family prayer | Marian devotion | pray the rosary
Mom! ... Mommy! ... Mama! If your house is anything like mine, you are called upon many times a day. My kids never tire of calling out, “Mom” for a variety of reasons. I find it funny when people say they are “tired” of saying the Hail Mary, especially as part of the Rosary: It’s so repetitive. Calling on our mother is innate. God wired us to cry out for our mothers, to seek comfort from them, and to depend on them throughout our lives. This includes not only our earthly mothers but also our heavenly Mother, Mary.
"Mom, what’s for dinner?"
The variety of statements that follow our “Mom” title can be: "Mom, I need x, y, z for school … did you fill out that paperwork for camp … where is my (fill in the blank) ... I am sad … I need help with (school subject )... can you untie this knot … what’s for dinner?
That last one is my favorite (kidding). I often jokingly reply: "Why, so you can complain about it?" I have to wonder if that’s what I do to Mary. If she provides an answer to my prayers about wanting to know what is coming or what the outcome will be, am I complaining right back to her? I want to believe I am grateful for an answer, but deep down I know there have been times where I have pushed back, asking: Does it really have to be that way? Or me simply stating, I don’t like that.
Children Ask for Anything; You Should Too
My kids will ask me for anything. Trips to foreign countries or to the zoo, to pack their lunch because they are too tired or busy, for signed memorabilia that costs thousands (that’s a no) or a ring pop from the concession stand, to fill up their water, or to carry their bag. The variety of requests is unending.
They don’t think twice about making a request of me, and we can do the same of Mary. She doesn’t tally our requests and tell us we’ve made one too many. We can ask for anything, but that doesn’t mean we will get what we ask.
I don’t always say yes, but kids know I’m the best shot at yes. Even with their dad nearby, I am the first parent they appeal to. I try my best to provide the most love, care, safety, and support while also meeting the desires of their hearts, big and small. The reality is I cannot say yes to everything.
When do I say no? I say no when I know it’s not good for my children or I know it doesn’t fit within our budget or plans. I say no when I need their help or when I want them to take responsibility for their things. I say no when it’s a selfish request. My “no” always has a purpose. That “no” doesn’t always feel loving from my children’s perspective, but that doesn’t change my answer or my intention.
Mary always wants to say yes to our requests, but she knows she can’t always say yes. Sometimes she is teaching me responsibility, or that God has other plans. Other times, she simply needs me to learn that to give me the best yes later, she has to say no to my first request. I trust that she knows best.
Never Get Tired of Calling Mom’s Name
Mary is a mother. She is tending to our needs as any mother would. Her tasks are not physical laundry or elementary school math, but instead a laundry list of prayers and equations to help our will get aligned with God’s.
I am certain my children never think, "I have said Mom’s name too much today, and I’m going to stop saying it." The devil tries to trick us into thinking the Hail Mary is an empty prayer, that Mary is not even listening.
In his book, The Secret of the Rosary, St. Louis Marie de Montfort says:
The Hail Mary is the blessed dew that falls from heaven upon the souls of the predestinate. It gives them marvelous spiritual fertility so that they can grow in all virtues. The more the garden of the soul is watered by this prayer, the more enlightened in mind we become, the more zealous in heart, the stronger against all our enemies. (51)
When my children cry out to me, there are times when they can’t even remember why they called my name. They still have my attention. If we pray the Hail Mary and have no particular reason to pray it at that moment, we still have Mary’s attention. The point of praying is knowing that Mom is nearby, that she hears us, and that she is going to respond as only a mom would.