These are the first lines of a great hymn in honour or Mary reminding us that May is a month where we traditional offer our devotions to her as Mother of our Lord.
Many people remain uncomfortable with Marion devotions, but they have been a key feature of Christian worship since the beginning. Mary gives a foundation to Christ, a place in the story of human history; she gives him flesh. We call him brother, and he gives us his own mother on the cross, acknowledging our place in his family.
In drawing close to the first of Christ’s disciples, we draw close to her son. We see him with the eyes, and love him with the heart, of a mother.
Another verse from the same hymn reads:
To love the Mother, people say,
Is to defraud the Son.
For them, alas, there dawns no May,
Until their hearts are won:
Then, when their hearts begin to burn.
Ah, then, to Jesus true,
And loving whom he loves, they learn
To love Saint Mary too.
0 Comments