Mary, Mother of God

Every moment of Mary’s life is meant to point us to God’s love, and the plan he has for each one of us. Mary’s life is the example that we look at to see more clearly what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Her life tells us, not just about what our lives on earth are to be about, but also, her life tells us about where we are heading and where we are meant to be.

At her birth, God kept Mary free from the stain of original sin. In doing so, He was preparing her to be a worthy vessel to carry His Son. He was giving her the gifts that she would need to carry out her unique role in the whole history of our salvation. So at birth, God gave her all she would need to accomplish the unique task he had called her to.

At the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel told her about what God was calling her to do, Mary said yes. By her own admission, she was not sure how this had come to be in her life; what she did know in her heart was that the Lord was with her. By accepting the Lord’s call in her life, Mary showed tremendous humility. She placed aside any plan she may have had for herself and her life; and chose instead to live her life for the One who made her and loved her. With great trust in the Lord, Mary placed God first. As a young person, and a young mother, she lived her life for God. She was selfless in giving herself completely to the Lord. She trusted in his presence and his strength to guide her when the path didn’t always seem clear.

At the Cross, as she suffered the torturous pain of seeing her Son beaten, tortured and killed, she kept her focus firmly on him. She let him comfort her in her pain when he entrusted her care to his closest disciple. She took her strength from Him. In her pain, in the worst pain anyone could imagine in the death of her child, she let the Lord comfort and strengthen her. She was confident in the Lord’s presence and his plan.  Mary knew and accepted in her heart that God’s ways are not always our ways. She stayed confident in his love.

In her entrance into heaven, in the Assumption, we see her rewarded for a life of faith, hope, and love. We see her reunited with her Son and her Savior. In Mary’s entrance into Heaven, we see our own destination. Mary’s entrance into Heaven, the Assumption that we celebrate today, reminds us that our lives here are made to give glory to God. We are to live our lives for Him, until the day that we go home to Him.

Mary gives us the example of what it means to love God with all your heart, all your soul and all your strength; what it means to be humble before Him; what it means to be His witness, especially through the example of her own life which was dedicated to Him…because she knows it belongs to Him…and is meant to return to Him.

In her life on earth Mary trusted completely in God’s call.  Her whole life, and her special place in Heaven, points us always to the source of her strength and faith - her So-Jesus Christ.. As a parish family of faith, with the patronage of our Mother Mary, may we always seek her intercession, so we, too, may come more and more to have selfless, obedient hearts that show us the way, and to point us to Jesus.  Heart of Mary, teach us to love Jesus, your Son.