MAY is Mary's month, and I
Muse at that and wonder why:
These are the opening words of a favorite poem of mine that I like to return to during the Month of Mary, May Magnificat, by the great Jesuit poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins. Asking why May is Mary’s month, he invites us to get caught up with her into praise of God and into the life of the Spirit!
He continues:
Ask of her, the mighty mother:
Her reply puts this other
Question: What is Spring? --
Growth in every thing –
Then he starts to give some examples in nature of growth, of abundant flourishing in Springtime that wakes us up to new life, beauty hope and then he says:
All things rising, all things sizing
Mary sees, sympathizing
With that world of good,
Nature's motherhood.
His beautiful poetic musings echo the words we’ve heard from Sirach today … “At God’s word were his works brought into being … The Glory of the Lord fills all his works” … Hopkins leads us through the beauty of the natural creation so we can see and enter into the New Creation that begins with Incarnation of Christ in Mary’s womb is and opens into Eternal Life!
Their magnifying of each its kind
With delight calls to mind
How she did in her stored
Magnify the Lord.
Hopkins leads us to sing again Our Lady’s words, “My soul magnifies the Lord … He who is mighty has done great things for me and Holy is His Name.” Humble Mary of Nazareth in all things gives herself totally to the Lord, but the great irony is that God returns the grace to her and she can give it to … She so desires that we be taken up with her in this great action of praise and thanksgiving that lifts us to God up too!
We have been celebrating the Month of Mary. We have prayed all month with the Pope for an end of the Pandemic! This week, as May draws to a conclusion, we now walk in the glow of Pentecost which we celebrated on Sunday, in the Fire of the Holy Spirit! Our Lady calls us to praise God and to arise! Mary knew just as much uncertainty as any of us ever do. She knows what you have been through, what you are going through, yet now she calls you open yourself to the life of her Son, life in the Spirit.
Know what Father Peyton so loved to say: Mary is alive! She calls you to know Jesus and to call out to Him! He is your certainty, your Way, your Life! He wants us to SEE. He wants us to be filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit we need now.
