Mary in Christian Tradition: Resources

Cathedral Reader 2
Part 3: Blessed Mother Month

Bible Readings

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

²⁶In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
²⁹Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
Luke 1:26-33

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in Judea’s hill country. ⁴⁰There she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby inside her jumped. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴²In a loud voice she called out, “God has blessed you more than other women. And blessed is the child you will have! ⁴³But why is God so kind to me? Why has the mother of my Lord come to me? ⁴⁴As soon as I heard the sound of your voice, the baby inside me jumped for joy. ⁴⁵You are a woman God has blessed. You have believed that the Lord would keep his promises to you!”
Luke 1:39-45

What is a May alter?

A MayAltar is a small surface in your home/school that is dedicated to honoring Our Blessed Mother during the month of May, which is also known in the Catholic church as the “Month of Mary”. It is a place for focusing Marian devotions and coming together with Our Lady in prayer.
The tradition of the May Altar is said to date back hundreds of years, with both simple displays and highly ornamental ones prevalent in homes and churches throughout the world.
From: reallifeathome.com