acts that every mother lavishes on her children.
She loves us, watches over us, protects us, and intercedes for us.
—Pope John XXIII
PRAYER. O Mary, you love me and take care of me like a true Mother. Let me have constant recourse to you in all my problems and benefit from your maternal assistance.
MAR. 23
CHRIST … suffered for you, leaving you an example that you may follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was uttered by his mouth.”
—1 Pet 2:21-22
REFLECTION. The Blessed Virgin never c
ommitted any actual sin—not even a venial one. Otherwise, she would not have been a Mother, worthy of Jesus.
The Son would have shared the ignominy of the Mother, for He would have had a sinner for His Mother.
—St. Thomas Aquinas
PRAYER. O Mary, through the grace of Jesus you remained forever free from all sin. Obtain forgiveness of my past sins from your Divine Son and help me to avoid sin in the future.
MAR. 24
THE father of a just man greatly rejoices. … Let your father and mother be joyful; let her who bore you rejoice.
—Prov 23:24-25
REFLECTION. There is no doubt whatever that all the praises we address to the Mother are also addressed to the Son and vice versa.
We cannot do honor to the Son without at the same time giving glory to the Mother.
—St. Bernard
PRAYER. O Mary, you are forever connected with Jesus as His Mother and as His closest disciple. Let me never hesitate to honor you for in doing so I am honoring your Divine Son.
MAR. 25
MARY, you have found grace with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
—Lk 1:31
REFLECTION. O Mary, when Jesus was conceived in you, He found you a Virgin. After being born of you, He left you a Virgin.
He gives you fertility, but He does not violate your integrity.
—St. Augustine
PRAYER. O Mary, you were a Virgin in conceiving, in bearing your Child, and in dying. Teach me that with God nothing is impossible, and let me face life confidently with the aid of His grace.
MAR. 26
GIVE praise O daughter of Zion…. Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
—Zep 3:14
REFLECTION. What is the language of the Angel sent to the most pure Virgin? “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” He is a messenger of joy, and it is with joy that he opens the conversation.
—St. Sophronius
PRAYER. O Mary, what joy must have been yours at the news that the Son of God would be within you! Let me rejoice too in the knowledge that I also am called to bear Jesus within me through grace.
MAR. 27
IN the beginning, God created heaven and earth…. God said, “Let there be [‘Fiat’] light,” and there was light….
—Gen 1:1-3
REFLECTION. Scarcely had Mary uttered her Fiat [“Let it be done”] when the Son of God became also the Son of Mary.
O Fiat to be venerated above every other Fiat! For with a Fiat God created light, heaven, and earth; but with Mary’s Fiat God became man, like us!
—St. Thomas of Villanova
PRAYER. O Mary, you cooperated fully in God’s plan of salvation. Let me realize that God has given each of us something unique to do. Help me to say each day “Let it be done” to whatever God wants of me.
MAR. 28
WEALTH and honor are from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might; to give honor and strength to all.
—1 Chr 29:12
REFLECTION. To be the Mother of God is the greatest grace that can be conferred on a creature.
God could make a greater world and a greater heaven, but He cannot exalt a creature more than by making her His Mother.
—St. Bonaventure
PRAYER. O Mary, you are God’s masterpiece and the jewel of the human race. Let me render to you the honor you deserve and render to God thanks for the great grace bestowed on us in you.
MAR. 29
MY dearest children … in Christ Jesus, through the Gospel, I am your father. Therefore, imitate me as I imitate Christ.
—1 Cor 4:14-16
REFLECTION. Jesus entrusted me to His Mother and charged me to love her.
O Mary, you are my heavenly Mother. You will act toward me like any Mother toward her children!
—St. Gemma Galgani
PRAYER. O Mary, you are my spiritual Mother and the Mother of my salvation. Let me glory in your care and be obedient to your loving promptings during each day.
MAR. 30
I HAVE loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, my mercy is upon you. And I will build you up again.
—Jer 31:3-4
REFLECTION. O Mother of Love, I am not surprised that the excess of your love for your poor children is so admirable.
Indeed, such love forever sends into ecstasy the inhabitants of heaven.
—St. John Eudes
PRAYER. O Mary, your love for us knows no bounds and is beyond human comprehension. Help me always to reciprocate that love and come to you with childlike confidence and gratitude.
MAR. 31
WHEN he established the heavens I was there, when he enclosed the depths within their bounds.
—Prov 8:27
REFLECTION. O Mary you possess the authority of a Mother toward God.
Therefore, it is impossible for you not to be heard, for God always treats you like His true and immaculate Mother.
—St. Germanus
PRAYER. O Mary, you have the ear of God because you are the Mother of God. Place before Him the needs of the whole world and keep me close to you at every moment.
April
APR. 1
YOU have turned my mourning into dancing; in place of sackcloth you robed me in joy, that my soul may praise you forever.
—Ps 30:12-13
REFLECTION. Mary is the arsenal of graces, and she rushes to the aid of her children.
She sustains, strengthens, and renews them by means of the heavenly favors she heaps on them.
—St. Paulinus
PRAYER. O Mary, you are very generous with the graces entrusted to you. Grant that I may not take the graces I receive for granted but instead ever seek to cooperate with them.
APR. 2
HER riches I do not conceal. For she is an inexhaustible treasure for all; those who acquire her achieve friendship with God, commended to him by the gifts that derive from her instruction.
—Wis 7:13-14
REFLECTION. Mary adorns her clients with her merits, assists them with her power, enlightens them with her light, and kindles them with her love.
She imparts her virtues to them and becomes their security, their intercessor, and their all with Jesus.
—St. Louis Grignion de Montfort
PRAYER. O Mary, you are a treasure to your, clients. Keep my relationship with you strong and vital. Let me never weary of practicing my devotion to you and help me spread it to others.
APR. 3
YOU shall also forget misery … and brightness like the noonday shall come to you at evening. And you shall have confidence and rest secure.
—Job 11:16-18
REFLECTION. On every occasion and in every way, Mary comes to the aid of our misery, calms our fears, and perks up our faith.
She sustains our hope, dispels our misgivings, and remedies our laxity.
—St. Bernard
PRAYER. O Mary, you are our consolation and our help. Come to my aid especially in time of trial when I am vulnerable. Make me remember all that Jesus did for me and keep me faithful to Him.
APR. 4
AGAIN Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in the dark, but will have the light of life.”
—Jn 8:12
REFLECTION. The name “Mary” means light or star of the sea.
For it was Mary who brought forth the Eternal Light, Jesus Christ!
—St. Isidore
PRAYER. O Mary, you are our shining star pointing the way to your Divine Son. Amid the darkness and evil running rampant in today’s world, let me always keep my eyes on Jesus!
APR. 5
OBSERVE the upright and consider the just, for posterity awaits the man of peace.
—Ps 37:37
REFLECTION. The Blessed Virgin Mary comforts and refreshes those who are in their last agony.
Then she also receives their souls
at death.
—St. Vincent Ferrer
PRAYER. O Mary, you are the Mother of a Happy Death. Take care of me in my last moments of life. Defend me from the wiles of the devil and receive me into paradise.
APR. 6
I AM wearied with groaning; night after night I flood my bed with weeping. I water my couch with tears; sorrow dims my eyes.
—Ps 6: 7-8
REFLECTION. The Blessed Virgin Mary never departed—not even slightly—from the precepts and examples of her Divine Son.
This was true both in the ecstatic joy she experienced and in the trials and cruel sufferings she endured, which have made her the Queen of Martyrs.
—Pope Pius XII
PRAYER. O Mary, you remained united with God in spite of heartbreak and sorrow. Help me to follow your example and make use of sorrow to remain united to you and your Divine Son Jesus.
APR. 7
BECAUSE he clung to me, I will deliver him; I will defend him because he has known my name.
—Ps 91:14
REFLECTION. Have devotion to the holy Name of Mary; ask God for it!
Think of this blessed Name and invoke it often with all the respect and veneration it deserves.
—St. John Baptist de la Salle
PRAYER. O Mary, grant me a loving devotion to your holy Name. Let me repeat often each day an invocation to it like: “May every age be mindful of your holy Name.”
APR. 8
CHRIST … gave himself for our sins that he might deliver us from the evil of this age according to the will of our God and Father.
—Gal 1:3-4
REFLECTION. The whole world is indebted to Jesus for His Passion.
Similarly, all of us are indebted to our Lady for her compassion.
—St. Albert the Great
PRAYER. O Mary, by your union with Christ’s sufferings you are our Co-Redemptrix. Let me continually thank you for your compassion, especially by cooperating with all the graces given me each day.
APR. 9
BECAUSE of the Lord’s mercy, we are not consumed, for his compassion never fails. It is renewed each morning. Great is your faithfulness.
Mary Day by Day Page 4
