An Introduction to Mary

In this selection from The Ave Prayer Book for Catholic Mothers, Heidi Hess Saxton shares how she came to understand the motherly love Mary has for us all.

He was almost three years old the first time I held my son in my arms. Late at night, in the creaky old rocker I’d set up in the corner of his room, I would rock and hum a settling tune and wait with the patience of Job ... and slowly, furtively, he would slip out of bed and creep over to me, then pat my lap to be let up for a snuggle.

During the daylight hours, he would hide under tables and raise an angry fist if anyone tried to touch him. He wanted his mother, and I wasn’t her. He wanted his brother, his father, his toys, and they had all disappeared. But in the night, he was bound and determined he would not lose “the Mommy” too. So he held on tight.

That’s the way you’ve been with Mary, a little voice inside my head chided one night. And in an instant, I understood. This was exactly the way I’d treated her, as a new Catholic — most of the time ignoring her entirely, turning to her only when the night came and there was no one else. But like a good mother, she never gave up on me. And when I became a mother, overnight, to a sibling group of scared and angry little kids, I finally started to get it: Mothers love. They don’t need permission. And that love is never wasted.

Blessed One

What was it like for you, Mary?
To hear the shout and feel the stirrings of new life?
You had done nothing but obey, and yet
Weren’t you a little embarrassed, all the same?
Did Joseph’s anguish and the neighbor’s clucking
Ever make you wish you’d been less blessed?
“Blessed are you!” your cousin exclaimed.
“Hail, Graceful One,” the angel’s voice echoed
In that holy chamber, in your very soul.
At that moment, did you imagine the day
When God’s most tender, eternal hope
Would spring forth from your loving arms? 

O Blessed Virgin, lead me to Jesus, the source of your purity — and mine. The choices you made were not easy ones. Pray for me, that I might find the courage to do what is right, even when it is the hardest choice to make. May your son always find a soft and welcoming place in my heart. Amen.

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Mothers love. They don’t need permission. And that love is never wasted. #catholicmom #AveMomsPray

This is an excerpt from The Ave Prayer Book for Catholic Mothers, which will be published November 5. 2021.

The Ave Prayer Book for Catholic Mothers is your go-to resource to find the perfect words to lift up in prayer for almost any occasion or need. This beautiful, full-color, hardcover book includes a collection of original and traditional prayers and reflections from dozens of moms just like you. You might need “A Kitchen Sink Offering,” “The Nine Annoying Things Novena,” “The Rosary for Warriors,” or “A Birthday Prayer.” Or you might want to read about more traditional prayers such as the Angelus, the Jesus Prayer, or the Memorare.

Join familiar moms including Jackie Francois Angel, Karianna Frey, Rachel Bulman, Sarah Christmyer, Jenna Guizar, Lisa M. Hendey, Haley S. Stewart, Kathryn Whitaker, Kendra Tierney, Michele Faehnle, Emily Jaminet, and Kelly M. Wahlquist as they share their favorite prayers and stories as a way to help you refresh your prayer life, leading you into God’s presence.

Preorder a copy of The Ave Prayer Book for Catholic Mothers at a special price of $18 with free shipping with coupon code: CROWN. Good through October 15, 2021.

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Copyright 2021 Heidi Hess Saxton
Images courtesy of Ave Maria Press. All rights reserved.
This excerpt from The Ave Prayer Book for Catholic Mothers is printed here with the kind permission of Ave Maria Press.

About the author: Heidi Hess Saxton is an award-winning author and a senior acquisitions editor at Ave Maria Press. She has written or compiled eleven books, including Advent with Saint Teresa of Calcutta. Saxton edited Forgiveness Makes You Free and The Ave Prayer Book for Catholic Mothers.