Today is May 26, and Pentecost is five days away.

And how about this one for “Mary at the Crossroads of History?”  From one version of the travel log of Christopher Columbus and the discovery of the New World.

The winds finally began to blow on Saturday, September 8, 1492, the Birthday of Our Lady, and they headed west from the Canary Islands.  One week later on September 15, the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, they saw a celestial wonder in the sky, not unlike the Star of David and the Birth of Our Lord.  On October 11, the Feast of the Mother of God, they saw a campfire on an island in the distance.  The next morning, October 12, the Feast of Our Lady of the Pillar and Patroness of the Kingdom of Aragon, the co-sponsor of this voyage, they landed in the New World.  And the name of the Ship that Columbus sailed?  That’s right:  The Santa Maria!  I find that fascinating, don’t you?  Mary at the crossroads of history.

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.  Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.  Amen.

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