God who made the sun, also made the moon.  The moon does not take away from the brilliance of the sun.  All its light is reflected from the sun.  The Blessed Mother reflects her Divine Son; without Him, she is nothing.  With Him, she is the Mother of men.” ~Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

I’ve made it 16 days through the Write31 Days challenge.  It has not been easy.  I wanted to have thirty one posts laid out and ready to roll by October 1, but September 30 I had nothing.

Nothing, that is, unless you count a wasted idea and a whole lot of regret.

Writing is torture.  Even when you love it; even when you teach it; even when you do it semi-professionally.  It’s a constant stream of words and images and ideas that swirl through your head like Charybdis, while you, a modern Odysseus, fight the current with a broken pencil. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to quit, and yet I keep moving forward into new opportunities and efforts.

So what made me dive into the 31 Day challenge?  Support, mostly, from a few good blogging friends who encouraged me not to give in.  And a lot of prayerful contemplation of our Blessed Mother, the Morning Star, whose light is always brightest just before the dawn.  She points our way out of the darkness, reflecting Christ’s light (as Sheen has said) for all to see.

When we call Mary the Morning Star, we acknowledge her role as a model for our salvation.  We see her first, she who humbled herself before the Lord and became the vessel through which the Gate of Heaven was opened.  Like the shepherds who followed the star to the stable on the night of Jesus’s birth, we follow her, the Morning Star, all the way to the son.

Family Activities

• Wake up early and see if you can find the morning star.  Begin your day with a rosary.
• Sing Hail Mary, Gentle Woman

Family Prayer

Mary, Morning Star, you are with us when we are discouraged and afraid. Be our light as you lead us to your son. Amen.

This post is part of the 31 Days of Devotion to Our Blessed Mother.  To see the rest of the series, click here.