The Catholic bulletin., 1915-05-15
WHY MAY is THE MONTH OF
MARY.

why is May chosen as the month
in which we exercise special devo-
tion to the Blessed Virgin?" Cardi-
nal Newman asks in his "Meditations
and Devotions"
In answer, he finds the first reason
in the bursting forth of the earth into
fresh foliage and springing grass after
the cold and snow of winter. The raw
atmosphere and wild wind and rain of
March and April are gone; the sun is
warm, the air is sweet with fragrance
from blossoming trees and plants, the
days are long and bright: For such
Sladness and joyousness of external
nature" says this client Of our Lady
lis fit attendant of our devotion to
her who is the Mystical Rose and the
House of Cold Sometimes there may
come a bleak, inclement May, but
still it is the month of hope, of prom
Use, ''it is the month that begins and
heralds in the summer" We know
that fine weather is coming. Bright
ness and beautifulness SHALL" in the
Prophets words, appear at the end
and shall not lie." Newman reasons
thus:-
May then is the month, if not of
fulfilment, at least of promise; and
is is not this very aspect in which
we most suitably regard the Blessed
Virgin, Holy Mary, to whom this
month is dedicated?
The Prophet says: There shall
: come forth rod out of the root of
Jesse, and flower shall rise out of
his root" Who is the flower but our
Blessed Lord? Who is the rod, or
beautiful stalk or stem out of which
the flower grows, but Mary, Mother
of our Lord, Mary, Mother of God?
1t was prophesied that God should
come upon earth. When the time was
now full how was it announced? 1t
was announced by the Angel coming
to Mary. Hail, full of grace" said
Gabriel, "the Lord is with thee;
blessed are thou among women" She
then was the sure promise of the
coming Saviour and therefore May is
by a special title her month.
Continuing his claim for May as
Mary's month, the Cardinal points
out that May is the month of joy in
the Church's year, the ecclesiastical
year. ut is at once the most sacred
and the most festive and joyous por.
ton. Who would appoint February
March, or April, to be the month oil
Mary-times., of Lent and penance!
December is a time of hope, of JOY
too because of Christmas, but it is
also a time of fasting. January has
the Epiphany with its Sundays in
succession, but these in most years
are cut short by the urgent coming
of Septuagesima." May belongs to
i. the Easter. season !. the great feast of
the Ascension of our Lord comes in
May, except once or twice in forty
years; Pentecost, the feast of the
Holy Ghost, is commonly in May, and
not infrequently the feasts of Holy
Trinity and Corpus Christi are in
MarX's month.
May, therefore, is the time (which
there are such frequent Alleluias be-
cause Christ has risen from the grave,
Christ has ascended on high, and God
the Holy Ghost has come down to
take His place; here then we have a
reason why May is dedicated to the
Blessed Mary.
She is nearest and dearest to God,
and this month should be hers, this
month of His great Providence to
mankind. But there are other rea-
sons also. Mary is the mother of
Jesus, and the Queen of All Saints,
and in the month of May some of
hn oe 1, o;,,4r
been placed by the Church Cardinal
Newman calls our attention to some
of these great occasions:
First, however, there is the feast
of the Holy Cross, on May 8, when
we venerate that Precious Blood in
which the Cross was bedewed at the
time of our Lords Passion The
Archangel St. Michael and three
apostles, have feast days in this
month; ST. John the beloved disciple;
. st. Philip and st. James. Seven
Popes-two of them especially fam
Gus, st. Gregory VII and st. Plus v;
also two of the greatest Doctors
st. Athanasus and ST. Gregory
Nazianzen; two holy virgins especial
ly favored by God-St Catherine of
Sienna (as her feast is kept in Eng
land) and ST. Mary Magdalen of Paz-
III; and one holy woman most memo
rable in the annals of the Church, St
Monica, the mother of ST. Augustine
st. Philip Neri occupies with
his novena and octave, fifteen out oi
the thirty-one days of the month
These are some of the choicest fruits
of Gods manifold grace, and they
form the court of their glorious Queen
Surely we who read those beauti
full thoughts will try to enter fittingly
into the celebration of Marys month
to do our share in honoring the
Queen of Heaven, who was placed by
her Divine Son:
Above all the angels in glory un
told,
Standing next to the King, in a
vesture of gold.