Ask Stella Maris to be your light in the darkness

Some years ago, I was living alone in a foreign country. Feeling terribly lonely, my praying turned into something of a “pity” party. All I could see was what I didn’t have: a home, a family or anyone close who loved me.

Whether or not any of that was true is irrelevant. What mattered at the time was that I believed it. I went to church one Sunday and wallowed in self-pity all through Mass. As I knelt in the pew after communion, a sob escaped my lips. “Jesus,” I prayed, “I’m wandering! I’m just wandering!” Then I heard the words the congregation was singing, a song I’d never heard before: Mother of Christ, Star of the Sea, pray for the wanderer. Pray for me!⠀

It was like Mary had reached right down from Heaven, pulled my head towards her chest, and kissed me on the forehead. “You may be wandering, dearest,” she seemed to say, “but I’m right here beside you.”⠀

It was the beginning of my devotion to Mary, Star of the Sea. I began advocating the name Stella for babies, even calling my new car Stella Maris and buying her in a lovely Marian blue. I saw Mary as my guiding star when I was adrift, the light that led me back to Christ. Of course, Jesus is the Light of the world, Mary is just a star. Jesus calms storms; Stella Maris just guides us through them. But in moments of fear and confusion, when God Himself seems distant, there is still a glimmer of light. He has given us His Mother, the Star of the Sea, to call wanderers back to Him.

If 2020 has made you feel far from Christ; if your personal life is in a shambles and you can’t find your way out of the mess you’ve made; if you’ve fallen away from practicing your faith; if you worry that the Church itself is being shaken from the rock it was built on; if you're terrified of what might be coming next, ask Our Lady, Star of the Sea, to be your light in the darkness to lead you home.⠀

Adapted from an article by Meg Hunter-Kilmer published on Facebook by Catholic Wife, Catholic Life, November 23, 2020