advocate-summer-2013.. - The Mill Hill Missionaries

acceptance of God’s will; a true exampleof how we ourselves should live.Mary as MotherIn many very practical ways we candevelop our children’s relationship withMary. Even as babies, children can betaught to speak to Mary and to see her asa mother. It’s never too early to introducethe concept of prayer – a toddler isdelighted to have a holy picture or statuebeside their bed and is very open to theimage of Mary as a caring and concernedparent. As adults, our own devotion andattention to Mary will be picked up byeven the youngest of our children. Manysimple devotions go back to our earliestyears and the love that children developfor Mary is one that will remain withthem all their lives.As children get a little older they startto pick up and learn the well knownprayers, such as the ‘Hail Mary’ and the‘Our Father’. Before children learn theseprayers, we can explain to them themeaning behind the words. For example,when teaching the ‘Hail Mary’ we couldtalk of God’s plan to help us and show ushow to live. The story of how the angelGabriel visited Mary in Nazareth andasked her to become the mother of Jesus– “Blessed art thou among women” -praises Mary’s importance to humanityand how her acceptance of God’s planenabled Jesus to come into the world.Children love their mother and theywill understand how a child wants theirmother in time of need. We can tell themhow Jesus must have turned to Marywhen he was upset or hurt, and like anyloving mother, she comforted him anddried his tears. Often, children have asimplicity that adults lack and they arequick to develop a simple childlike devotionto Mary if we just take the time,as parents, to tell them about her. In timesof trouble and strife “Holy Mary, motherof God, pray for us sinners” is a simpleline, easily remembered and capable ofbringing comfort and a sense of hope.Our children need to know that we havebeen entrusted to Mary and she will alwayslisten to us and help us, not only inPlease­Remember­the­Missions­in­your­willI bequeath to St Joseph’s Society for the Missions Inc,(Mill Hill Missionaries), Waterford Road, Kilkenny, the sum of€............................................... free of dutythe present, but right up to the last momentof our lives – “now and at the hourof our death”.The ‘May Altar’As May is associated with Mary, it’san ideal time to discover the old traditionof the ‘May Altar’. This tradition can involveall age groups and is a great wayof paying tribute to Mary in a very tangibleway. All that’s needed is a smallspace in a room where a little table canbe placed to create an altar. Place a statueor picture of Mary and a little bunch offlowers upon it. Apart from the image ofMary, families can decorate the Mayaltar in their own unique style withrosary beads, candles or pictures drawnby the children...members to pause and say a few prayers.Other traditions associated with Maryinclude a visit to a Marian shrine whichinvolves recitation of the rosary. If youngchildren find the rosary a little long, theycan join in one decade or say someprayers in their own words. It’s also agood month to visit Knock, or anotherMarian Shrine. It would be a great lossto fail to recognise Mary’s enormous roleas, in the words of Pope John Paul II:“the model of perfect love”. He alsotalked of Mary as “the sure path to ourmeeting with Christ” - referring to devotionto Mary as “always an impetus to alife guided by the spirit and the valuesof the Gospel”. In May, we think ofMary in a special way, but at all times ofthe year, she should not be forgotten asthe Mother who guides our families inChristian love and in our relationshipwith Jesus, her Son.to be applied for the general purpose of the said Society,The main purpose of the May altar isand I declare that the receipt of the Rev. Directorfor the time being ofto encourage people to find a little timeSt­Joseph’s­Society,­Waterford­Road,­Kilkenny,­every day to talk to Mary. A small seat (Article: Courtesy of The Irish Catholicshall be a sufficient discharge of the same.near the altar can encourage familynewspaper www.irishcatholic.ie.)30 31