Once upon a time I was a second grader at St. Pius X School in Rodgers Forge. One day, our teacher, Sister Suzanne, announced to my class that it was time to prepare for the May Procession.
We would all wear our First Communion finery and lead the school’s procession to the statue of the Blessed Mother. Then one of the girls in our class would climb up and place a crown of flowers on Mary’s head.
“If there is a girl in the class who has a long First Communion dress, she will do the crowning,” Sister Suzanne said. “Does anyone have a long dress?”
No one raised a hand.
Sister Suzanne looked hopefully in my direction.
“Rita, don’t you have a long First Communion dress?” she asked.
I didn’t know what she was talking about. I shook my head. I had worn my dress for my First Communion, and it just went to my knees.
So, Sister Suzanne took the girls’ names and placed them in a bowl. She drew one out, and one delighted girl discovered she would be the one to crown Mary.
That night I went home and told my mother.
“But we do have a long dress!” she said. “Both of your older sisters have worn it to crown Mary.”
Of course, I knew it was too late to say anything. My classmate whose name had been picked was already rejoicing to be the one to place the crown of flowers. I wouldn’t dare try to take that chance away from her. So, I stayed silent, and the dress stayed in the closet for the next Beyer girl to wear another day, another year, another May.
But that year, when May started, we had a beautiful procession. The whole school walked and sang Marian hymns together as we crowned Mary to begin her month. My classmate did a wonderful job, beaming as she climbed the steps to place the circle of flowers on Mary’s head. It would have gone a little differently, of course, if I had just known that we had a long First Communion dress hanging in the closet at home.
When you’re in second grade in a Catholic school, missing your chance to crown the Blessed Mother feels like a big deal. But when you look back on that moment decades later, you think of all the ways you have missed opportunities, and that one day in your second grade seems so insignificant.
You’re passed over by schools and employers you thought were just right for you, relationships fall apart, and doors slam shut unexpectedly. Those can be some of the hardest times, when you see possibility and promise, and suddenly you’re having to reimagine your path.
It’s then, in those dark times of confusion, uncertainty, and even despair when God walks with us, guiding us through the unknown. Even in the darkest moments, there is always light. There are always ways to move forward with hope. But we often need to change our plan and our perspective and be open to a different future than the one we were trying to create.
“You will never be happy if your happiness depends on getting solely what you want,” said Venerable Fulton Sheen. “Change the focus. Get a new center. Will what God wills, and your joy no man shall take from you.”
There is, of course, no one more capable of showing us the importance in being open to God’s plan for us than the Virgin Mary. So, as we mark the month of May and pay special tribute to our Blessed Mother, perhaps we can also ask her to help us see what God is asking of us next. We never know what’s around the corner.
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