This month of May – dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary – offers us a unique opportunity to deepen our contemplative prayer life.

Just as Mary pondered all the early events surrounding Jesus in her heart (Luke 2:19), we are invited to contemplate what the Holy Spirit chose to inspire and share with us regarding Mary – not only as Christ’s mother – but as our own (John 19:27).

Below is part of a reflection I wrote some time ago that I recently rediscovered. Perhaps it will bless your own contemplative prayer life:

• What traits do you look for in a mother? What traits would God look for in a woman to mother His only Son? The Scriptures may paint the portrait but the brush belongs to God.
• The Holy Spirit moves the most intimate inspiration. A woman created…a woman set apart. She stands as a model of chastity, of inner beauty, of humility and of purity; the golden vessel, chosen to carry the most important life the world will ever know.
• Are we not called everyday to live for God? Did she not model openness to God the Father in every conceivable way? Did she leave any doubt that God’s will was more important than her own? Did she run when it was difficult? Did she flee from discomfort? Did she trust in God even when the future was uncertain?
• Did she hide Him away or share Him with the world?
• Are we not called to offer the Lord our bodies – in every way – for His glory? Did she not allow our Lord to live within her? Did she not know Jesus more intimately than anyone else on Earth, even His closest followers?
• She swaddled Him. She nursed Him. She guided Him through his early years. She stood beside Him – never abandoning Him – even in the most difficult moments.
• Now as our Mother, would she ever abandon us? God created her. He Preserved her. He picked her. He descended upon her. He grew within her.
• Jesus listened to her, loved her, and honored her above any other. Not because she wanted it but because she deserves it…because she is different. It was her “yes” to God that set His brothers and sisters back on the right path. It was her “fiat” – her yes – that forever changed the world. “May it be done to me according to Thy will” (Luke 1:38). One “yes” opened the door to hope: hope in salvation, hope for life after death, and hope for even the most wretched of sinners.
• And Christ shows us how to love her. He wants us to know her, to admire her, to respect her and to trust her as our own, so He entrusted us to her and then gave her to each of us. He wants us to know and experience the love that only a Mother can give – that only His Mother – the Mother of God – created and chosen by God, can give.
• God invites you to get to know her, to meditate on her heart as a window into His own. He calls us to honor her, modeling her humility, her openness, her chastity, and her abandonment.
• Just as our Blessed Mother reflects Jesus’ light more radiantly and more fully than any other human in history, so we are called – as children of our Blessed Mother – as children of the light, to reflect and radiate the love and heart of Christ to all the world.
• In the light, it began with a courageous young teenage woman.
  In the light, God became man and walked among us.
  In the light of a bright Sunday sunrise, death was destroyed forever.
  In the light of the Spirit’s flame, a beautiful young Church was born.
• And it is in the light still today that we truly become brothers and sisters – sons and daughters – that we become the family of God that we were formed, designed and created to be . . . one holy, pleasing, and perfect family – encountering the Divine love of the Blessed Father, His Blessed Son, and, indeed, our Blessed Mother.

Mary is always ready to help us and take our prayers to her Son, Jesus. Pray this beautiful prayer to ask Mary for assistance in whatever you need. She is our mother and longs to pour out graces on us, her children.

Download the Memorarae prayer card

Pentecost Sunday Reading: Acts 2:1-11; Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34; 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Gal 5:16-25; Jn 20:19-23 or Jn 15:26-27; 16:12-15

“We never give more honor to Jesus than when we honor his Mother, and we honor her simply and solely to honor him all the more perfectly. We go to her only as a way leading to the goal we seek – Jesus, her Son.” – Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

For most of my life, I’ve dreamed about what it would be like to be a professional athlete. I’ve thought about the feeling I would have listening to the Star Spangled Banner under the lights of Madison Square Garden. I’ve contemplated throwing the game-winning touchdown pass in the Super Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium.

And my favorite and most recurring fantasy, I’ve pondered the feeling I would get as I hit a walk-off homerun to win the 7th game of the World Series. (And yes . . . I’ve even practiced my homerun trot.)

Alas, none of these will ever happen. My life hasn’t ended up the way I dreamt when I was a young boy, so I had to settle for “taking my talents” to the old man softball field. And, I’m ok with that. Really. It’s fine. But little did I know what awaited me at the finish line of my first marathon.

Running a marathon was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life, ranking right up there with the week I spent commercial salmon fishing in Bristol Bay, Alaska. (That’s another blog for another day.) It took a huge toll on me physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. But, as I crossed the finish line of this 26.2-mile race, it was as if I was transported into a whole other world.

Where Am I?

The first thing that I noticed in the few seconds after finishing was that the pain I felt throughout much of the race had subsided tremendously. In conjunction with this feeling, there were people there to greet me, congratulate me, and give me water. They wrapped me in a robe to help me get warm, and they took my picture.

Then they pointed me toward the feast that was prepared and told me to eat as much as I wanted. Seriously! No homerun trot could be better than this! There was fruit, Gatorade, Jamba Juice, frozen yogurt, bagels, and more. Everyone was so happy I was there. It was as if they had been waiting for me for a long time. This seemed like a place I had heard about before . . .

“Then the angel showed me the river of life-giving water, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of its street. On either side of the river grew the tree of life that produces fruit twelve times a year, once each month; the leaves of the trees serve as medicine for the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there anymore” (Revelation 22:1-3).

The finish line of my marathon was a little taste of heaven. Once I got there and was showered with so much love and joy, all the pain and struggle of my race made sense. But without these difficult times, the celebration at the finish line wouldn’t have been as special.

Your Life has a Finish Line

Every single one of us is running a race called life. In this “race,” there will be good times and bad. There will be times of happiness and times of suffering. And while all of us would love to find perfect joy in this life, we never will.

Life is hard. We will feel pain, but the pain we face as we struggle along in our journey will one day make sense as we reach our “finish line” and experience perfect joy for all eternity in heaven. It is here where we will be welcomed for who we are, congratulated on the “race” we ran, and showered with an eternal feast the likes of which we could never have imagined. You see, no matter what we may face in this life, it’s worth it because of what lies ahead in the next.

• It’s in heaven where we realize that we were capable of more than we thought.
• It’s in heaven where our plan to grow in holiness is fulfilled in God’s greater plan of salvation.
• It’s in heaven where the little things we do each day to grow in relationship with Jesus Christ fully pay off.
• It’s in heaven where the pain and suffering we faced in our “race” is completely wiped away.
• It’s in heaven where we experience an eternal celebration with the community that was cheering us on.
• It’s in heaven where the investment of our whole heart makes us richer than we could have ever dreamed.
• And it is in heaven where we finish what we started when we chose to journey through that narrow gate and down that constricted road (Matthew 7:14).

Every second of my training for the marathon was worth it. All the time. All the energy. All the suffering. All the sacrifice. But it didn’t fully make sense until I crossed that finish line. So whatever “race” you are running, whatever time you are spending with our Lord, whatever energy you are putting into your battle to live a holy life, whatever suffering you are experiencing, and whatever sacrifices you are making to grow closer to Christ, remember that this life is only a training.

And while you may get a taste of heaven from time to time, all of your effort will not fully make sense until you reach the ultimate goal, salvation of your soul and eternal life in heaven (1 Peter 1:9).

Read more from Eric about the lessons he learned while running a marathon:

• You’re Capable of More Than You Think
• You’ve Got to Have a Plan
• How to Persevere in Your Faith
• Don’t Give Up Because of Pain and Failure
• Community Matters
• Where’s Your Heart?

Teens will like Girl in Progress because it’s clever, fun, and has lots of drama. Adults will like the movie because – gasp! – Hollywood finally shows consequences to bad decisions.

About the Movie

Single mother Grace, played by Eva Mendes (Hitch, 2 Fast 2 Furious), who has made some bad decisions in life and is failing miserably at taking care of her teenage daughter Ansieded.

Ansieded (actress Cierra Ramirez) feels rejected and neglected by her mother. She’s also aggravated that her mother makes so many immature decisions. She knows that she wants something different in life, but doesn’t know how to start. Until one day in school, Ansiedad learns about the “coming of age” story whereby a young person goes through specific rites of passage to pass from childhood to adulthood. If it worked for the characters in her school books, why wouldn’t it work in her own life?

Ansiedad then devises an elaborate plan to go through typical rites of passage that the world says will help you grow up: getting in with the “cool” kids, rejecting her best “loser” friend, and eventually trying to lose her virginity to the “bad boy” at school. All the while her preoccupied mother Grace stumbles through an extramarital affair and drama at work.

Ansiedad and Tavita's experiment to jump into adulthood goes terribly wrong.

Throughout the course of the movie, the “coming of age” experiment unfolds with a variety of results, mostly negative. As Ansiedad experiences many difficult and confusing things alone, she comes to the realization of how much she needs her mother. And, eventually, her mother is forced to sort through her own issues and realizes how much she needs to BECOME a mother to her daughter.

What You Should Know

Although the film Girl in Progress includes Disney star Raini Rodriguez, this is not a Disney movie. It is a relevant and raw story of a high school girl who tries to grow up without the guidance and support of her family. She makes mistakes, and it’s not easy to watch. Some rights of passage are no big deal, like dress like a rebel, but other rights of passage are as awkward and as the real thing, like trying to hook up with a guy just to say you aren’t a virgin anymore.

Star English teacher Ms. Armstrong chats with Ansieded after school.

It’s easy to look at the content of the movie and say that it’s not a moral fit for teenagers. There’s teens drinking! Yikes! The difference here is that this movie defies Hollywood norms and shows the consequences of bad behavior. It’s refreshing to see a splash of reality in a movie theater.

Watch it or Skip it?

If you are high school age or older – watch it. Girl in Progress is a good alternative for all the ladies who want to head to the theaters but don’t want to see superheroes smashing stuff in The Avengers. It’s a good movie with a moral message that isn’t cheesy or overly simplified.

Youth Ministers: If you are going with a group from your church, be sure to check out our “Teens in Progress” Life Night and discussion guide on CatholicYouthMinistry.com.

I love lists . . . maybe a little bit too much.

I don’t so much like reading them; I’m more into list making. For me, making a list is the third step in the complicated process of how I deal with stress.

Step 1 is really simple: I freak out and start panicking.

Step 2 is where I calm down by wasting time. This is my favorite step, and there are several options, such as: Netflix, iPod apps, and a little slice of paradise I like to call “the internet.” I’m especially good at these first two steps.

Finally, after panicking and wasting time, I eventually make a list so I can take care of one thing at a time. As I start getting things done, momentum builds and all of a sudden the list doesn’t seem so impossible.

To-Do: Become Holy

Way too often, my relationship with God can seem like an overwhelming list of things I need to change. I am stressed out enough by the 10 things that I have to get done today, never mind the 400 things that I need to work on to become a better follower of Christ.

This whole month of May, we are invited to take time to honor Mary, the Mother of God. Can you imagine how stressful her “to do” list could’ve been? All God was asking her to do was care for His Son! (Feed Him, teach Him everything, and protect Him because He depends on you. No pressure at all, right?)

What’s Her Secret?

How did she do it? How did she manage to remain focused on God while she had the most unique and challenging role in all of human history? And how could I possibly be anything like her, when I get stressed out by the everyday pressures of my comfortable life? Her Immaculate life was so unlike my own awkward existence that I had no idea where to even begin if I was going to try to imitate her.

Then someone told me about St. Louis DeMonfort’s 10 Virtues of Mary. This “Top 10” list is taken from what we learn about Mary from Scripture. Rather than just being 10 more reminders of how pathetic I am compared to Mary, I love this list because I know I can pray and work on growing in these virtues one at a time.

The 10 Virtues of Mary

1. Ardent Charity: Letting her love for God be the driving force behind every decision
2. Profound Humility: Knowing who she is before God, nothing more and nothing less
3. Universal Mortification: Seeking to lay down her life and her will at every moment
4. Constant Mental Prayer: Always being aware of God’s presence
5. Blind Obedience: Following God’s call without counting the cost
6. Divine Wisdom: Always begging for God’s Spirit to guide her
7. Surpassing Purity: Having a heart immaculately clean and unstained by sin
8. Angelic Sweetness: Radiating joy and peace to everyone she encountered
9. Lively Faith: Constantly seeking God’s will and never settling for complacency
10. Heroic Patience: Always trusting that God was on the move; having more faith in His plans than her own

Don’t be overwhelmed. Choose one virtue at a time; maybe it’s one that you really feel drawn to or just one that you really struggle with. One of the coolest things about Mary is that she is not just someone from history; she is still our Mother today and she is always praying for us, supporting us, and leading us closer to her Son.

A couple of weeks ago Beyonce was given the title of “World’s Most Beautiful Woman” from People Magazine. I feel like once you’ve got that award in your back pocket you can either:

• A) Finally allow yourself to wear sweatpants all the time (at which point you wouldn’t actually have a back pocket), or
• B) Gaze at yourself in the mirror for endless hours and let your pride shoot up like jack’s beanstalk.

No really, congrats Beyonce, you are gorgeous and have cleared up any confusion about how far I have to go to reach the plane you exist on.

. . . If I were trying to reach that level of beauty. But honestly, I can think of a lot titles I’d rather have than “World’s Most Beautiful.” (Like “Patron Saint of gluten free people.”) Beauty is just so fleeting.

I don’t know much about Beyonce (and I’m not giving my stamp of approval on everything she’s said and done) but it seems like she might agree. She said about receiving the award, “It’s really about who you are, the human being that makes you beautiful.” Then she said that the award means so much more to her since she was given the title after she became a mother.

Beyonce and Blue Ivy (The name Blue is no longer just for a cartoon dog!)

Guess what? Beyonce is un-knowingly (Or maybe knowingly? I don’t know if she reads apostolic letters in her free time . . . ) echoing Blessed John Paul II. He said in his letter “On the Dignity and Vocation of Women” that in motherhood a woman realizes and expresses her deepest “self” because of the gift of herself she’s made to another human being and the mystery she’s taken part in – the mystery of God allowing us to share in His creative act. (Mulieris Dignitatem, 18)

What also blows my mind is that every time motherhood happens, it’s like a renewal and reminder of the covenant that God made with us through the motherhood of Mary, which brought our Savior into the world. (Mulieris Dignitatem, 19) Moms get to follow in the footsteps of the Blessed Mother, who through her fiat blessed the role of motherhood forever.

World's Most Beautiful Woman for Eternity

Take that People Magazine. What you intended to be a superficial award, Beyonce and JPII took to the next level.

How amazing is that? A couple things to take from this:

1. Mary is truly the world’s most beautiful woman of ALL time because she said “Yes” to God and through her life and motherhood showed us what true femininity is.
2. Beyonce, while beautiful, had to admit that her motherhood makes her feel even more beautiful. She probably doesn’t realize it, but this is because Mary sanctified the role of mothers for all eternity and because motherhood is a share in God’s creation act and is a self-gift!
3. So in other words – it just sucks for me if I’m not a mother? No, God isn’t like that! There’s this awesome thing called “Spiritual Motherhood” which you can read about in Mulieris Dignitatem paragraph 21.
4. Do you realize what I’m saying? You don’t have to buy the best clothes, compare yourself to others, or spend hours at the gym to be happy, fulfilled, and draw others to you – in a word, to be beautiful. It’s about who you are, how you serve others, and how you cooperate with God’s plan for you.

I’m prettty sure that’s what Beyonce was saying . . . if you read between the lines.

Click here to download “A Mother’s Song” by Danielle Rose, from the Mysteries CD, courtesy of World Library Publications, wlpmusic.com

Why do you have a strong relationship with Mary?

When I was 19, I realized that although I knew a lot about Jesus, I did not know Him the way that I wanted to – to hear Him, see Him, touch Him, and be truly intimate with Him. I realized that there was someone who knew Him that way – Mary.

For the first time in my life, I spoke to Mary from my heart, and I asked her to please teach me and show me how she loved Him and knew Him. Our Mother Mary is very gentle; she waits for us to come to her and ask her for assistance.

I didn’t have any visions or hear any voices. A greater miracle happened. Mary quietly entered my heart and began to plant seeds of desire for prayer. I began to long to go to Daily Mass, confession, dates with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and to pray the rosary. Instead of fitting prayer “into” my busy schedule, prayer became the #1 priority that everything else was ordered around. Through Mary’s heart, I fell in love with Jesus.

She knew that the intimacy I longed to find with Him was waiting for me in the Sacraments of the Catholic Church. Through her invitation, I began to know that Jesus was truly present in the Eucharist – and that I could receive Him each day and know Him, hear Him, touch Him, see Him – the way that Mary did. And once I knew Him as Mary knows Him – to hold and receive His Body and Blood just as she held Him in her womb, her arms, and her heart – then my relationship with Jesus was forever transformed.

Can you tell us about this song?

I didn’t pray the rosary growing up. It wasn’t until college that I discovered the creative wonders and joys of praying with Mary to ponder the life of Jesus. Praying the rosary is like having a bible study with Mary. We look through her eyes, and she walks with us to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Mary helps us cooperate with the Holy Spirit to take up our cross daily and to say “Yes” to God in all the joys and sorrows of our lives.

The mysteries of the rosary are living, and when we ask Mary to help us turn to Jesus, we begin to see and experience these mysteries in the events of our own lives. In order to share with others what Mary has shared with me, I wanted to write a meditation song for each of the 20 mysteries of the rosary, so that others (especially young people) could receive the gift of this prayer coming alive in their hearts anew.

This particular song is the meditation for the 5th sorrowful mystery: the Crucifixion. The song is from the perspective of Mary at the foot of the cross, as she recalls her the story of loving Jesus from the cradle to the grave.

Readings for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord: Acts 1:1-11; Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9; Eph 1:17-23 or Eph 4:1-13; Mk 16:15-20