During our life there are always times when we needprayers for ourselves or for others when facing difficult situations, such ashealth issues, relationship difficulties, family problems, and the needs offriends. So what can we do? Go to the Blessed Mother, who was the mostspecial creation of God because she was to become the beloved daughter of Godthe Father, the dearest mother of God the Son, and the chosen spouse of God theHoly Spirit.
PopeBenedict XV, the pope during the First World War, wrote about Mary, statingthat Mary cannot refuse anyone who comes to her for help because she is themother of the living and this is the will of God. How did she become the mother of the living?
Her love for her children. We are her children because Jesus on theCross gave her to us as our Heavenly Mother. She was created with the most-tender heart of all God’s creations, andit’s from that tender heart that she loves each of us – her children. This role for Mary was given to her by Jesusfrom the Cross when He said to her in John19:26-27, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then to the disciple John, He said, “Behold,your mother.” John representedall of us, the children of God. Marytakes her role as our Mother most seriously because she wants all of herchildren to be in Heaven with her and her Son. With such a tender heart of love for her children, it can be imaginedthat she cries over every one of her children who are lost.
Likeany good mother, she only wants what is best for her children. She looks after us: she guides us, inspiresus, protects us and prays for us. Shedesires us to follow her lead, and love her Son as she does. She wants us to follow her advice as sheleads us, so that one day we can be united in Heaven with her and Jesus. But, because of our free will, she waits forus to request her help.
Mary’s intercession. Because she is so highly favored by God, shenow has great power of intercession before the throne of God for us herchildren. All the Heavenly gifts fromher Spouse, the Holy Spirit, pass through her virginal hands, which is the willof God. All grace from Heaven comes tomankind through her.
We see in John2:1-5 that Mary, Jesus and His disciples were invited to a wedding feast inCana in Galilee. During the feast, Marynoticed they were running out wine and said to Jesus, “They have no wine.” Jesus in return said, “Woman, how does your concernaffect me? My hour has not yet come.” In turn, Mary said to the servers, “Dowhatever he tells you.” She knewthat Jesus would fulfill her wishes, which is noteworthy as the first writtenintercession by the Mother of God. Itwould be a solid guess that she interceded many times for people in need thatis not recorded.
Todo whatever He tells us is oftendifficult and comes with a struggle, but we are blessed because we can rely onthe grace of God through Mary to help us through our struggles. St. Paul told the Corinthians, Jesus said: “Mygrace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” [2 Corinthians 12:9]. If we fall down due to sin through our ownfaults, don’t get discouraged, but get up and try again. It happens to all of us. Again, “my grace is sufficient for you.”
The Memorare prayer reminds us that we have an advocate in Heavenalways ready to help us, before her Son, when we call upon her help in ourdaily lives or those of our family and friends:
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thyhelp, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence I fly unto thee,O Virgin of Virgins, my Mother. To theedo I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the WordIncarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
[Memorize this powerful prayer, and prayit whenever we need protection in a difficult or fearful situation. She has legions of protection angels that she can send to our aid.]
When a quick prayer response was needed, Mother Teresa always prayed a FlyingNovena to Our Lady. It was her“go-to” prayer weapon, which Our Lady never failed to answer. Remember that Mother Teresa was constantlytraveling and didn’t have time to wait for answers to her right-away needs. And shewas continuously bombarded with problems to solve from her religious communityand many outside contacts.
The FlyingNovena consists of praying the Memorare ten times. Why ten, since a novena refers to the numbernine? She took the cooperation of Heavenwith her prayer request for granted, so she added the 10th Memorareto thank Heaven for the favor received. [See the Spiritual Writing MotherTeresa’s Flying Novena for more details.]
We mustremember that Jesus cannot refuse any request from His mother. In St.Louis de Montfort’s book “TrueDevotion to the Blessed Virgin,” he gives a wonderful example of herintercession, which is why we should offer all our earthly requests to Jesusthrough His mother:
Supposeyou wanted to give the gift of an apple to a king. You presented it to him, and he looked at itand said, this gift is not worthy of a king and casts it aside. But if you gaveyour apple to his queen, she prepared it beautifully placing it on a goldplatter, and when she gave it to the king, he would gladly accept thegift. We know that Mary presentsanything we give her to Jesus, without keeping anything for herself.
One night in Ivan’s prayer group in Medjugorje, OurLady’s message was: “Dear children, give me all your worries, all your problems. Then your heart will be free to pray. And pray for my intentions.” A similar message was given toMirjana, March 1991 in Medjugorje, by Our Lady, “Help Me, and I will pray to MySon for you.” The Blessed Motheris asking us to swap with her – she will pray for our intentions and we prayfor her intentions, which can become habitual if we make this exchange everyday. Say a Hail Mary for her intentions with the exchange.
Another option is to pray the Rosary for our intentions because Our Blessed Mother told thechildren at Fatima in 1917 to tell all her children to pray it daily becausenext to the Mass, the Rosary is the most powerful prayer that Our HeavenlyMother, as our intercessor, takes to Her Son on our behalf.
THROUGH THE REMAINDEROF OUR LIVES, SEEK THE BLESSED MOTHER’S INTERCESSION FOR ALL OUR TROUBLES, WORRIESAND INTENTIONS!