May is especially reserved for devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and honoring her is not just a tradition befitting more pious ages. It is something God intended for us from the beginning. Her role is prefigured in Genesis 3:15, hidden in the Old Testament, and plainly revealed in the New Testament.
We first consider why Jesus came to us through Mary at all. He is God and could have manifested as an adult and walked right out of the desert. He chose to be born through Mary's consent, and in that decision He linked His mission to her in an inextricable way, which she would exercise from her motherhood. In contemplating the level of knowledge and closeness Mary enjoyed regarding Him, we wisely deduce it is superior to ours.
Her distinctive influence unambiguously shines from the Scriptures. At the Annunciation, Mary facilitates salvation by her proclamation to "Let it be done to me according to your word"(Lk 1:38). God willed salvation to be dependent on her assistance. It is a massive understatement to say we are fortunate that she cooperated. Again, when she and Joseph found the child Jesus in the temple, Mary conveys her motherly clout: "And He went down with them ... and was subject to them" (Lk 2:51). In submission to her, Jesus performs His first public miracle: "And the wine failing, the mother of Jesus said to Him: they have no wine. And Jesus said to her: Woman, what is that to Me and thee? My hour has not yet come" (Jn 2:3-4). Here, we see the will of the Father being communicated to Jesus through her, and Him reverently complying. She neither asks nor directs Jesus, but rather conveys the problem and He addresses it. She emphatically demonstrates her role as intercessor because she communicates to Jesus on behalf of the wedding party.
Scripture provides even more clues to her incomparable importance. In Mary's Magnificat: "My soul doth magnify the Lord ... Because He that is mighty has done great things for me..." (Lk 1:46-49). And finally from the cross, Jesus gave Mary to the world, represented by John: "Woman, behold thy son ... then He said to the disciple, behold thy mother" (Jn 19:26-27).
Jesus gave Mary to us not as an anecdote to His way, but precisely to help us journey along it. Her role is singularly unique relative to the apostles, and more integrated, because Jesus' relationship with her is matchless. He loves and honors her not as any good son, but as the God Son. She loves Him in a way beyond the constraints of our sin-impaired minds. Can we try and imagine this level of mutual love?
If we want to please Jesus, we should imitate Him by acknowledging Mary's role, honoring her and seeking her intercession. We do this by embracing her as our spiritual mother with a filial attitude, and this enables her to more fully exhibit her God-given role in our lives, aiding us in a relationship with Jesus as no one else can. With her, it becomes easier to do whatever Jesus tells us, and as her soul magnifies the Lord, she amplifies our prayers. As she was favored by God in her lowliness, we too find favor with Him through humility toward her. Like Elizabeth, we do well to say, "Whom am I that the mother of my lord should come to me?" (Lk 1:43)
An exceptional model for this is to say a consecration prayer to Mary and practice a daily devotion, such as the rosary or seven sorrows. Most of all, we should strive to love her, for she is the greatest of all mothers. St. Maximilian Kolbe, martyr of Auschwitz, said, "Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did."
Good mothers make hard things easier, and the Christian life is simply easier with her intercession. We can trust God's plan that if Jesus chose Mary as His loving mother, so should we. As she comforted Jesus, so shall she comfort us, for she truly is the Help of Christians.
Fred Berretta is a member of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte.
Spring is here and we're dusting off our running, hiking or walking shoes to get back in shape after the long winter. If you're like me, those months have added five pounds to the scale! It's a good idea to keep our bodies physically in shape, but what about our endurance to run our spiritual race?
Did you know running was very popular in the Bible? Joseph was the first runner. Working his way up the ladder, he became the personal attendant to Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh. Having authority over Potiphar's house, Joseph took care of everything and was very successful at his job. Unfortunately, Potiphar's wife was his adversary. While her husband was out on business, she had devious plans for her servant.
Genesis 39:11-15 says, "One such day, when Joseph came into the house to do his work, and none of the household servants were then in the house, she laid hold of him by his cloak, saying, 'Lie with me!' But leaving the cloak in her hand, he escaped and ran outside. When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand as he escaped outside, she cried out to her household servants and told them, 'Look! My husband has brought us a Hebrew man to mock us! He came in here to lie with me, but I cried out loudly. When he heard me scream, he left his cloak beside me and escaped and ran outside.'" To avoid temptation, Joseph ran! Joseph was in good standing with God but ended up in jail. You'll have to read the rest of the story to find out what happened.
There are times when running is not approved by God. Proverbs 6:16-19 says, "There are six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him; haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that plots wicked schemes, feet that are quick to run to evil, the false witness who utters lies, and the one who sows discord among kindred." And Isaiah 59:7-8 says, "Their feet run to evil, and they hasten to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of wickedness, violence and destruction are on their highways. The way of peace they know not, and there is no justice on their paths; their roads they have made crooked, no one who walks in them knows peace."
In the New Testament, we read about the women who found the tomb empty after the Resurrection: "On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, 'They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put Him.' So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in" (John 20:1-5).
When we go to Mass, do we have the same urgency as Mary, John or Peter who was winded from the run, desiring to see Jesus? Are we participating, or just going through the routine? When it comes to serving the Lord, do we run to Him or run away when we are called to provide for God's people? When we are capable of teaching or evangelizing, do we hide our light under a bushel? Has our Christian walk become more like an occasional stroll, or are we energetically doing the will of God?
To run a marathon, one must train the body and the mind. Our spiritual race also requires time and preparation. A healthy soul requires a daily workout by reading, studying, praying, meditating and serving using our God-given gifts.
Our spiritual race can have obstacles – hills and valleys, circumstances that test our faith. There are times when we can trip over our own feet of complacency, disbelief, sin or spiritual laziness. Instead of focusing on Christ crucified, we are distracted by our own images of what we want.
Sometimes we are led astray by others. St. Paul questioned the Galatians. "You were running well; who hindered you from following (the) truth? That enticement does not come from the One who called you. A little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough" (Gal 5:7-9).
What can keep us on the right spiritual track? Scripture tells us: "So turn from youthful desires and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord with purity of heart" (2 Timothy 2:22).
Most importantly, we must sincerely seek to receive Christ in the Eucharist – the consecrated Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Savior – which is our living bread come down from heaven, to fortify us on our journey through this desert.
Finally, we should remember the words of Hebrews 12:1-2: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before Him He endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken His seat at the right of the throne of God."
Barbara Case Speers is a writer who lives in Hickory.