A Prayer to Mary on Her Birthday

Dear Mary,

Today Catholics celebrate your birth, but more importantly we celebrate you as a model of steadfast faith. Lately, I've been in a spiritual slump. God seems distant, aloof. Yet, I'm having trouble doing anything to bridge this gap between Him and me. So on your birthday, I give you the gift of my humble prayers and I ask you to give me the gift of faith. Make me believe in God's graces and be open to them.

Help me to not only believe and trust in Him, but help me to be a handmaid of the Lord. My fiats to God may be small in scope and impact compared to yours - in your saying yes to God you not only cooperated with His will for you and all of mankind, but you played a role in our salvation. However, I, too, have a chance to invite God to work in my life and to see how His plans will unfold for me. But the first step is to simply say yes to all that He asks of me. Be with me now and always and open my heart to God's calling.

Love,
One of your daughters