Our personal shortcomings erode the union of the body of Christ in our own personal relationship with God and with others. Mary challenges us to accept and give love as the highest and greatest of all God’s gifts, and to allow this gift to inspire our thoughts, words, and actions. If we do everything in “love,” we are in union with the body of Christ.
— Nanci Lukasik-Smith
WHAT ACTIONS CAN YOU DO today with love and charity for all?
Prayer: Holy Mother, encourage me to show love and respect to my dear ones. Gently redirect me when needed and soften my heart when others are acting unloving toward me. Hold me closely as I work through the day, and let others see love in all of my actions.
February 27
“Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, / ‘This people honors me with their lips, / but their heart is far from me.” — Mark 7:6
Jesus called out the Pharisees and scribes for not practicing what they preached. Unlike these hypocrites, Mary remained true to the words she proclaimed to the angel Gabriel: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Mary freely consecrated her life to the will of the Lord. She honored God by giving her heart to him, and she lived this reality every day by lovingly caring for Jesus and following him.
Mary’s life inspires us to be better Christians. We’ve learned the great commandment to love God and our neighbor. But are we kind to other people, or quick to criticize those whose opinions differ from ours? Do we honor the Lord with our hearts, or do we just give him lip service?
Let us seek Mary’s help in living out our faith so that our actions will align with what we say we believe.
— Katie Choudhary
PRAYERFULLY CONSIDER the ways you can cultivate authentic love of God and love of neighbor into your daily living.
Prayer: Mother most pure, help me to act with purpose for Jesus. May my acts lead me closer to him.
February 28
“So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” — 1 Corinthians 13:13
My uncle was part of the Greatest Generation, those who lived through the Great Depression and World War II. No matter how difficult his life was, he and his family always demonstrated a strong faith, hope in the future, and unconditional love. When my uncle’s health declined, I witnessed his children care for him on a daily basis with the same faith, hope, and love they had experienced.
My extended family’s legacy of faith, hope, and love was rooted in strong devotion to the Blessed Mother. Mary was their role model, and her life of faith in God gave my family hope that anything was possible, as long as the love of Christ was at the heart of their actions. Mary’s love — pure, radiating beauty, grace, gentleness, and kindness — is always present and available to us. I hope that Mary’s love will help me to pass on my family’s legacy to my children.
— Mary Beth Desmond
WHO HAS MODELED faith, hope, and love to you? What spiritual practices help you grow in the three things that last?
Prayer: Hail Mary, full of grace, please fill the hearts of the faithful with the desire to share Christ’s message of faith, hope, and love.
~ Surrender ~
March 1
“Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalms 46:10
My husband and I often spend time at a lake in northern Wisconsin. At dusk, once the fishermen retire, the lake becomes quiet and still. We like to drift with the tide on a pontoon boat and watch magnificent sunsets. This is followed by a clear view of a breathtaking night sky which features billions of stars. There the breadth and depth of God’s creation is set before us. With minds free from distractions, we are ready to embrace the silence and totally surrender to God’s loving presence.
Total surrender to God means that we, like Mary, accept that we are not in control of what God may call us to do. Mary’s life invites us to trust in God’s providence, to let go and allow our creator God to work within us. We are his, and God has a plan for us. Stillness and silence invite God to lead. When we finally surrender our lives to God, we will come fully alive.
— Sharon A. Abel, PhD
TAKE TIME TODAY to be still. Surrender to the presence of the Lord. Listen for what God is speaking to you. May your response be, “Lead me, Lord.”
Prayer: Mary, you have taught me how to be still before the Lord. You listened, God spoke, and his plan for our salvation fell into place. May I listen, and surrender, to God’s plan for me.
March 2
“At the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” — Luke 2:21
When the time came, Mary and Joseph chose to name their Son, Jesus. This was not a family name, but rather the one that had been given to the child by the angel Gabriel. Mary surrendered her preferences and was obedient to the angel’s instruction.
Obedience is not a popular concept in our culture. But many misunderstand what true obedience is. Obedience to the will of God is not something imposed upon us; it is something we must freely choose to do. Obedience doesn’t mean that we don’t think for ourselves or that we have lost all sense of our identity. On the contrary, obedience to God means that we have found our true identity as beloved sons and daughters of the Lord. Then it is a joy for us to follow the ways of the Lord, as it was for Mary.
— Dr. Mary Amore
CONSIDER HOW YOU MIGHT DEEPEN your obedience to God and renew your spiritual journey.
Prayer: Blessed Mother, help me to be obedient to the will of God, that I may freely surrender my life into his loving care.
March 3
“And Jesus said to her, ‘O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come.’His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’” — John 2:4
At the wedding feast in Cana, Jesus listened to the prompting of his mother and changed water into wine. When Mary says, “Do whatever he tells you,” she is also speaking to all of us. If we follow Mary’s directive and adhere to the will of the Lord, then the watery events of our lives have the opportunity to be changed into choice wine as well.
Jesus’ words are clear and straightforward; yet how often do we fail to do what the Lord asks of us? At times, it seems that our broken world takes great delight in meeting conflict and diversity with hatred and condemnation. Spiritual transformation is possible, but only if we are willing to surrender our own willfulness over to the Lord so that we may follow Mary’s example and do whatever Jesus tells us.
— Lauren Nelson
IF YOU WERE STANDING in the presence of our Blessed Mother and she told you to do whatever he tells you, what would your response be?
Prayer: Mary, help us to listen to the words of your Son, Jesus, that we may do whatever he asks of us.
March 4
“Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13
At the age of thirty-two, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Alone and frightened, I opened up to my friends and church community about my diagnosis not long after surgery. I was overwhelmed by the great outpouring of support through meals, visits, prayers, child care, and acts of love. My friends and family laid down their lives for me by surrendering their fears to visit me and entering into my pain to comfort me with their love.
During this dark time, I prayed to Mary daily and begged her to ask Jesus to heal me. Blessed Mary was