Roses for Our Mother

May is the month in which we traditionally honor Mary and often crown her statues with wreaths of flowers. While this is a special event for May, we can actually “crown” Mary with our prayers any time. The tradition of praying the rosary developed from this idea. The prayers we say on each bead of the rosary are meant be like beautiful roses that we offer to Mary. The rosary is even designed in a circle, like a crown of roses.

I have read in the lives of the saints that sometimes while praying the rosary they would actually smell the scent of roses. This was seen as a great miracle from Our Lady to show her happiness with the prayer. I once had a similar experience…but you’ll have to listen to the recording to get the whole story.

The rosary is a beautiful way to meditate on the life of Jesus. As we reflect on the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious mysteries, we do so through the eyes of Mary. In all the important events in the life of Jesus, we find Mary close by his side. On this Mothers’ Day, we are also mindful that our own mother’s have often been right by our side too for all the important events in our life. Like Jesus, as we too go through joys and sorrows, our moms are there with us.

The circular nature of the rosary also points toward another truth of our faith. As we “go around” the life of Jesus again and again through the mysteries, we keep bumping into the cross. The otherwise perfect circle of the rosary has this rather interesting attachment of the cross to cause us to stop. In all the events in life we will find the cross popping up. Yet Jesus tells us not to let our hearts be troubled. He says that he leaves us peace. Jesus is on that cross clanking around on our rosaries, and he is with us through the crosses in our life.

So, whether you find your life in a joyful, illuminated, sorrowful, or glorious state right now, you will find the cross, and you will find Jesus there. Where you find Jesus, Mary is sure to be close by. May God bless all our mothers today and may our heavenly mother help bring us to Jesus.