SHORT PRAYERS TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Are you feeling somewhat discombobulated or disoriented these days? Is the daily grind grinding you down, or even as you see it, grinding you to a halt? Would you like some special help and grace for the Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary?

Even in the midst of a busy day, or perhaps one where you just feel out of sorts for various physical, emotional, or perhaps financial reasons (especially financial these days!), short prayers such as these below, are a great way to keep in touch with Our Lady, as with our Lord in other such prayers, in short easy-to learn and remember supplications such as these below:

Jesus, Mary I love you! Save souls!

Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation!

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!

O Mary, our hope, have pity on us!

Mary, most sorrowful, Mother of Christians, pray for us.

O Mary, virgin Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me.

My Queen! my Mother! remember I am thine own. Keep me, guard me, as thy property and possession.

O Mary, thou didst enter the world without stain; do thou obtain for me from God, that I may leave it without sin.

O Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, make us saints.

O Mary, make me live in God, with God, and for God.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death amen. By thy Immaculate Conception, O Mary, make my body pure and my soul holy. O My mother, preserve me this day [or night] from mortal sin. (Say 3 times as a great way to start and/or end your day!)

You are my Mother, Virgin Mary. Keep me safe lest I ever offend your dear Son, and obtain for me the grace to please Him always and in all things.

Pray for us, Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. (This particular prayer is also part of the Rosary!)

Holy Mary, Virgin Mother of God, intercede for me.

Holy Mary, Our Lady of Deliverance, pray for us and for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

What can’t be said enough is that Mary is a most powerful intercessor not an interloper in our relationship with her Divine Son our Lord Jesus Christ. We honor her, we do not worship her as the mother of God conceived without the stain of Original Sin.

Praying to Mary is not meant to be a substitute but rather an enhancement in our prayers to God! And is there anything wrong with getting on one's mother's good side?

Sadly too many non-Catholic Christians see Mary as a stumbling block rather than a stepping stone towards Jesus. That is especially tragic because since she herself is not heard from much in scripture, synoptically or otherwise, her importance in helping us in prayers such as the Rosary, is considered somehow “un-Biblical” for those who consider the Bible as the sole source of authority containing all we need to know as Christians. This is known as the doctrine of sola scriptura (scripture alone).

But Mary has always been, both in scripture and in church-approved private revelation, singularly devoted to her Divine Son. And, yes, this is scriptural: What does Mary say to the Angel Gabriel after he brings her the momentous news that she is to be the Mother of God, that He will be incarnate in her womb upon her assent? “Behold the Handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:46).

And what are her last words in scripture? They are her words to the waiters (attendants?) at the wedding feast at Cana just before Jesus thought water into wine at Mary’s behest to save the host from embarrassment for running out of wine too soon. “Do whatever He [this is, Jesus] tells you” (John 2:5).

Being born without the stain of original sin, Mary has shown her unparalleled love for her Divine son in her numerous church-approved apparitions over the centuries almost up until the present time where she has consistently lovingly urged us all to follow Him in loving obedience. “Do whatever He tells you” could well be her motto!

And on more than one occasion, we’ve seen her as the Sorrowful Mother bemoaning so many of us in Fallen Humanity jeopardizing our salvation by our stubbornly holding on to gravely sinful habits.

As we glean from both church approved Marian apparitions and private revelations over the centuries Mary has always striven to help us be good “citizens in training” for heaven in loving obedience to her son so that we may be able to share Eternal Life with Jesus, all the saints, and, hopefully, our loved ones as well!

Mary lived a life of impeccable humility in arduous circumstances at times. For example, she gave birth to Jesus in a cave, not even in an inn, much less in some regal residence. And soon afterwards she, her husband Joseph and baby Jesus had to flee to Egypt so that her Divine son would not be massacred by the ruthless King Herod.

You may recall how Herod had all the babies under two in Bethlehem killed (Matt 2:16) when he heard from the three kings about the newborn king of the Jews residing there. He saw the newborn Christ child as a threat. Such is the tyrant’s response: massacre any perceived opposition to his rule!

And, also, as confirmed in scripture as well as by church approved private revelations, she knew early on what Jesus’ mission and fate would be. Before the Holy Family fled to Egypt, 40 days after Jesus’ birth, when the Christ child was presented in the Temple in accordance with Mosaic law, the devout man Simeon said to Mary there that a sword would pierce her soul.

Nonetheless, she persevered in her great love for Jesus right up until and including His brutal Passion and death by crucifixion at Calvary. And she was with the apostles and disciples at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came down in tounges of fire and landed on each of them to enable them to proclaim the Gospel fearlessly!

Along with the holy women and St. John, Mary kept a mournful watch over our Lord as He was dying on the cross at Calvary. Mary also suffered all these pains of Jesus. In every torture inflicted on the body of Jesus, as St. Jerome once put it, was a wound in the heart of the mother.

St. Augustine echoed a similar sentiment that the cross and nails of the Son were also the cross and nails of the mother; Christ being crucified, the mother was also crucified. As St. Bernard said love inflicted on the heart of Mary the same suffering that the nails caused in the body of Jesus.

St. Alphonsus Liquori once noted quite movingly that Mary suffered in her heart all that Jesus endured in His body.
Remember also that when our Blessed Lord told St. John from the cross that she was to be his mother (John 19:26-27) from that point on, she became our mother as well!

Mary once complained to St. Bridget in a church-approved private revelation about how few people pitied, or even thought of, her in her sorrows. She told her “Though many forget me, do not thou, my daughter, forget me.” Let us not forget her either.

She’s done so much for us in bearing our Savior and witnessing His sacrifice at Calvary. And she wants to help deepen our relationship with Him with the graces we need! Help her to do so in your prayers, such as in these aspirations. Help her to do so with your prayers!

God Bless,

Christopher Castagnoli
for www.ourcatholicprayers.com

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