We
occasionally come across people who have that special quality—the ability to
listen deeply; a sense of peace in their lives; a deep compassion that shows
itself quietly. Their sense of faith and
trust in God is palpable and they’re the people we will turn to instinctively
when we need help. Oftentimes we
discover later that these remarkable people are ones who have suffered great
loss and have found some meaning for their lives in it.
We all have
pain and suffering in our lives. As this
year has proven, even the most privileged of us have to deal with this very
human experience. We all face the death
of a beloved family member at some point in our lives, and it’s especially
devastating when it’s a child. Part of
life is our own aging and diminishment and a growing awareness of our physical
and mental frailty or the worries we have about our children, our grandchildren
and other family members. The profound
disappointments of life—the state of our marriages; the reality of the youthful
life dreams we once had; or perhaps disappointment in the decisions made by our
children—are part of the experience of so many of us. Sometimes there’s the anxiety of waiting for
the results of medical tests and the unknown changes to our family and us if
the results are bad.
Beyond the
scope of our own personal world, we see poverty and racial strife in our own
cities, mistrust and conflict among our national leaders and an entire world
torn by COVID, wars, racial and religious divisions, and a terrible
mistreatment of women and children. How
do we live with this, share this experience, or make sense of it?
The Blessed
Mother Mary is a woman who has suffered deeply in life. This is a very real and
very human Mary, who understands our losses and tragedies.
When Simeon
met Mary and Joseph in the Temple and saw the infant Jesus, he knew that Jesus
was “destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,” but Simeon also was predicting that Jesus’ life would
cause Mary tremendous sorrow (Luke 2:22-35). She had the pain and emptiness as her Son left
their home and town for the unknown life of a teacher (Luke 3:23). Not only did she probably miss His presence,
but she also had to open her heart and ask God to help her let go. She knew her Son needed to leave and fulfill His
call, but she didn’t always understand it. Her confidence in Him was clear as she paved
the way for her Son’s first miracle at the wedding in Cana. (John 2:1-11)
She saw Him
move out farther into the region, accompanied by an unimportant group of
followers that puzzled some. She
listened as Jesus became more outspoken against the religious authorities. Her stomach probably had a knot that was hard
to ignore as she heard the growing grumbling against Him from those who were
threatened. Finally, she was there as He
was arrested, humiliated, and executed. This was her Son, once her cherished
little boy, now the beloved man with whom she had such a deep bond of love and
faith. She watched as He was spit on and
tortured and finally endured the crucifixion. While other followers ran, Mary
stood there at the foot of the cross, looking up at her son’s agonizingly slow
death.
Before He
died on the cross for us though, Jesus left us in good hands. He has given us the best of mothers (of
course, I’m not discounting our own Moms, who probably come pretty close), one
who is always available to listen to us, no matter where we are, no matter when
we need her. Mary is always "on
call" for us 24/7. She loves us and
she’ll always hear us and pray for us, because we are her children, as well.
Best of all,
Mary always guides us to her Son. "Do
whatever He tells you," she told the waiters at the wedding feast of Cana (John
2:5). Those words too are for us, too.
With Mary as
our mother, as our confidant, our guide, and our special advocate, we can't go
wrong!
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