An Unlikely Servant of Mary, July/August 2001
by Kenneth Bonomo
Nine years ago I would have laughed if you told me I would be
writing this article. I had no rosary, no scapular, nor any devotion
to the Blessed Mother. Intellectually, I understood the Church's
teachings on how proper it is to have devotion to Mary and the
saints, but I scrupulously feared doing so. I felt that any love
I showered on Our Lady would be taken from Jesus. I worried that
by loving Mary I would deprive myself of Jesus. This fear prevented
me from honoring Mary or any other saint.
During our engagement, my wife
Nancy asked me if we could have "Ave Maria" played
at our wedding. It was a special hymn for her since her parents
had it played during their wedding. My fear of depriving Jesus
by singing a hymn to his mother forced me to tell her no. My
conscience would not allow it. Nancy graciously understood my
position and honored my feelings. She let the hymn go without
arguing. I made a comment to Nancy that day that I have always
remembered: "If God wants me to be a Marian Catholic one
day, I am willing to become one." I meant what I said, but
did not think it a likely outcome. I thought the chances that
I would become as devoted to Our Lady as I am today were a bit
better than my sprouting wings and learning to fly. I was confident
that my days as a Marian Catholic were limited to the ones I
spent praying rosaries as a child. One never knows where life
is going to lead him!
So what changed my perspective? I am an avid reader of many of
the great saints' writings. I discovered an important fact. St.
Maximilian Kolbe, St. Terese of Lisieux, St. Alphonsus Liguori,
St. Louis de Montfort and Mother Teresa: All of them possessed
a great devotion to Mary. Great sanctity is common among those
who have a tender love for Mary. I realized that someone had
to be wrong about the importance of devotion to Our Lady. Either
it was this gathering of great saints that was wrong-or it was
me! I concluded that so many saints could not have been misguided.
I decided to consecrate myself to Jesus through Mary. This decision
has changed my life forever.
Rather than diminishing my love
for Christ, Mary's intercession has expanded it. Before becoming
Our Lady's servant, her "possession and property,"
I spent no time before the Blessed Sacrament. Since making my
consecration, I have learned to love and desire being before
the Eucharistic Jesus. I have received many graces, silently
gazing upon Our Lord. The love I have for Jesus has intensified
to where it seems I never loved him at all before entrusting
myself to Our Lady. I have learned the great secret of the saints:
Love is never divided when it is shared. Love can only be multiplied.
It is like Jesus' miracle of the multiplication of the loaves.
Mary's prayers have obtained for me this great love of Christ,
a love I would not have had without her intercession. Hail Mary,
full of grace, the Lord truly IS with thee!
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of the Immaculata. All rights reserved.
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