Listen to God's voice at the foot of the crucifix." ~St. Gaspar del Bufaro~

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Mary May Altar

I am thoroughly enjoying all of the posts that bloggers are dedicating to Our Lady this Merry, Mary, Month of May.  I listed a couple at the bottom of this post:)  Just in time for Mother's Day, we finally got our May Altar set up in her honor. 
I didn't grow up with a particular devotion to Our Lady, nor did I fully understand her Motherly role that dawned with the beginning of the Church.  It was an amazing discovery when I learned, as an adult, how Jesus gave us the grace of His Mother at the foot of the Cross...An immaculate gift indeed. 
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold thy son." Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother."~Luke 19:25-27
Our Blessed Lord was here establishing a new relationship; a relationship by which his own mother became the mother of all mankind, and we in turn became her children.
(If this is news to you, be sure to browse questions about Mary over at Catholic Answers.) Not to mention Mary's instrumental role to our Salvation when she said "Yes" to carrying God's Son in her womb! (Luke 1:26-38)
All of this made perfect and beautiful sense to me, thus the beginning of a new journey closer to Jesus, through His most Holy Mother.  Our relationship continues to bloom, spreading it's fragrance over the hearts of our children.  Praise God for the knowledge gained just in time to pass it on...No credit to me but all the workings of a perfect Mother.

All the more reason why I love that the Month of May is dedicated to Mary...It's a merry opportunity to honor our Blessed Mother during the Easter season and during the month of our American Mother's Day.  Who better than to celebrate than the Mother of our Church and model for all mothers?!

The tradition of a May Altar dedicated to Mary has strong historical roots.  I've seen some lovely ones out there, ranging from simple to elaborate.  I think it's fun to peek at all of the lovely ideas out there.
As for us, we begin by changing our Home Altar cloth to Mary's color of blue.
Then we add our favorite reminders of Our Lady.  We call this particular display the "many faces of Mary."
Of course we don't worship the statues but we honor the woman she represents...God's Mother, of course!  I love these words from St. John Vianney...
"When one loves anyone, it is a great happiness to have something of theirs as a souvenir.  If we love our Mother, the Blessed Virgin, we should make it both our duty and privilege to have one of her pictures or statues in our home, which from time to time will remind us of her."
The kids love to help and I, in turn, love the ideas they come up with...The display of the Rosary was Superboy's idea this year:)  Keeping a sprig or two of fresh flowers at the feet of Our Lady is also a joyful duty for the children.
Next up in the Mary Month of May is our Mary Garden...It's become a traditional gift that my family gives to me on Mother's Day, in honor of our heavenly Mother.  It's the best gift ever!  She's ready to go for this weekend:)
I think it's amazing that our "Lady"bug garden rocks have lasted, nearly unscathed,  for 2 winters:)

~I will be praying for Mother Mary's Immaculate intercession on behalf of all Mothers, including spiritual mothers, this Mother's Day...And Merry, Mary Month of May to all!~

Good Mama Mary Reads:
Allison from Totus Tuus is posting Something About Mary all month!
Barbara at Praying for Grace is posting Everyday for Mary in May.
Catholic Icing May Altar Ideas
*Check back periodically as I may add to the list:)*


10 comments:

  1. Thanks for linking, Tiffany!

    Your post and photos are beautiful! I shared your link on Pinterest, Twitter and my FB page.

    Spreading the love of/for Our Blessed Mother...

    God bless you!

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  2. A beautiful explanation of Our Lady's month and how we honor her....for non Catholics and Catholics alike :)

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  3. I look forward to taking some time this weekend to go through all of the links you have provided. We put some flowers in a vase outside next to our Mary statue, I need to put my Mary candle on the table every night for dinner. Thanks for sharing the great things you are doing for this month!

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  4. I will check back! I love to read how others celebrate their devotion to Our Lady! +JMJ+

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  5. According to European folklore, ladybugs symbolize good luck. Many, many years ago, aphids invaded the fields of farmers. When the farmers prayed for help to the Virgin Mary, legend tells us that swarms of little red beetles appeared. They proceeded to eat the aphids and save the crops. The farmers named the beetles, "ladybugs" in appreciation of Mary, Our Lady.

    I have read this several places, and, in fact, had a lovely article "pinned" that sadly no long exists. I copied this from a Christmas ornament site. Either way, I think it is a lovely story. http://www.bronners.com/categories/christmas-ornaments/legends-symbols-traditions/j-through-r/ladybug-legend

    Thanks for the post- as always, you inspire me. We did set up our table a little bit, but it could use a little more effort!!

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  6. I see you do have a link to our Lady's bug story too. :)

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  7. That is lovely, Tiffany. I love Superboy's idea of the Rosary. It really stood out when I looked at your picture. What a beautiful tribute. I am hopefully working on a Mary garden this weekend too. Happy Mother's Day, sweet friend!

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  8. thank you for the lovely post about Mary, Tiffany!! We love Mary at our house too!! I think the gift of flowers and a Mary garden for mother day is perhaps the most beautiful gift!! I would love that, and maybe I should drop a hint at my house. :) Happy blessed Mother's day to you.

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  9. This is wonderful, Tiffany! I like the idea of the many faces of Mary! It's just perfect! God bless!

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  10. Hi Tiffany, what a beautiful Mary altar! I love that your children get excited in creating it each year. For the first time, I have a Mary garden statue outside. It was out of our budget to buy a new one, and with God's providence, I found one at a garage sale. She's in great shape! It felt odd to ask "How much for Our Blessed Mother?"

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