By Father Jason Cargo
Special to The Texas Catholic

Let’s make May Mary’s month.

May is the month that we honor the Blessed Mother in our lives. This is a long-honored tradition that has been celebrated in the Church for centuries.

At the beginning of the month, it is customary to crown the images or statues in our church and our homes with a crown. The crown represents our honor for the queenship of Mary in our lives. This is the month in which we can grow in our knowledge of the Blessed Mother.

I encourage you to spend extra time praying the rosary during this month. The rosary is a vocal prayer in that we say the words of the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be. But we also meditate and think about the life of Jesus Christ through the lens of his mother’s eyes. Through this prayer prayed in a meditative way, we can grow in our understanding of the role of Mary in salvation.

This month also is a good month for us to consecrate our own lives to the Blessed Mother. When she was assumed into heaven, she received a special place among the saints. She is not only the Mother of Jesus Christ, our Lord and God, but she is also our Mother. Jesus gave her to us when he hung upon the cross. He said to St. John, “Behold your mother.” St. Louis De Montfort has a traditional consecration preparation and Father Michael Gaitley has a more recent edition. Both will lead you to offering your lives to Jesus through the Blessed Mother Mary. This month is a great month to do this. Let’s make May Mary’s month.

Father Jason Cargo is the pastor of St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Plano.