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Question

Dear father Angelo,

I wanted a clarification about my spiritual life.

I am a person who in my life of faith thinks and prays frequently to the Virgin Mary.

Recently, I’m living  with the scruple that always thinking about her can isolate Jesus, as if relating so much to Mary does not allow me to relate to Jesus, this in Mass, in personal prayer, in daily life …

I wanted to know what you think about it, and if it’s a problem.

Thank you

A priest answer

Dear,

1. The worship of Mary doesn’t isolate you from Christ, but it takes you to Him with the heart and with the affection of Mary. This can be seen very clearly in the prayer of the Holy Rosary: the object of contemplation in the various mysteries and in the succession of tens is always Jesus. We approach Jesus From the best point of view: that of Mary and together with Mary.

2.     John Paul II at the beginning of the Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae writes: “The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart a Christocentric prayer. In the sobriety of its elements, it has all the depth of the Gospel message in its entirety, of which it can be said to be a compendium. With the Rosary, the Christian people sits at the school of Mary and is led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of his love”. (RVM 1)

And also: “To recite the Rosary is nothing other than to contemplate with Mary the face of Christ.” (RV3).

3.     The Lord himself sends us to this school of Mary when from the cross he said to John, who represented each of us: “”Behold, your mother.”” Children get their mothers to tell them a lot. We too let Mary tell us how she lived the events of Jesus’ life and what she felt in her heart. And while we hear all this from Mary, our heart without realizing it conforms to her and we begin to be united to the Lord with the heart of Mary. This is why Mary is the shortest and most fruitful way that leads us to Christ.

4.     Again: in prayer we do not even know how convenient it is to pray. St Paul reminds us of it  when he says: “In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.”

Well, “in support of the prayer, which Christ and the Spirit cause to flow in our hearts, Mary intervenes with her maternal intercession. The prayer of the Church is sustained by the prayer of Mary” (RVM16)

5.     Therefore do not be afraid to go to Our Lady. I would almost tell you not to be afraid to exaggerate because Sheplays the part of her. She acts as an incomparable mother. She doesn’t need anyone to teach her or advise her. She has no other desire than to lead us to Jesus so that the Lord may live in us as he has lived in her and that we live in him as she has lived there.

I remind  the Lord of you and I bless you.

Father Angelo