Mary, Our Heavenly Mother
By Charlotte Phillips
On Sept. 8, the church celebrated the birthday of Mary. Growing up Catholic, our household said many of Hail Mary’s. And, growing up in a Dominican church and school parish, the rosary was often said at school, too.
As I have gotten older and become a mother myself, my devotion to Mary has shifted from a devotion filled with Hail Mary’s to a true relationship with our heavenly mother.
When the everyday moments of life start to become overwhelming, I ask Mary to intercede for me. There is such a sense of calm and peace when I remember Mary is a mom, too! While Jesus is the son of God, we know Mary’s mama heart had moments of overwhelm, too. (Can you imagine Mary’s fear when she realized Jesus was left behind in the temple (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/2) as a boy?!)
When life throws those super hard moments at us, I turn to Mary, too. Mary watched her son suffer and die on the cross (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/19). Mary knows what it is like to experience deep heartache and deep suffering.
When we experience deep sorrow, we can bring this sorrow to Mary. We can tell Mary about our heartache. She understands our suffering and can bring our suffering with us to Jesus.
