April 30, 2026
Summary of the Morrow’s Meditation
In order to prepare ourselves for the month of Mary, which is about to begin, we will meditate to-morrow, 1st, on the motives for celebrating in a holy manner this blessed month; 2d, on the manner in which to celebrate it. We will then make the resolution: 1st, to be faithful every day during the month in performing this holy exercise; 2d, often to recall to remembrance that every day during this month ought to have a special characteristic of holiness; our prayers ought to be more fervent, our charity better practised, all our actions more perfect; 3d, to labor during this month more specially to correct our besetting sin. Our spiritual nosegay shall be the words of the Church, “We fly to thy protection, O holy Mother of God.”
Meditation for the Morning
Let us adore the Holy Ghost inspiring the Church with the devotion of the month of Mary. He first inspired certain pious souls with it, then religious communities, then a few parishes, and lastly it was spread throughout the whole Church. On all sides, at the present day, there is a universal outburst of devotion towards the Mother of God, an always increasing zeal for the exercises of this holy month. Let us bless the Spirit of God for this constant growth, which opens to all the faithful sources of grace and salvation.
FIRST POINT
Motives for Celebrating in a holy Manner the Month of Mary
First motive, love for the Blessed Virgin. What, in fact, is Mary’s love towards us? 1st. She is our mother; now who is there that would not delight to meet together as a family to honor a mother? Who is there who would not hasten to these charming meetings in which are celebrated the greatness, the virtues, the kindness of this beloved mother; where, in her honor, the most beautiful canticles rejoice our souls, the most beautiful flowers display their richest colors and exhale their sweetest perfumes? Should we be children of Mary, if such exercises were not full of delight for us? 2d. Mary is our queen; now should we be Christians if we did not come to these delightful meetings to which we are invited by this great queen and gracious sovereign; if we did not have it at heart to surround her throne, to offer her our homage, to lay at her feet the tribute of our devotion, and to animate each other to be in a greater and ever greater degree her subjects and faithful servants? 3d. Mary is our great benefactress; all the graces which we have received since our birth have passed through her hands, and we are indebted for them to her. It being so, do we not owe her a public testimony of our gratitude, and should we have a heart if we did not hasten to come every day during the month to offer her our thanks? Already three times a day we honor her at the sound of the Angelus; one day in the week, Saturday, is consecrated to her; almost every month a feast is celebrated in her honor; why then should we not, every year, consecrate a month to her glory, and, above all, the month of May, which does not possess any feast of Mary, which is the most beautiful month of the whole year, in which all nature, which is renewed, invites us to a renewal of faith and of fervor, in which all the flowers bloom under the symbol of which the Church presents to us the Blessed Virgin: the rose with its rich colors (Ecclus. xxiv. 18), the lily (Cant. ii. 2), the violet, which hides beneath the grass and embalms the air with its sweet odor?
The second motive is our own interest. 1st. We cannot but gain much by meditating every day during this month on the mysteries and the virtues of Mary; by looking at ourselves in this beautiful mirror of purity, of innocence, and of holiness, in which we may see by comparison in what we are wanting and where virtue appears in such beautiful guise that its charms make us love it and incline us to practise it. 2d. Jesus and Mary will aid us in this work of interior reformation: Jesus, that He may reward our zeal in honoring His mother, and Mary by taking account of what we do for her. Therefore the month of Mary is like a second season of Lent, and every year numbers during its course many sinners converted, many tepid souls warmed, many parishes renewed. 3d. The succor thus afforded us is all the more seasonable because experience shows us the dangers of this season, which precisely on account of its charm tempts us to lead an effeminate, sensual life, given up to the love of pleasure. 4th. It is the time for placing ourselves entirely under Mary’s protection. It is when all hearts are united together to honor her that we may ask more, and hope for more graces for society, which is so sick.
The third motive is the desire of the Church. The Church, in order to attract us to the feet of Mary during this month, grants us three hundred days of indulgence every day, and a plenary indulgence to whoever shall have followed the exercises regularly during the whole month. She ornaments the altar of Mary with the richest decorations, the most splendid lights, the most lovely flowers, makes the most beautiful canticles to be sung, intermingled with pious instructions. Is all this not sufficient to show us that her most ardent desire is that we should celebrate this holy month in a pious manner?
SECOND POINT
How to Sanctify the Month of Mary
1st. We must assist every day at the exercises of this holy month; this reunion glorifies Mary and edifies ourselves. The example set us by others, the canticles, the lights, give a greater impulse to devotion; the instructions inflame. If we cannot attend these reunions, we can at least read in private the meditation for every day, before a little altar surmounted with a statue of Mary, ornamented with flowers and lights. 2d. We must look upon each day of the month as a feast of the Blessed Virgin; salute Mary in the morning at the first moment of our awaking; consecrate to her the whole day, and often, during its course, renew this consecration; we must rise promptly and at a fixed hour; offer to her, as a present from a child to its mother, each one of our actions, in proportion as we perform them; we must add to them a little prayer and a small sacrifice, but it must be a prayer of the heart, and an interior sacrifice, such as that of the will, of the temper, of self-love, and an exterior sacrifice, such as that of an impulse of curiosity or of useless words. Lastly, we must live in such a manner that the love of Mary may embalm the whole day, occupy and rejoice our heart. 3d. We must be converted; we have all of us need to be. Mary will accept our devotion only on this condition; and if we only have a little good will, she will obtain this grace for us. 4th. We must imitate the Blessed Virgin in all things; it is the homage of which she is the most jealous; consequently we must apply ourselves to praying to God as she does, with her recollection and her piety; to conduct ourselves towards our neighbor as she does, with her charity, her gentleness, her devotedness; to be humble and modest as she is; to employ our time well, and to perform all our actions in the best possible manner.
Resolutions and spiritual nosegay as above.