Browsing The Seed

To Jesus Through Mary

In May, the Church gives us a yearly opportunity to give special attention to our Blessed Mother. While she should never be far from our minds and our hearts, in May (and in October as well), we look to her more intently as our mother, our teacher, and our queen. Why is Mary so important for Catholics? The short answer is because she was so important to Jesus! As St. Maximilian Kolbe, hero and martyr-saint of Auschwitz, said: “You should never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.” I think that is one of the most convincing and beautiful testimonies in favor of devotion to the Blessed Mother.

Some Catholics think Mary is unimportant, or that she gets in the way, or that she is simply optional for those who “need that type of thing” but not a necessity for everyone. This way of thinking is likely the result of many years of deemphasizing the role and beauty of Marian devotion in the Christian life. But nothing could be further from the truth! And we should also remember that Jesus gave us His mother as the last gift of His Passion: “Behold, your mother.” Jesus had given us His Father already, but He also knew that we needed a mother, and so He gave us Mary.

Mothers teach their children, they encourage their children, they protect their children. Mothers nourish and support their children and show them the way they should go and how they should live. Just like we need mothers in our natural lives, we also need a mother in our lives of faith, and Mary is our mother. Far from being a stumbling block along the path of discipleship, Mary is the model disciple, and she shows us what it really means to know, love, and serve the Lord in this life, so as to be happy with Him in the next. God the Father sent His Son into the world to show us the way back to the Father, and Jesus gave us His mother to show us the way to her Son. Mary teaches us how to be open, how to be trusting, how to be faithful. There are three moments in Mary’s life from which it is especially important for us to learn what it means to follow her Son:

  1. The Annunciation – “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). Mary teaches us the importance of being open to God’s will, even when it isn’t clear how He will make it happen. Trusting in God and His loving plan for her, she opened her heart (and her womb) to be completely at His disposal. This “yes” to God, though it wasn’t easy, ultimately brought salvation into the world, and we have to honor Mary and daily thank her for that gift of her faith and trust in God.
  2. The infancy of Jesus – “But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Luke 2:19, cf. Luke 2:51). Mary spent time with the Word, she spent time praying, meditating, thinking about the Lord and His presence in her life. Pondering the things of God in contemplative prayer is a source of strength and peace, because it roots us deeply in the steady presence of God, giving us the courage and the confidence to follow Him. The disciple is one who prays, pondering the Lord and His words in his heart like Mary.
  3. The Wedding Feast at Cana – “Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5). Mary was always “yes” to God; in her relationship to Jesus, “no” never crossed her lips. She always did whatever He told her, and she teaches us to do the same. So much sadness, misery, and pain enter the world and our hearts whenever we know what the Lord wants us to do, but we say “no”. If we want to have peace, if we want to become holy, if we want to be “full of grace” one day, Mary tells us how that will happen: “Do whatever He tells you.” Be always “yes” to God.

There is so much more that could be said about this Blessed Lady, who loves us more than we could ever know, and who only wants to lead us closer to Jesus. God the Father sent His Son to mankind through Mary, and through Mary, He draws us to His Son. Mary is not a roadblock or a barrier to Jesus, she is not a distraction: Mary is an expressway, a direct line to the Heart of Christ, and she turns our hearts and minds more completely toward Him through her prayers and example, and in the month of May we seek to give her greater honor and love. The whole Christian life is a journey back to God, and Mary is our mother and teacher along the way. Ave Maria! May God bless you in the week ahead and may Mother Mary lead you more deeply into the Sacred and Merciful Heart of Jesus. I remain,

Affectionately yours in Christ,

Fr. Hess

 

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