With the beginning of the month of May, our parishes are preparing to honor the most holy Mary, whom we honor under the title of Madonna delle Grazie.
As per tradition, the preparation for the feast begins twelve days before the solemn procession dedicated to the Madonna delle Grazie. This will engage all the devotees at the sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Letizie where, in the afternoon, the Holy Rosary and Holy Mass will be celebrated and, then, in the evening, again the recitation of the Holy Rosary, in front of the chapel it houses the statue of the Madonna delle Grazie.
This long preparation aims to remind everyone that Our Lady is not honored only in the days of the feast dedicated to her, but the whole month of May, which is the marian month par excellence, must be an opportunity to revive our devotion to the most holy Mother of God and our Mother.
The recitation of the Holy Rosary every day is a practice known for a long time in Christianity, because every day we feel and need to turn our gaze to Mary and, contemplating the episodes of her life and that of our Savior Son, we are introduced to give thanks to God for the salvation he gives us and to turn to him supported by the prayer of Our Lady.
Furthermore, the daily Eucharistic celebration allows us to enter into communion with God and, listening to the readings every day, we can meditate, little by little, all that He wants to tell us through his Word.
In summary, therefore, the preparation for the feast of Madonna delle Grazie is also an opportunity to rediscover those liturgical, devotional and prayer practices that can sustain our spiritual life on a daily basis.
Preparing ourselves in this way for the feast of Madonna delle Grazie is not, therefore, just a way to immediately honor Mary at the beginning of the month dedicated to her, but it is to remind ourselves that every day, even before and after the month of May, we can and must take advantage of these spiritual goods.
