Holy Family

Photo Credit: Photo by Walter Chávez on Unsplash

Blessed are You Among Women

If we find the Mysteries of Faith a great light for our lives, how great a light is the Mother of God who gave flesh to Jesus Christ. We have been blessed to not only have faith in Mary, but also, because of Jesus as the head of the Church, to be able to call Mary Our Mother. But how can this be that we can call the same woman who is the Mother of God, our Mother? Nothing shall be impossible with God. Not only do I find this difficult to grasp in faith, but almost impossible to think that I can actually live as an adopted child of so noble a Mother. Is it more difficult to accept such a truth to strive to live it as true. I feel that to accept it is a responsibility because it is part of my faith, but I find it nearly impossible to give the homage and honor to Mary she requires.  First, I see nothing in me which is in Jesus, but I have to reprove myself because the scripture tells me "His Spirit bears witness with our Spirit that we are the children of God." I see nothing in myself like St. John who "took Mary to be his own," as requested by Our Lord on the Cross, yet again, Jesus says "this is my Mother, and Brothers, Father and Sisters," who do the will of the father in heaven, which I pray daily to come about. Even if I am not a perfect son I am obliged to call her Mother because it is the Father's will we should all call her Mother. So I must conclude as an argument to myself, I must grow upto the grace God calls me to, which, as St. Paul has revealed "no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor has it dawned upon the mind of man what God has prepared for those who love him." Just as Jesus says we should not be afraid to call him Lord before Kings and rulers so he will not be afraid to call us his children before theHeavenly Father, whom he taught us how invoke in our prayer. In the same way (I conjecture to say) we should not be afraid to (despite our frailty) call Mary Our Mother (as a blessed gift) before others, so that she will not be afraid to call us her children before the Most Blessed Trinity. As St. Paul told us "in the fullness of time God sent forth his Son, born of a woman (Mary), born under the Law, to deliver from the law, those who were subjected to it (the Jews as well as Gentiles).

Words to Remember

Once back in the 1980s I along with several of my friends of the Cursillo movement visited the late John Paul II when he visited us in New Orleans, La. I remember his words that he spoke about and his homily had the subject about the prophetic mission of the Christian. He told us that the world will call you "out if it," and you "don't fit in," but these are only the signs of what he called the vocation of Jesus who was a "sign of contradiction." Did not Mary have to suffer this rejection by the world on behalf of her son at having to flee from the child massacre, the rejection of her own people towards Jesus, and his whole life rejected in so many ways. We, too, will share the same sufferings as Jesus told told his disciples "you, indeed will share in my cup," but it is not mine to give who sits at my right and left hand."

As a truly religious and holy Carmelite Nun once told me "let us be happy to drink from the cup."