Prayer: Mary, woman of joy, be my guide to ponder God’s word so that it becomes an encounter with love that bears joyful and abundant fruit.
February 8
“Love one another; even as I have loved you.” — John 13:34
When I picture Mary, I see the eyes of motherly love, a beautiful gaze. I imagine Mary’s look of love when she saw her newborn Son for the first time. I imagine, too, the many times Mary looked through the eyes of love to Joseph, Jesus, and her cousin Elizabeth. I can also see her eyes pouring out tears of love for her Son as he hung on the cross.
My eyes always fill with tears whenever I see someone serving in the military return home from deployment and reconnect with their families. Can you think of a time when you saw someone’s eyes light up or sparkle when they spoke about someone they love? I believe that expression of love is God’s divine light shining through. But loving one another as Christ has loved us also means loving oneself. That is not being selfish but rather learning to fully appreciate the divine presence within.
— Mary Beth Desmond
RECALL A TIME when you truly felt loved through the eyes of another person. Look in the mirror and tell yourself you are a beloved son or daughter of God. Imagine the eyes of Jesus looking at you with love.
Prayer: Mary, help us to love one another as God has loved us. Help us to see one another through the eyes of love.
February 9
“As he landed he saw a great throng, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” — Mark 6:34
Mary was the first disciple of Jesus. Can you imagine all that she must have learned from him as she spent day after day teaching and caring for him in their home in Nazareth? Even more so, on the cross Jesus entrusted Mary with the great duty to be a mother for each one of us.
A few weeks ago, I was overwhelmed with the responsibilities of adulthood. My calendar was filled to the brim with tasks, meetings, and activities. I called a friend for help, and she listened and offered practical and loving advice that gently led me back to the living waters of Jesus. She was Mary for me.
— Katie Choudhary
HOW CAN MARY help you bring the loving heart of Jesus into your world?
Prayer: Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, thank you for having pity on me. Bring me to the feet of Jesus so I may experience his divine love.
February 10
“That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power to comprehend.” — Ephesians 3:17-18
Our Blessed Mother is the vessel of pure love by which God came to us in the person of Jesus Christ. Through her selfless act of love and her willingness to do the will of God, we are graced to have Christ dwell among us. Mary was an utterly selfless human being and her love for the Lord had no conditions.
All too often we put conditions on our love for God. In our prayers we might say, “Lord, if you do this for me, I will go to church.” Or, “God, if you heal me, I will read the Bible more.” The list of our conditions for God is endless. It is because we are not rooted or grounded in love.
Mary’s life shows us a better way, a more perfect pathway to holiness — namely, unconditional love for God.
— Lauren Nelson
WHAT CONDITIONS do you put on your love for God? How can you work on making your love for him unconditional?
Prayer: Mary, your love for God knows no bounds. Teach me to give God all my love without boundaries or conditions.
February 11
Our Lady of Lourdes
“O daughter, you are blessed by the Most High God above all women on earth; and blessed be the Lord God, who created the heavens and the earth.” —Judith 13:18
On February 11, 1858, Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous, a young peasant girl in southern France. For six months, Mary came to Bernadette with one special message: “God is love. He loves us just as we are.” The message that the Blessed Mother delivered at Lourdes is one of hope for all who seek a loving relationship with God.
In the time leading up to the Annunciation, young Mary of Nazareth prayed daily to the God of Israel. She loved God with her whole heart and soul. When the time of fulfillment came, God bestowed upon Mary the highest honor of our human race: he made her the mother of God.
Mary is here to help us come into a loving relationship with God. Her mission, like that at Lourdes, is to let her children know that God loves us in spite of our imperfections.
— Dr. Mary Amore
WHAT IS KEEPING you from cultivating a loving relationship with the Lord?
Prayer: Mary, in giving Bernadette a message of love, you gave the human race the gift of hope. Help me to spend my life loving God above all else.
February 12
“Who can find a good wife? / She is far more precious than jewels. / The heart of her husband trusts in her, / and he will have no lack of gain. / She does him good, and not harm / all the days of her life.” — Proverbs 31:10-12
Mary was a worthy wife to Joseph, a treasured pearl beyond compare, and Joseph entrusted his heart to her. Mary’s life of grace brought him only goodness, and the love between Mary, Joseph, and Jesus remains a role model of family life for us today.
When I was young, my mom dreamed of buying a strand of pearls, so she put one on layaway and paid for it little by little over time. When the purchase was complete, my mom treasured her pearls and wore them only on special occasions. After she died, the pearls came to me. Now, when I wear them on special occasions, I always think of her. The pearls remind me of her love. Their value lies in the strands of unfailing love and goodness my mom provided me. Someday I hope to give the pearls to my only daughter.
— Mary Beth Desmond
DO YOU HAVE a gift that you treasure? Reflect on the loving relationship that accompanies that treasured item.
Prayer: Mary, pray for families, that together we may learn to value one another as a priceless pearl, and to entrust our hearts to one another.
February 13
“O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, / for his mercy endures for ever.” — Psalms 136:1
A favorite painting of mine depicts our Blessed Mother sitting cross-legged in the foreground while removing freshly baked bread from bowls. Behind her are two women. One is forming the dough into loaves. The other is placing the bread into a stone oven.
A Jewish friend had gazed at the painting in a store, then bought it. I tried to explain the scene, but she stopped me. “I know who this is,” she exclaimed. “It’s Mary. She’s one of us. She’s doing what we do, celebrating the story with bread. I’m hanging this in my kitchen. Now let’s eat!” The painting is now proudly displayed in a kosher kitchen in Brooklyn, New York.
It’s amazing that two thousand years later Mary is recognized in her tradition as well as ours. The grace and love that Mary received from God as the handmaid of the Lord is still in our world. Mary remains the one hailed, “full of grace.” She is God’s declaration that grace never leaves us and that God’s love endures forever.
— Joseph Abel, PhD
HOW CAN YOU HONOR the ever-present love of God given to us through Mary?
Prayer: Hail Mary, help us see that we, like you, are filled with grace. God’s love for us endures forever. In fact, the whole world is full of grace.