What Mary means to you....

I love you mommy.

Amen, jukes.

Ok, ok, here's the public post.

I used to not believe in Mary as anybody. She was just a convenient womb where Jesus decided to pop down to Earth. I didn't really think of her more than your average protestant would. She was that other figurine in the nativity set, and that was all.

I've gone through some pain in my lifetime. Emotional pain is invisible, so it's not "real"; it doesn't get recognized, and it "doesn't matter". It's easy to suffer this way, where no one can see, and most of the time, no one cares. It's easy to hurt, and even easier to remain in that pain.

I've always had issues about love and forgiveness. Growing up I always felt extreme shame, even for things that are not sinful, but embarrassing: tripping in the lunchroom, saying something silly, crying in public. I would ask forgiveness for these things because of the shame they made me feel. You can imagine what genuine sin did to me.

But a little over a year ago, I started investigating Catholicism, mostly on a whim, if I remember correctly. To make a long story short, I was in pain, and had been for a long time. I was suffering with it just below my skin, all the time. But then I was introduced to her. That is the time in my life that I learned how to cry. There were nights when I would lie in bed, desperately whispering, whimpering helplessly, "mommy, oh mommy", and the tears would run so profusely, that they would leave deep salt trails down my cheeks afterward. And lately, I continue to grow. I have begun to experience an absolutely drowning flood of Mary's love, and of her Son's. I have learned how to let myself be loved, be forgiven. Mary has shown me that. I could never have done it without her. Oh how I love you mommy.

Having grown up as a protestant, it took a lot of prayer and seeking for me to get past the natural protestant bias towards the Blessed Virgin. I had, like most Protestants a real problem with the notion that God could choose to elevate or bless one person in a way he would not bless us all.
I was taught that being “NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS” meant that God treats us all as equal. It took some study to realize that that is not the case. Being No respecter means that he gives grace and favor to whomsoever he wants to regardless of whether or not that person is deserving of that favor. Mary did nothing to disserve the honour of being the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, and yet, God gave her that honour nonetheless. Who are we to dispute His will?
When it came time for me as a Franciscan order to take a religious name I chose Maximilain after Saint Maximilain Mary Kolbe who had a very strong devotion to Our Lady partially because of that devotion.

Oh, wow. What Mary means to me...

She is the perfect embodiment of Faith. She exemplifies what a Christian should be. Accepting everything on Faith, requiring no demonstrations or explanations, showing no hesitation, fear, or doubt, submitting perfectly and completely to God's Will.

She is the Mother of God, and the mother of every 'beloved disciple' of Christ. I was thinking about this recently and I'd like to share my thoughts. Mary is the Virgin Mother. She conceived, carried, and bore the Christ, Jesus, our Salvation and the Light of the world. She conceived no other. All of her love was poured into Him, surrounded Him. She was mother, nurse, comforter, teacher, refuge.

I'm not sure how to say this next part, so please let me know if it makes no sense.

Christ gave Himself to us. He instituted the Eucharist so that He would be physically, and spiritually, with us 'until the end of days'. He lives in us, and shines through us. (Or He should, if we only let Him.) At the Cross, when Christ said to Mary, "Woman, behold your son.", referring to John (and to all beloved disciples), could He not also have been speaking of Himself in John? Could He have also meant that if we have Christ in us that Mary would see her Son when she beholds us? Wouldn't that mean that we would be the recipients of that staggering, pure, selfless, faithful love that Mary held only for her Son and Savior? Wouldn't that mean that she is our mother, nurse, comforter, teacher, and refuge? And what does Mary teach us?

Let it be done unto me according to Thy Will.

Accept the Will of God without reservation.

Do whatever He tells you.

Put the Will of God into action by doing the work of Christ.


Sorry if I rambled. I just wanted to share what I was thinking. Peace!

This is a fascinating discussion =)

I haven't really spent much time focusing on Mary, but rather I've been concerned with worship/Mass and it's relationship to the Eucharist.

In anycase, about a month ago (I think), I was carefully reading all the passages that directly mention Mary in the gospels, and I noticed something amazing in Luke:

Please read the following verses:

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And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them,

"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart (Luke 2:8-19)

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Amazing isn't it!?  It says Mary was pondering all these things the shepherds mentioned, and surely they mentioned the things the angels said (i.e. check out the things I quoted in bold, read it twice if necessary!)

It says, 'treasured' =)

Later in that passage we see Mary taking a similar action:

When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."
"Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he was saying to them. Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart (Luke 2:41-51)

Mary apparently treasured the things that Jesus said!  In fact KJV says, "but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart"

If anything, I think this is a good example of how we really ought to follow Mary's example in treasuring God's word.  Of course I think it's deeper than that, but I think there's a lot of truth to what I'm saying

God bless!

-Jason

She is my friend, my advocate, my protector, my mother.
In Christ through Mary, Patrick