There's Something About Mary !
There's Something About Mary !
September - and it is the Birthday of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, Mother of the Church, Mary our Mother, the Mother of God. Yes, we are celebrating the birthday of Mary, the Girl Child - she is the Birthday Girl ! There will be a lot of devotion shown to Mary during this month. Devotees will flock to the various Marian Shrines - Our Lady of Velannkani, Tamilnadu, the Irla Shrine, and of course the ever popular Our Lady of the Mount, Bandra, and our very own parish Church Our Lady of Lourdes. We all wish Mary A Very Happy Birthday, she is the Birthday Girl.
We shall be seeing how holy people will become when they go to Church for the Novena Services in preparation for Mother Mary's Birthday. There will be so many Flowers offered to the Birthday Girl in Church. Even the Grotto in our Society compounds will wear a Festive Look; fresh garlands, candles, etc. Everything looks so nice. So, what is it about Mary that we show so much devotion to her ? Surely, 'there's something about Mary' - something that appeals to us, there's something about Mary worth talking about. One important thing about Mary is her concern for others. When the Angel told Mary at the Annunciation that her cousin Elizabeth was half way through her pregnancy, Mary rushed to Elizabeth's house to help. Elizabeth did not call her, it was Mary who went out of her way to help her. What would we do ? So what, if someone is fallen on the road, or a member of the society is being harassed by other members. It's none of my concern so why bother, let him fight his own battle.
We need to ask ourselves, 'where does our devotion to Mary lead us to' ? How true is our devotion to Mother Mary ? If we show so much devotion to Mary and decorate her picture/statue with flowers and lights, can we not follow her as our idol ? Or, are we just happy to be 'idle' - idle minds planning some mischief or the other ? If we cannot learn anything from Mary, then our devotion to her is no use, absolutely. It's time we stopped making a mockery of this devotion to Mary. Our devotion is not going to lead us anywhere. Our pilgrimage to Velankani or to the Mount is not going to be any use, it is pointless, if we do not follow in the footsteps of Mary. The Rosary in our society compound Grotto is meaningless if that is not going to prompt us into action; if the Rosary does not involve other members of the society; perhaps some think that Mary in that Grotto belongs only to them - Mary cannot be privatised !
Are we worthy of celebrating Mary's birthday ? How can we wish Mary a Happy Birthday and on other hand wish ill for the others ? How can we celebrate Mary's birthday while attempting to make life miserable for the person next door ? How can we decorate Mary's Grotto and desecrate another's house ? Can we wish Mary a Happy Birthday with a True Heart ? Surely, there's something about Mary that appeals to us !