According to Pope Paul VI in his encyclical, "The Month of May," (1965), "The benefits of God's mercy come down to us from her throne in greater abundance." Well, there is no question, if you've been listening to, reading or watching the news that God's help and Mary's intercession are greatly needed during this month of May 2010. We need God's abundant mercy.......because something seems out of whack.
Anyhow, today (May 6th) was a crazy day, in the secular world, even by modern standards. Many people who work on Wall Street will probably be up late tonight trying to figure out what to do next. The stock market was in turmoil today. One trader said during the worst of today's turmoil that he thought there had been a a nuclear explosion.......How crazy is that?
Getting back to the encyclical, "Because the month of May is a powerful incentive to more frequent and fervent prayers and because our petitions more readily find access to her compassionate heart during it, it has been a favorite custom to choose this month, dedicated to Mary for urging the Christian people to offer up public prayers whenever the needs of the Church demanded it or some grave crisis threatened the human race."
Grave crisis threatening the human race? That's a scary thought. It's not that bad, but there are a lot of troubling things going on right now in the world, for instance, an uncertain economic global recovery, riots in Greece, the Gulf of Mexico in crisis from an environmental catastrophe, epic flooding in Nashville, Tennessee....terrorism fears..........the list goes on.
Prayers, fervent prayers, yes, I think they're needed immediately. I'll do my part to help. As a matter of fact, I'm going on my treadmill right now, to recite a Rosary while I exercise. I love the Rosary, it's calming, and it's a very powerful prayer, (according to the Saints). I like to say the Rosary while walking or while exercising on a treadmill. Exercise and prayer is a good combination for me.
A Greek friend of mine told me recently, (when I asked about the problems in Greece), why she thought they were having such severe economic problems. She then mentioned her experiences on her trips to Greece. According to her, (I would imagine the statistics support her observation), there is a decline in faith and Mass attendence in Greece. It makes you think......Perhaps Christians should just get on their knees and pray to Jesus through Mary for an abundance of mercy, courage and wisdom, during this month of May. It would certainly help, in my opinion.
NJA
Marion devotion comes right from the heart. ("Mense Maio")
