Let Us Speak of Mary
Tis the season of Advent— a time of waiting—waiting for the coming of the Christ child. Might now be a good time to talk about His mama? After all, we can’t exactly be pondering Christmas without noting that Mary and Joseph are in the mix.
For today, let us speak of Mary, the one God chose to be the mother of His only begotten Son. He could have entered this world any number of ways. Yet, God chose to have the Babe come through woman, and in so doing, validated the gift given to all women. What gift is that? The gift given is that of nurturer. Whether one nurtures spiritually or physically— tis a gift.
Let’s take a look back and see what those who’ve gone before us had to say about Mary.
According to author Rev. F. J. Hoffman, the early Christians found it impossible to tell the story of salvation without also telling the glories of Mary. He notes that as we move through history from the Apostles to the next generations, “we find a seamless continuity in the way Christians speak about Our Lady and that she was not merely an instrument God used and set aside.”
As we speak of Mary, her fiat never fails to deeply touch. Fiat—what’s that? Her fiat was her decree, her response, that the angel was asking of her. This response continues to resonate within as we, like Mary, must respond to what is being asked of us. What was her response? It was, “Yes, be it done unto me according to Thy Word” (Luke 1:38).
We ponder her “yes” and where it led along her journey of faith. As it didn’t stop at the manger, Mary’s “yes” carried her all the way to the cross and beyond—illuminating the mysteries of faith. Of what mysteries do we speak?
For starters, the joyful mysteries find Mary before the angel Gabriel saying “yes” to her Lord. Joy filled Mary when Elizabeth announced the words “blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb” (Luke 1:42). His birth brought joy as did the presentation of Him in the temple. Finding Jesus after he’d gone missing for a few days was also a joyous moment in her life.
Through luminous mysteries, mysteries of Light, she walked her walk. There was the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, and the wedding at Cana where, by Mary’s request, He performed his first miracle. Then there was the proclamation of, “The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe” (Mark 1:15). And who can forget “The Transfiguration” where Jesus was literally illumined. The mystery of faith which took place by the institution of the bread and wine at the Last Supper is one I ponder more oft than not.
We have yet to touch on the sorrowful mysteries of our faith such as His agony in the garden, His scourging, His crown of thorns, His carrying the cross, and His crucifixion. The words gifted, “Mary, full of grace” (Luke 1:28) foreshadowed her need of it—grace, that is. How could one carry this weight as a mama without grace? She had to be grace filled or the mere weight would not have only pierced her Immaculate Heart, but crushed it.
Then came the glorious mysteries to ponder—His rising after three days, His ascent into Heaven, followed by the glorious descent of the Holy Spirit, and on it goes. Mary pondered these things in her heart and my guess is, most of us do, too. Sometimes you will see people holding beads in their hands as a form of prayer. What are they doing? They are pondering all of these things in their hearts. Those who pray as such are not worshipping Mary. No, they cannot, for that would be heresy within any church. Drawing nigh to the mysteries of His life draws one closer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus—the Babe—lying in the manger. Amen.
(I suppose some of you ponder my words and wonder. You wonder because you may not have heard of this form of prayer before, or you may have been taught someone’s misperception about this form of prayer. Please know that a variety of people across many denominations do so as this points us always—always to the only One, the Holy One, Jesus Christ our Lord.)
