Hail bright star of ocean,
God's own Mother blest,
Ever sinless Virgin,
Gate of heavenly rest
Taking that sweet Ave
Which from Gabriel came,
Peace confirm within us,
Changing Eva's name.
All I am is thine, and all I have belongs to Thee, Lord Jesus through Thy holy and immaculate Mother.
If my first article honors Our Blessed Lord in the most holy Eucharist, this one should honor His mother. The above prayer is a beautiful hymn, often sung traditionally at Vespers. Our Lady's title: "Mary, Star of the Sea" is a title of Our Lady used since at least the ninth century, and some scholars claim that it is the earliest title of Our Lady, postulating that the phrase "Our Lady" in Aramaic had an alternate meaning of a pilot who would navigate the desert or the sea by the stars, leading the people under her care to safety. Ancient wayfarers and mariners staked their very lives on the constant guidance of the light of the stars. Likewise, we are to guide our spiritual lives through the storms and trials of life by Mary, Star of the Sea. She is our guide to Her Son.
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux wrote: "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 upon Mary."
St. Louis de Montfort said that in these times, God wishes His Mother to become better known and loved, indeed He wishes her to be loved more than she has ever been. St. Louis exhorts us to place ourselves under her guidance as Mary, Star of the Sea. It is through her, he says, that we will perceive her splendors and experience her motherly kindness and affection. In Mary, Star of the Sea, we will find the "safest, easiest, shortest and most perfect way" to find Jesus and belong entirely to Him. (True Devotion to Mary para. 55).
If we feel weighed down by our troubles, by the burden of sin, by confusion and seeming unbearable trials, let us go to Mary, Star of the Sea. If we are able, let us wear her Brown Scapular, say her Rosary and consecrate our whole being to her Immaculate Heart. At very least, let us raise a prayer to her, if we are so weighed down that all we are capable of is to raise our eyes heavenward and say her name, she will come to us and guide us through this desert, this sea, this vale of tears. With her assistance we may rest assured that one day we will happily sail into the safe harbor of her heavenly embrace.
Postscript: I would highly recommend reading True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort. The link brings you to the EWTN online edition.
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