Having a devotion to Mary can be an essential part of our growth in holiness. This article will explore the connections between prayer and resilience, the significance of Marian devotion, and offer a list of Marian devotions to incorporate into your prayer life.
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A Quick Refresher on Spiritual Health and Resilience
Resilience is an ability that enables people to find healing after trauma, manage daily stress effectively, and thrive, even in the face of adversity.
Many things can boost this vital ability. Here at Tria Corda Ministry, we believe that there are five building blocks of resilience. They are:
- Mental health: Living in accordance with the truth in your thinking
- Physical health: Good friendships and taking care of your body
- Spiritual health: Consistent prayer and reception of the sacraments
- Virtue: Living a virtuous life and striving for that
- Vocation: Fully living out your state-in-life vocation, career, and other endeavors the Lord may call you to
Marian devotions are one of many ways to improve our spiritual health. They help us to pray regularly and can also aid in our reception of the sacraments.
You can learn more about spiritual health and resilience in this article.
Why is a Relationship With Mary So Important?
Some people may argue: Why should we bother with Marian devotions and building our relationship with Mary? Shouldn’t we focus our prayer solely on God?
The reality is, though, that when we have a relationship with Mary and practice Marian devotions, we grow closer to God. There are multiple reasons for this.
First, Mary is an excellent example for us. She never sinned. She was the first disciple of Jesus. She followed Him faithfully to the cross and then was with the Church in its beginnings. She is the closest any human being has ever been to God. Because of this, when we follow her lead, we grow closer to God.
Second, Mary is a great intercessor for us. We can gain a deeper understanding of Mary’s powerful intercession by examining the role of the queen in ancient Israel.
In ancient Israel, the king’s mother was actually the queen, and not one of his wives. An example of this is Bathsheba, one of King David’s wives and the mother of King Solomon. When Solomon becomes king, he rises to bow to Bathsheba when she enters the throne room, and he has her sit on a throne on his right side, which symbolizes her power. Later in 1 Kings, we see Bathsheba interceding on behalf of people in the community.
Jesus is the king of the universe, and now Mary is His queen, and she intercedes for us from that position, just as the queens of Israel interceded for their people before the kings.
Third, Mary always leads us to God. In True Devotion to Mary, St. Louis de Montfort writes that everything Mary does is about leading souls to Christ. Because she constantly points to God, when we are devoted to her, we don’t take anything from God, because she will continuously guide us to Him.
Finally, Mary is the mediatrix of grace. In True Devotion to Mary, St. Louis de Montfort writes that Jesus gave Mary everything He gained by His life, death, and resurrection, and gave her all the Father has given Him. Through Mary, He provides all of those graces to us. St. Louis de Montfort calls Mary a mystical channel through which Christ’s mercies flow. She is also the dispenser of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, her spouse. When we are devoted to her, she showers these graces, mercies, and gifts upon us.
To learn more about the importance of devotion to Mary, I highly recommend True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort.
A List of Marian Devotions You Could Include in Your Prayer Life
The Rosary
The Rosary is the most popular form of Marian devotion. Through the Rosary, we contemplate Christ with Mary, and through this contemplation of events in her life and in Christ’s life, she forms us to be more like Christ.
The Rosary is also an extremely powerful prayer. Padre Pio referred to it as a weapon against evil. You can learn how to pray the Rosary here.
The Angelus
The Angelus is traditionally prayed at 6:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. It honors the moment of the Incarnation and Mary’s yes to God’s plan. Incorporating the Angelus into your daily routine is a great way to sanctify your day by pausing and praying. You can learn more here.
The First Saturdays Devotion
During the apparitions in Fatima, Mary requested that people practice this devotion to offer reparation for the sins of the world, and especially reparation for blasphemies against Mary’s Immaculate Heart.
The devotion consists of doing the following on five consecutive first Saturdays:
- Confession
- Reception of Communion
- Meditation on a mystery or multiple mysteries of the Rosary for 15 minutes
- Praying five decades of the Rosary
You can learn more about this devotion here.
Consecration to Jesus Through Mary
Consecration to Jesus through Mary involves entrusting yourself to Mary’s intercession and her ability to form souls to be like Christ. Typically, consecration consists of a period of preparation, prayer, and learning more about Mary before making the consecration on a Marian feast day. Some people then incorporate the consecration prayer into their daily prayer.
To learn more, I recommend 33 Days to Morning Glory by Fr. Michael Gaitley and True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort.
The Seven Sorrows Rosary
When Mary appeared in Kibeho, Rwanda, she requested this devotion. The Seven Sorrows Rosary is similar to the typical Rosary, but involves meditating on seven events in the lives of Jesus and Mary that caused Mary much suffering. You can learn more here.
The Chaplet of the Ten Evangelical Virtues
This prayer is also similar to the traditional Rosary, but involves meditating on 10 of Mary’s virtues and asking her to foster those virtues in us. You can learn more here.
Novenas to Mary
Many of Mary’s major feast days, such as the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and the Solemnity of the Assumption, have novenas that can be prayed leading up to them. You can find these and other novenas here.
Reception of Communion
In True Devotion to Mary, St. Louis de Montfort recommends, before receiving the Eucharist, asking Mary to lend you her heart, which so fully received Jesus, so that you can more fully receive the graces of the sacrament. I recommend picking up a copy of the book to learn more about this practice..
Conclusion
Marian devotions are a great way to allow Mary to form us into the likeness of Christ and to enable her to be the mediatrix of grace in our lives. Additionally, by incorporating these devotions into your life regularly, you will also boost your resilience.