The Jubilee of Marian Spirituality recognises the ways that devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary can strengthen the faith life of individuals and, in turn, the Church.
PRAYER
Mother, help our faith!
Open our ears to hear God’s word and to recognize his voice and call.
Awaken in us a desire to follow in his footsteps, to go forth from our own land and to receive
his promise.
Help us to be touched by his love, that we may touch him in faith.
Help us to entrust ourselves fully to him and to believe in his love, especially at times of trial,
beneath the shadow of the cross, when our faith is called to mature.
Sow in our faith the joy of the Risen One.
Remind us that those who believe are never alone.
Teach us to see all things with the eyes of Jesus, that he may be light for our path. And may this
light of faith always increase in us, until the dawn of that undying day which is Christ himself,
your Son, our Lord!
(From Lumen Fidei, n.60, 2013)
TEACHING
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 971:
“All generations will call me blessed”: “The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship.” The Church rightly honors “the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of ‘Mother of God,’ to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs….This very special devotion…differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration.” The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an “epitome of the whole Gospel,” expresses this devotion to the Virgin Mary.
From Evangelii Gaudium, Chapter 5, Part II: Mary, Mother of Evangelisation (284-288):
“286. She is the missionary who draws near to us and accompanies us throughout life, opening our hearts to faith by her maternal love.
“288. There is a Marian “style” to the Church’s work of evangelization. Whenever we look to Mary, we come to believe once again in the revolutionary nature of love and tenderness. In her we see that humility and tenderness are not virtues of the weak but of the strong who need not treat others poorly in order to feel important themselves. Contemplating Mary, we realize that she who praised God for “bringing down the mighty from their thrones” and “sending the rich away empty” (Lk 1:52-53) is also the one who brings a homely warmth to our pursuit of justice. She is also the one who carefully keeps “all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk 2:19). Mary is able to recognize the traces of God’s Spirit in events great and small. She constantly contemplates the mystery of God in our world, in human history and in our daily lives. She is the woman of prayer and work in Nazareth, and she is also Our Lady of Help, who sets out from her town “with haste” (Lk 1:39) to be of service to others. This interplay of justice and tenderness, of contemplation and concern for others, is what makes the ecclesial community look to Mary as a model of evangelization. We implore her maternal intercession that the Church may become a home for many peoples, a mother for all peoples, and that the way may be opened to the birth of a new world.”
“To focus upon the door is to recall the responsibility of every believer to cross its threshold. To pass through that door means to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord; it is to strengthen faith in him in order to live the new life which he has given us. It is a decision which presumes freedom to choose and also the courage to leave something behind, in the knowledge that what is gained is divine life (cf. Mt 13:44-46).”
TESTIMONY
“My involvement in the Legion of Mary started towards the end of 2020. The main active work that our Praesidium does is formally called Crowd Contact, but we just call it evangelisation. We go in pairs into public places and ask people if they would like Miraculous Medals and Rosaries, and invite people to join us for Mass on Sunday. This has been a great way to also have meaningful conversations with people about God, the Catholic faith and many other religious questions from people of all sorts of religious backgrounds.
“I think the Legion of Mary serves as a great means of evangelisation in today’s society. It is really at the heart of the Legion, since all the works that we do are spiritual works of mercy. We try to have personal contact with people as this is the best means of reaching them and understanding where they are at, and how God can work in their lives to bring them to true joy and peace, but we also have other means like the Piety Store which provides them with good books to help them advance in their own spiritual lives.
“Being a Legionary… takes the Catholic life from being just going to Church on Sundays, to actually living it 24/7, constantly being on the lookout to help people who God places on our paths to come to the light of faith. We do it for the love of God, seeking His honour and glory and the salvation of souls, which is the mission of the Church!
“The Legion of Mary has been one of the greatest graces of my life so far, and I strongly encourage others to give it a go and drink from the fountain of graces that lie at its heart!”
– Petar Majetic, Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn (NCE Interview)
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
For the people of God, that through the intercession of Mary, they may all accept the invitation to a new phase of evangelisation.
We pray to the Lord.
For a renewed devotion of the faithful to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
We pray to the Lord.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Catechism of the Catholic Church: Paragraph 6. Mary – Mother of Christ, Mother of the Church.
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