Hail Mary, full of grace.
At the very end of his earthly ministry, Jesus gives one final proclamation. In the Gospel of John, chapter 19, verses 25-29, Jesus makes a compassionate plea to a disciple that he loved behold his mother. Widows had nothing, no property, no money, so if there was no family to take care of them, they were left to the streets. Jesus looked upon his disciples to take care of his mother as their own.
But Jesus wasn’t just looking at one particular disciple, he was imploring the world to look upon Mary as an example of motherhood, the beloved disciple not anyone person in particular, but a representation of those seeking salvation.
So it should come as no surprise that the Church looks to Mary for her tenderness and love, but also for her intercession. This means going back all the way to her Immaculate Conception. At the Annunciation we find out about Mary’s yes, her fiat to God – but the story of salvation history starts even earlier, and that is with her Conception without sin. You could actually say that Mary was the first soul saved by her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, for her sins were washed clean before his birth, making her a worthy vessel to carry the Son of God.
Saint Anselm in a sermon on the Blessed Virgin Mary tells us that Go is the Father of the created world, Mary the mother of the re-created world; without God’s Son nothing could exist, without Mary’s Son, nothing could be redeemed.
Mary was present with Jesus through his entire life, and he was obedient to her. This obedience did not end in childhood. Think of the Wedding at Cana, when she instructs the servants at the wedding to do as he says. Mary doesn’t have to implore Christ to do anything, that motherly request and look were probably enough.
May Mary’s grace and motherly love be abundant in your life, and know that because of his obedience, what we ask of Mary will be taken to Christ, and our prayers will be heard along with hers.
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