Flores de Mayo

Flowers of May

The purple clematis around my Mama Mary's shrine are in full bloom. The red roses are now showing their buds while the white pansies are carrying on very well after adorning the shrine in winter.

May is the month of flowers. In the Philippines it is Flores de Mayo season and devotees of Mary offer flowers to her in church and in their homes the whole month.

The Philippines is a Marian country. For its love and devotion to Mary, it is called "Pueblo Amante de Maria," a people in love with Mary. There are at least 20 Marian shrines where Mary is honored by her different names.

I believe that as a people who love Mary, and a people loved by her, they are people that undoubtedly love the Lord Jesus because they love His mother. That makes them truly "Un pueblo amante de Jesus," people in love with Jesus.

And why not? From the cross Jesus gave His own mother to us to be our mother. And we take Him at His word.

Some people don't. But we do. And we are grateful.

From all eternity, God chose her to be His mother. It is through her that the Son of God took on our human nature in Jesus, who is both God and Man, to carry out His saving plan for mankind. It is our great privilege that Jesus gave her to us.

Mary tells us that she is the humble handmaid of the Lord. Her role is to make us go to Jesus: "Do whatever He tells you!" She points us to Jesus -- to follow, to love, to worship and to serve. Just like she did.

And so we ask her:

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.#