The Blessed Virgin Mary is the greatest of all saints and our most powerful intercessor. Jesus desires that we love her, imitate her and turn to her in prayer.
The Catholic faith is a treasure chest overflowing with Marian teachings and devotions. If you’re seeking to deepen your relationship with our heavenly Mother, here are five powerful ways to do so.
1. Pray the Rosary
Few prayers are as beloved as the Rosary and with good reason. It is one of the few prayers given to us by Our Lady herself. Tradition holds that she revealed it to St. Dominic in the 13th century. Since then devotion to the Rosary has helped Christians win great battles, convert hardened hearts and find deliverance from imminent danger.
Pope St. Pius X wonderfully captured the power of this prayer:
“The Rosary is the most beautiful and the richest in graces of all prayers; it is the prayer that touches most the Heart of the Mother of God. If you wish peace to reign in your homes, pray the family Rosary. If you wish for the conversion of sinners, offer the Rosary. It is the chain that links heaven and earth, binding hearts to the heart of the Immaculate. By this holy prayer, Mary protects the Church and her children, even in the darkest of times.”
If you’re new to the Rosary, or need a refresher, here’s a guide to get you started.
2. Wear the Brown Scapular
In 1251, Mary appeared to a Carmelite priest named St. Simon Stock. She gave St. Simon the Brown Scapular and promised her special help and protection to all who wear it devoutly.
Through the succeeding centuries, many miracles have been attributed to Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s intercession, including homes protected from fire and people escaping imminent death. Even for people who haven’t experienced extraordinary miracles, the Brown Scapular is a guarantee of Our Lady’s protection.
Here’s how the Brown Scapular devotion works.
3. Read books about Mary.
The Gospels are a great place to start. While the Blessed Mother is mentioned only occasionally within their pages, the Marian passages are incredibly rich in meaning. A good theologian’s book can help draw out the hidden gems of Scripture. We recommend Scott Hahn’s “Hail, Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God” and Edward Sri’s “Rethinking Mary in the New Testament.”
For further study, explore what the earliest Christians believed about Our Lady. Luigi Gambero’s “Mary and the Fathers of the Church” reveals that Mary has been revered since the earliest days of the Church.
We can’t forget the many saints who beautifully wrote about the Blessed Mother. Be sure to read St. Louis de Montfort’s “True Devotion to Mary with Preparation for Total Consecration,” St. Alphonsus Liguori’s “The Glories of Mary” and Pope St. John Paul II’s encyclical “Redemptoris Mater.”
4. Choose one of her virtues to focus on each month.
Since she was free from sin, Our Lady was strong in every virtue. She is especially known for particular virtues, including humility, obedience and patience.
Choose one of her virtues to focus on each month. For example, you might devote this month to humility and next month to patience.
This approach is more effective than trying to tackle all the virtues at once, which could feel overwhelming and cause you to give up.
5. Visit a Marian apparition site.
Our loving Mother has visited her spiritual children numerous times throughout history, in Mexico, Lourdes and Fatima. Each time she came with a specific message and request, tied to the general call to conversion.
Many of these apparition sites are popular pilgrimage destinations. Consider planning a visit to at least one of them. Few experiences are as powerful as standing in the very place where heaven touched earth!
If you lack the time and means to travel internationally, there’s good news: An officially approved Marian apparition site exists in the United States. The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion in Wisconsin marks the spot where Mary appeared to Adele Brice in 1859.
More than ever, we need to deepen our devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Only by praying to her and imitating her virtues can we hope to redeem our post-Christian civilization.
If you need a rosary or scapular to deepen your relationship with Mary, or gift ideas for family and friends, shop our extensive collection of devotionals today!
