The month of May suggests that I offer you some reflections about our Blessed Mother. And I can think of no better way than to share something from a book entitled Devotion to Mary in the Twentieth Century, which was quoted in one of the Marian Library's Newsletters. The Marian Library is located on the campus of our University of Dayton and is probably the largest collection in the world of books, artifacts and miscellaneous other items on Mary, Here is the extended quote on Mary as God's Work of Art:

Before the Incarnation the love of God was like a precious volume written in an unknown tongue and though, on God's part, that love has always been one and the same, yet its revelation had not been made in a manner to strike the human mind. When, however, God sent into the world His only-begotten Son born of a woman, He gave us a translation of that precious volume in a language which we could not fail to comprehend. For the medium by which this love comes to us in a creature, the greatest, purest, and most glorious of all creatures but still, a creature, and in this respect like to ourselves. Hence we understand the love of God are easily when we contemplate it as revealed in Jesus Christ through the Virgin Mary.

However, we do not stop at the medium by which this love comes to us, for a medium, as the term itself implies, is a means to an end. In this precious volume of God's love, the holy Virgin is but the form, Jesus Christ is the content. Naturally, the form of a great literary masterpiece has a beauty and an attraction of its own, though its primary purpose is to serve as a transparent medium through which the spiritual idea may be transmitted into the mind of the reader. And so it is in the case of God's masterpiece. Mary has in herself a radiant beauty and an irresistible attraction, but her first and principal mission is to be for us the way by which Jesus may find an entrance into our hearts.

True devotion to Mary is always Christocentric. Through the Mother to the Son. Sometimes even good people can stop short of true devotion and get wrapped up in the error of what is sometimes referred to as Mariolatry. The valid study of Mary always emphasizes her true place in salvation history. She always leads faithful sons and daughters to Jesus. Witness how at the approved shrines such as Lourdes and Fatima there is always in evidence the many Masses offered, the confessions heard, and procession with the Blessed Sacrament. Whatever devotions you engage in during this month of Mary, may they ever increase your devotedness to Mary - just as Jesus was devoted to her - and become more like to Jesus.

MAY THE FATHER AND THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT BE GLORIFIED IN ALL PLACES THROUGH THE IMMACULATE VIRGIN MARY

The steps are as simple as A B C - which could stand for "Aware of Becoming Christ."

First Step: AWARENESS. Become aware of your body. Be still and quiet your body. Relax from tip to toe. Sit in a straight-backed chair (or, for the more agile, even on the floor). Keep your head, neck and back straight. If you are on a chair, place both feet flat on the ground with your hands limp on your lap. If you notice certain parts of your body that seem stiff and tense, consciously try to relax those parts.

Second Step: BREATHING. Breathing is essential for natural life. And the Breath of the Holy Spirit is essential for the spiritual life. Begin to be conscious of your breathing. At first, just notice it without trying to control it. Then gently let your breath become fuller and deeper. Breathe in and breathe out in a peaceful rhythm. The Holy Spirit is in action here.

Third Step: CHOOSING. Choose a word or short phrase (e.g. Abba, Jesus, Lord, Peace, a favorite phrase from Scripture, the Jesus Prayer, etc.), and use it as a mantra to help focus your attention on your being in union with the Lord.

Addressing the Father and saying "Abba" with the Son and in the Holy Spirit certainly describes the attitude one should have in all praying. Someone remarked that this covers everything. Hopefully, the Centering Method of praying may be one way you might use to be Aware of Becoming more and more Christlike.

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