Honoring Mary: A Mother’s Love Across Generations
By Sr. Tryness Mulubwa, Lusaka Mary, the Mother of God, has been honoured throughout the world from generation to generation, just as she proclaimed in her Magnificat: “All generations shall call me blessed.” Both Christians and even many non-Christians Venerate her. The month of May is specially dedicated to Mary, a time when the Church intensifies the prayer of the Holy Rosary and other Marian devotions. May is traditionally associated with spring, a season of rebirth and flourishing in nature. This symbolism beautifully resonates with Mary’s role as the Mother of Jesus, who brought new life and salvation to the world. In the Catholic Church, all are encouraged to cultivate a personal relationship with Mary through various devotions. Through her intercession, it is believed that our prayers are heard, as she is seen as a pathway to Christ, our Lord. In July 2006, Pope Benedict XVI described Mary as “the image and model of all mothers, of their great mission to be guardians of life, teachers of the art of living, and of the art of loving.” Pope Francis also spoke of her tender care, saying, “Never forget, young friends, the Virgin Mary is our mother, and with her help, we can remain faithful to Christ.” He emphasized that Marian devotion does not diminish our faith and love for Jesus Christ, the one true mediator between God and humankind. On the contrary, he explained that “entrustment to Our Lady is a privileged path, tested by numerous saints, for a more faithful following of the Lord.” The saints themselves saw Mary as a companion on the journey and encouraged the faithful to nurture love for her.Saint John Bosco once said, “Trust in Mary and see what miracles are.”Saint Francis of Assisi taught that “when we speak the name of Mary, heaven becomes more beautiful, the earth rejoices, demons are terrified, and vanish like dust in the wind.” Pope Benedict XVI beautifully expressed that “in contemplating the face of Christ and in Christ, the face of the Father, Mary Most Holy precedes, sustains, and accompanies us.” He further explained in his December 8, 2005, homily that “for this reason, she can be a mother of every consolation and every help, a mother whom anyone can dare to address in any kind of need, weakness, or even in sin, for she has understanding for everything and is for everyone the open power of creative goodness.” Mary’s complete union with God is the reason she is so close to humankind. Her presence is a constant reminder that through her intercession, we find comfort, strength, and the path to her Son, Jesus Christ.
People of different faiths ask- What is lent in the Catholic Church?
Lent is a 40 days’ period set aside on the Church liturgical calendar where we are invited to spiritually prepare ourselves before we celebrate Easter or the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are to observe the three pillars of lent – which are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. We are to intensify our prayer in reading the scriptures and meditating on the sufferings of Christ to help us get close to our creator and our Redeemer. Prayer will help us to come close to God and build a deeper relationship of a loving Father and a child. Fasting is a call not only to fast from food and drinks that we like but also to refrain from bad habits which we have developed such as alcohol abuse, smoking, gossiping, stealing etc. Fasting helps to intensify our petitions and heed to the call from God in the scriptures Acts 14:23; Joel 2: 12; Joel 1: 14; Ezra 8: 21 & 23. Almsgiving is a call to reach out to our brothers and sisters who are in need economically, but also they can be in need of morally, physical or spiritual support. The important aspect is to reach out to the suffering Jesus in our brothers or sisters in need. Math. 25: 35- 40; 2Corit 9: 6-7; 1Jn.3:17; 1Tim 6: 18; Prov 19: 17; Heb13:16; The aim of observing these three pillars of lent is to try to be perfect as our father in heaven is perfect and love our neighbor as we love ourselves. The season of lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday and this year Ash Wednesday is on the 14th February and Holy Saturday is on 30th March. On Ash Wednesday Christians are reminded that from dust we came and to dust we shall return and that we need to repent from our sins and believe in the gospel.
PRAYER COMPANION PROGRAM
Prayer companion program is a 10 months program that the Zambia Association of Sisterhood (ZAS) offers to men and women to give guided retreats in parishes to help individuals to know how to listen to God.