May 2007 - Volume 11, Issue 10

Editorial – Mary, The Mother Of Christ

By Rev. Mark Connolly

Image of MaryOne of the most powerful personalities in the history of the Catholic Church is Mary, the mother of Christ. There is no doubt that when you go back for the last 2,000 years Mary has played a tremendous role in the birth, the guidance and the direction of the Catholic Church. It was Mary, you might recall, after Pentecost, when the apostles were confused and bewildered, it was Mary who dynamized and finally directed them, the 12 Apostles, to go to the ends of the world to preach the gospel of her son. The gospel of peace and love.

If you go from the first century of the Catholic Church to the present century of the Catholic Church, almost every country in the world has some sort of a picture or an icon or a church named after this most powerful woman. If you look at the tremendous devotion that men and women from different countries have had concerning Mary, it is a great tribute to the influence that she has had in directing their lives.

Traditionally the month of May has always been dedicated to honoring Mary, the mother of Christ. The rosary processions, the coronations, all have been used to honor the mother who gave birth to Christ. In every century, Mary has played an influential role from the very beginning of the Church. She has been the inspiration, the leader, she has been the director of thousands of souls who went to the ends of the world preaching the Gospel of love, the Gospel of her Son.

Today when you think of the war in Iraq and all the devastations that it has been causing and no one seems to have any definitive pragmatic idea as to how and when it is going to end, it would seem to me that those who believe in the power of Mary should definitively ask her help and her intercession to bring peace into that troubled land. We all know from classical studies that more things are brought about by prayer than this world has ever dreamed about. And we also know the prayer and the language of St. Paul can move mountains. And I think if our faith is strong and our belief in Mary is strong, than that belief and that faith in the form of prayer, your prayers, my prayers, everyone's prayers during this month undoubtedly could have a tremendous influence in bringing peace out of the chaos in Iraq.

When some nonbeliever reads these words, undoubtedly he will chuckle at the naiveness of the words. But it seems to me so strange that during the war in Vietnam we dropped more bombs than probably at any time in the history of our country and the peace we won was a grudging peace. It seems strange to me that today we think peace will always be won by those who have the strongest military weapons. Our life will only change when our spirituality changes. Our spirituality has to be filled with periods of prayer and meditation. That is not only for our sanctity, but for our sanity. Concerning our prayer and meditation, on behalf of Mary, the mother of Christ, all we have to do is look back over 2,000 years and recognize the powerful influence and the powerful force she has been in bringing peace to the Catholic Church. There is no question about it we have 65 million Catholics in the United States. If the month of May is ever used by them in prayerful petitions to Mary, the mother of Christ, I don't doubt that their prayers will be answered and I certainly don't doubt that they will be helpful in bringing peace to our world.