For many of us, September is synonymous with the end of summer break and the beginning of a new school year. We are forced to get acclimated to a new schedule: going to bed at a reasonable hour, but also waking up at an unreasonable hour. Amusement parks, pools, and beaches close. Football games and TV shows return. Having grown up near the beach in Virginia, this time of year is also marked by hurricane season.
While the peak temperatures of summer may have been weeks ago, the ocean is still a perfect hotbed for massive storms. Names like Isabel, Irene, Floyd, and Dennis do not refer to old family friends, but rather evoke memories of intruders who disrupted life for days, weeks, or even months at a time, bringing destructive wind, rain, flooding, power outages, food shortages, and other unpleasant things. Like hurricanes, there are many different storms that we must weather throughout our lives. What are we to do when the storms of life close in on us?
Saint Dominic’s favorite Marian hymn was reported to be the Ave Maris Stella, or the “Hail, Star of the Sea.” The hymn’s rich text calls to mind Mary’s role as Mother of the Savior and our intercessor. By her loving prayers for us, she pleads on our behalf for our salvation.
Our lives may become stormy for a variety of reasons. We may feel overwhelmed by stress at school or work, by bills piling up, or by tumultuous relationships. These things can come down on us all at once and distract us from the life of faith. Mary, however, is our model. At the Annunciation, the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would bear Jesus, the Son of God through the Holy Spirit. In a single moment, her life was changed forever. Mary had been destined for this by God from the moment of her conception, but it was not something she expected. She humbly accepted the responsibility and gave the familiar reply: “let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). With this, she became the loving mother of the Savior and of us all. Let us also imitate Mary and humbly accept what the Lord has created us for.
The storms of life may cloud our judgment and cause us to sin and be separated from Christ, our light. In our fallen human nature, our passions sometimes get the better of us. We get angry or frustrated. We succumb to temptation and do things we quickly come to regret. When we commit any kind of sin, we have recourse to the sacrament of Penance and receive absolution, and complete whatever penance is assigned to us. In these moments, we can also ask for our Lady’s help. In the Hail Mary, we ask for Mary’s intercession for us when we pray, “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.” Any time we pray this wonderful prayer we ask Mary, who was conceived without sin, to intercede for us with Jesus, entreating him to save our souls.
Hurricanes leave destruction in their paths. Similarly, the other storms of our lives can be destructive. By remaining close to our Lady, may we weather every season of our lives with steadfast faith, no matter what storm comes our way. She will protect us by her prayers and make haste to help us in our need.
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Photo by NASA (from Unsplash)
