Ave Maria

This started out to be a rather long-winded post, but then I got hit upside the head by the reality of having a four year old and a newborn and realized that I don't have time for long-winded posts! So, the abridged version: I was recently reading a magazine article that asked me to pick a person who inspired me. I picked Mary the mother of Jesus. Being Catholic, maybe that's not surprising, but it goes deeper than that. Since becoming a mother, I've thought more and more about her, what her life must have been like. She is, to me, the best example of trusting God despite no matter what happens. We see her embracing whatever God sends her way throughout the gospels, from the nativity to the cross to the resurrection. We see her give birth to Jesus and then watch him die and then see him rise again. How did she do it? How did she handle it? Upon becoming pregnant with Jesus, her life was in danger. She could have been stoned for adultery! And yet, not only did she accept being the mother of Jesus humbly - "Behold the handmaid of the Lord" (Lk. 1:38) - she actually went on to praise God, completely faithful that He would fulfill what He promised. "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." (Lk. 1:46,47) When presenting Jesus in the Temple, Mary is told that "A sword will pierce your own soul too." (Lk. 1:35) Mary never runs from difficulty or pain. This is almost impossible for me to comprehend. Across all faiths, it seems that the path to enlightenment is by embracing whatever God sends you at the moment, taking the good with the bad, but realizing that the transience of both does not change the nature of God. I can understand that mentally, but putting it into practice is another thing. The fact that she stands at the foot of the cross, helplessly, watching her son die. Did she have any idea at that moment about the resurrection? Then Jesus, ignoring his own pain, instructs his disciple John to adopt Mary as his mother (Jn. 19:26, 27). Mary always holds fast, she always stays the course. I would like to have that kind of strength, that kind of faith, and I would like my children to have it as well. I would like us to be brave enough to fulfill our purposes in life, whatever they may be, with the knowledge that doing so might sometimes cause us pain, and to be okay with that. The alternative is a life half-lived.

Note: The icon above shows the Blessed Mother holding a prayer that reads, in Greek, "Our Jesus Christ hear the prayer of your mother." It is located in the Church of the Dormition of Theotokos in Kondopoga, Russia.