The pineapple is the symbol of hospitality. Welcome to this little page on the Mother of God, for young readers.

The Mother of God
AN EXCERPT FROM MY LEADER IN LIFE

"Our Lady"---glorious, wonderful, beautiful, stupendous---do not be afraid of multiplying the words which attempt to describe the glories of Mary, the Mother of God. The Saints extolled Her marvelous dignity with all the wealth of words which they could muster. And we must follow the way of the Saints.

And now, of all the graces that I wish you---dear boy or dear girl whoever you be---this is the best: that you may REALIZE (it may come quite suddenly--as, indeed, it once came to me) something of what the Saints thought and taught about Our Lady. I want it to come to you with all the strength and clarity and power of the full Catholic tradition; I want you to fight all your life against any Protestant influences which may spoil your simple, tender, deep love of Our Lady. This love is blended with the love of Jesus, and she takes you to Him.

Do pray in simple words. "You know I need guidance and help and a Leader Whom I can trust and follow with inspired loyalty. And Mother, the one I need is your Son, and my elder Brother, Jesus Christ. You gave Him to the world. Give Him to me for my companion, friend, and Leader. Whatever my life, I want to walk through it at the side of your Son.

"Mother, men outgrow many things, but they never outgrow their mothers. Mothers are always there, as close to the mature man as they are to the little boy. And so I want you to be ever close to me.

"If I'm a success, I'll need my Mother to take the conceit out of me and yet leave me my confidence in my powers. If I'm a failure, I'll need to come back and bury my head in my Mother's lap. And at the end of life I want my Mother at my bedside to keep me from being frightened at the gathering shadows, just as my other mother sat beside me when I, a little boy afraid of the dark, went to sleep.

"In life or death I am your son. That is a joy to me, but I'm afraid it's a pretty heavy responsibility for you. Won't you take it, anyway? Amen."

Pope Saint Pius X affirmed: "Nobody has known Christ so intimately as she did, and nobody can be more competent as a guide and teacher of the knowledge of Christ."

This short quotation sums up the teaching of Pope Leo XIII in his ten Encyclicals on the Rosary, which were summarized in another Encyclical in 1937 by Pope Pius XI. Our Lady, he says, is the Patroness of the fight against Atheistic Communism.

AN OFFERING TO OUR LADY

My Queen and My Mother,
To thee I offer myself without any reserve,
And to give thee proof of my devotion
I consecrate to thee during this day (night)
My eyes, my ears, my mouth, my hands,
My heart, my whole person.
Since I belong to thee, O my good Mother,
Preserve and defend me as thy property and possession.
 
OTHER PRAYERS TO OUR LADY "Remember, O most loving Virgin Mary, that it is a thing unheard of that anyone ever had recourse to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thine intercession and was left forsaken. Filled therefore with confidence in thy goodness, to thee I fly, O Mother, Virgin of virgins; to thee I come, before thee I stand, a sorrowful sinner. Despise not my words, Mother of the Word Incarnate, but graciously hear and grant my prayer."

"O God, Whose only begotten Son by His life, death, and resurrection hath purchased for us the reward of everlasting life, grant that by meditating on these Mysteries in the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may both imitate what they contain, and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen."

N.B.---If you cannot say a whole Rosary or five decades (set of ten beads), say one decade, for example, in bed before you sleep, and think of one of these great events in the life of Jesus and Mary.

To Jesus through Mary

A PRAYER OF YOUTH

Holy Mary, Virgin Mother of God, lead me to the knowledge, love and practice of the virtues dear to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Teach me to adore His Sacred Humanity; remind me to offer Him my daily work; help me to sanctify the affections of my own heart.

Guide my thoughts to think according to His mind and thus move my will to desire and choose only what He permits or commands.

I look to thy motherly heart for counsel in making decisions, confidence in overcoming difficulties, courage in enduring sufferings.

I give thee my whole person to be trained for fitness in His service. Amen.

CONTRACT FOR LIFE

Before you leave school, I would like you to be prepared, by careful instruction, to make a real ACT OF CONSECRATION to our Lady for life. 'Acts of Consecration' are, of course, in frequent use; but the one I am thinking about is of deeper significance than a mere recital of words.

The Sodality Consecration is a contract in honor and generosity, not in justice; it does not bind under sin; it is not a vow. It is a free purpose to seek a closer union with your Leader Jesus Christ, through the help of His Mother; it implies the resolve to work for His interests. It is a purpose registered in Heaven, a lasting engagement, a perpetual covenant between you and the Mother of God. It is a two-sided contract, on Her side and on yours. Think of Our Lady's wonderful fidelity; this will help you to be faithful to your side of the contract.

As the years pass, Our Lady will see you safe through all the perils of life; She is Satan's Conqueror, through the power of her Son; she will be with you now and at the hour of your death.

THE CONTRACT CAN BE MADE IN THESE WORDS:

"Holy Mary, Mother of God and Virgin, I choose thee this day for my Queen, my Patroness, and my Advocate, and I firmly resolve and purpose never to abandon thee, and never to say or do anything against thee, nor allow others to do anything against thy honor. I beseech thee, therefore, receive me as thy servant for ever, assist me in all my actions, and abandon me not at the hour of my death. Amen."

Here are 18 of her main Feasts, which you can do something special for the Mother of God, in her honor and His, such as a novena of nine days that includes the Feast as one of the days.

The Purification-----February 2
Our Lady of Lourdes-----February 11
The Seven Dolors of Our Lady-----Friday of Passion Week
The Compassion of Our Lady Friday-----After Passion Sunday
Annunciation-----March 25
Our Lady of Good Counsel-----April 26
Our Lady of Fatima-----May 13
Queenship of Mary and Our Lady Mediatrix of All Graces-----May 31
Our Lady of Perpetual Help-----June 27
Feast of the Visitation of Our Lady -----July 2
[Instituted in 1385 by Pope Urban IV.]
Our Lady of Mount Carmel----- July 16
The Assumption-----August 15
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary-----September 8
Our Lady of Sorrows-----September 15
Our Lady of the Rosary-----October 7
Divine Maternity of Our Lady-----October 11
Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary-----November 21
The Immaculate Conception-----December 8