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While many of us are familiar with crowning images or statues of Mary with flowers, we don't always remember to offer Mary our hearts in the month of May.
Alfonso Muzzarelli wrote a little book called The month of Mary, or The month of May, in which he comments on focusing on spiritual practices during Mary's month.
He first suggests making sure a statue of Mary is located in a prominent place in the house:
It will be any thing but ill if it be the very same place where we study, or play, or take recreation, or labor, in order to sanctify that place and to regulate our actions as if done under the purest of eyes those of the most Blessed Virgin.
This simple action has a great deal of spiritual symbolism when viewed in this light, recalling to mind everything we do is done under the eyes of our Blessed Mother.
Muzzarelli then suggests 12 acts of virtue to be practiced during the month of May:
1. When the hour of rising is come, get up quickly, not to commence the day by an act of sloth; dress yourself with modesty and recite a daily prayer.
2. Attend holy Mass every day devoutly, or recite the Office of the Most Holy Virgin or other devout prayers.
3. Read every day for a quarter of an hour some good book, the life of some saint, for instance, or some book that treats of the four last things, abstaining entirely from reading common books, unless they belong to your calling.
4. Deprive yourself every day of some pleasure that you delight in, however innocent, as of your collation, some object of curiosity, smelling a flower, hearing music, etc.
5. Be charitable to the poor, giving them some thing in voluntary alms, if nothing else at least part of your meal.
6. Every day before commencing any thing of moment in your business, or before setting yourself to study, to work, etc., fall on your knees and invoke with an "Ave Maria" the assistance of the most holy Virgin.
7. Every day as you go out of your room or enter it, kiss the image of MARY and salute it with an "Ave Maria."
8. Practice punctuality in obeying your superiors, not delaying a moment to perform and that with a cheerful look any thing which they bid you do that is not offensive or displeasing to God.
9. Avoid speaking evil of others or blaming them even in trifling things in order to accustom yourself not to do it in grave matters.
10. Manage every day either by example, or words, to induce some companion disgusted with religion to do some good, to visit a church, to say the Rosary, to go to confession, or communion, or do somewhat of this kind.
11. Every day mortify your appetite in some thing, leaving wholly or in part some thing that you like best on the table, not drinking out of meal time although thirsty, etc.
12. Beware this month of committing deliberate venial sins.
