Pray for the Wanderer, Pray for Me
Thinking about Mother's Day, the refrain to a beautiful hymn to Our Lady, Hail, Queen of Heaven the Ocean Star written by Fr. John Lingard popped into my head: "Mother of Christ, Star of the sea, Pray for the wanderer, pray for me."
Thankfully, this is one of those pieces, and melodies that a person welcomes as an earworm, and will hum with pleasure until it disappears; at least that's the case for me. Earworms aside, my humming lead to a bit of a mind tangent! Not only is tomorrow a special day to honor our own mothers, and Our Lady, but it is also a few days away from being the 2-month mark for those of us leaving on Pilgrimage to Poland this summer. If the first part of this year is any indication of how the next couple months will go by, it will feel like we're leaving next week!
As exciting as an approaching departure date is, this kind of a journey generally brings with it many anticipatory questions: What will it be like? How many people will be there? Will it be fun? Am I going to get any sleep? What if I lose my group in a crowd of one million plus other people? Will it be safe? What if someone steals my favourite hair elastic right out of my hand!? Some more seasoned travelers in the group might shrug off such questions, and think there is little to worry about, and in one sense they are right. Especially for us as Christians, we are told countless times throughout scripture not to worry or have fear. When facing the unknown, however, that can often be easier said than done. So what does a trip, questions, and facing the unknown have to do with the Mother of Christ, as the "Star of the Sea"?
Well, the piece as a whole provides much to reflect upon (full lyrics can be found here), the refrain however ( or I guess more like the last two lines of the verse) has particular significance I think, to our group of pilgrims soon heading off to World Youth Day. In many ways, each and every one of us can be seen as a wanderer. All of us are journeying, some of us seemingly aimlessly as if lost or out of place, others with a plan and a purpose, well-seasoned travelers perhaps; GPS and guide book in hand, a destination in mind, hoping to get the most of whatever time we have. Regardless of the state we are in during our wanderings, we all at some point seem to require a bit of a point in the right direction, even if it’s just because an unexpected detour threw us off course. For us as Christians, this "point" can often come from none other than Christ's Mother herself. Why her and not her Son? Yes, Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life, but Mary is His mother! The woman who, for years, helped the one we call "Lord" to hear the voice of the Father, taught Him how to pray and discern His own way through life; this woman also makes herself available to help us on our journeys. As the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen once wrote:
"If Christ himself willed to be physically formed in [Mary] for nine months and then be spiritually formed by her for thirty years, it is to her that we must go to learn how to have Christ formed in us? Only she who raised Christ can raise a Christian." (Seven Words of Jesus and Mary)
Surely if Christ needed her, do we not as well? How pivotal a role many of our own mothers have played in the course of our lives, in being a go-to guide to dissipating some of the storms and rocky seas in life, and helping us develop into the people we are today. How much more so can our Heavenly Mother guide us on a journey towards a home she already inhabits!
"Our Lady, Star of the Sea" (from the Latin Stella Maris) is an old title that was given to the Virgin Mary, emphasizing her role as a sign of hope and guiding star for Christians. She is believed to intercede - under this title especially - as a guide and protector of those who travel or seek their livelihoods on the sea. However, the more symbolic meaning behind the title views the Virgin Mary as an intercessor for the "sea": historically the people living beyond the borders of Israelite territory and Mosaic law, especially the gentiles. Today we could include to the "sea" all those who journey through this life and earnestly seek Truth. Though many of us may not make a life at sea, we all have a life to live which can often be tossed this way and that. We may be able to plan an itinerary for a trip, aspects of a university degree, or our meals for the week, but there will certainly be the unexpected awaiting all of us, that we could hardly prepare for. So, very fittingly we look to something or someone that can be constant, stable, and weather any storm:
"If the winds of temptation arise;
If you are driven upon the rocks of tribulation look to the star, call on Mary;
If you are tossed upon the waves of pride, of ambition, of envy, of rivalry, look to the star, call on Mary.
Should anger, or avarice, or fleshly desire violently assail the frail vessel of your soul, look at the star, call on Mary." (St. Bernard of Clairvaux)
Whether our voyage be tumultuous or calm, wherever we roam - a new job, first flight across the seas, or taking things day by day - let us pray that the Virgin Mary remain a bright star in our sky, a light to guide us onward and home. May she pray especially for all of us pilgrims preparing to embark on an unforgettable, and rather unpredictable journey this summer. And, on the occasion of Mother's Day, let us pray that Our Lady especially guide and journey with those of you who have the great privilege and gift of being mothers yourselves!
Mother of Christ, Star of the Sea, pray for the wanderer, pray for me!
Sophie
