The Mother of all mothers

The most obvious role Mary plays in the Bible is as a mother. I consider her to be the mother of all mothers because she is the mother of Jesus Christ. Out of all the women in the world, God chose a common woman who lived in the little town of Nazareth who wasn't a woman of great wealth or stature. God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus Christ because she possessed traits of holiness, piety, and humility.

Mary teaches all of us the importance of trusting in the Lord. Her faith in God was tested when an angel of the Lord informed her that she would miraculously give birth to the Savior. Most women wouldn't have shown the trust she did. Most women wouldn't have believed the message. Mary listened to the angel with acceptance. She knew God had a plan for her. In today’s world, women should have the same trust in the Lord that Mary did. God has a plan for all of us just like he had a plan for Mary.

Mary showed complete trust in God when Joseph received a warning from a dream he had. The dream foretold that Herod wanted Jesus dead and urged them to move to Egypt. If Mary had dismissed the dream as nothing, Jesus Christ would have continued to be pursued by Herod, who wanted to kill him. Mary trusted the Lord to the point where she fulfilled his commands without question.

One of the most valuable strengths Mary possessed was her ability to persevere. She went through many trials in her life, but she never lost sight of the Lord. She used her complete trust in God and her strong will to overcome obstacles and setbacks.

An example of Mary's perseverance was the way she coped watching her son face persecution. She witnessed the men who swore they would never betray her son deny him in an instant. Peter denied he was a follower of Jesus Christ three times. Thomas declared he wouldn't believe in the resurrection of Jesus until he put his fingers where the nails were hammered in.

The persecution didn't stop with the betrayal from his own followers. It couldn't have been easy for Mary to watch her son being whipped, beaten, and ridiculed by the Roman soldiers and by the people he came to save. It must have been difficult for her to see him carry his own cross until he lost all his physical strength. She must have been horrified to see the nails hammered in to his skin and to look at the pain he was in. It must have been unbearable for her to see him hang on the cross only to experience a slow and painful death.

Despite all this, Mary persevered. Although she experienced times of sorrow and despair, she always trusted in the Lord. She never gave up. When something bad happened, she continued on because she knew it was all a part of God's plan.

Mary is undoubtedly one of the most influential women in the Bible who demonstrates holiness. Even though Mary was merely human, she put her best efforts into fulfilling God's purpose. Mary exemplifies the trait of piety in several different areas. Obviously, she was a motherly figure. It was her personal responsibility to raise Jesus Christ, an honorable and virtuous man. Mary's relationship with God was so holy that she is called Queen of All Saints. She trusted the Lord to the point where she would never question his authority.

Mary possessed a great deal of humility. She was not a woman of conceit with a proud nature. She was content being a servant of God. She took on the responsibility of raising the Messiah with dignity and enthusiasm. She thought of herself as unworthy of the task.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the women out there who have said “Yes!” to God’s call in their vocation of motherhood. May our Blessed Mother be a role model and inspiration for you, and may God bless you in your task. Amen.