Like many other Catholics (or so I think), growing up, my relationship with Mary was pretty much non existent apart from some filial respect I have for her for being the mother of Christ. Mary did not resonate to me either – especially as a woman. Her demure and silent demeanour was a far cry from what I believed to be an “ideal” woman.
But as my relationship with Christ grew, so too did my curiosity about Mary. It did not feel right that whatever I knew about her was limited to just being about her carrying Jesus in her womb for 9 months. So I started reading to get acquainted with Mary. Around this time, I started to pray the rosary as well. Through these small things, Mary drew me to her and to Jesus. In her silence, Mary found God in the secret of her heart. She was, as I have learnt more than just the mother of Jesus. Mary was the first to encounter Jesus, the first disciple, the first to be in perfect communion with the spirit and the first missionary. I have learnt and am learning still of the importance of Mary in the salvation plan of God.
In this article, we are going to explore Mary’s role on how she can teach us to follow Jesus more closely. In particular, we are going to explore the different teachings of Marian saints through the centuries that have left us invaluable insights onto who Mary is and what she does.
Encounter - St John Paul II
At the foot of the Cross, Jesus gifted to us one of the greatest gifts to humanity, the gift of His mother (John 19:26-27). This gift of His mother was not to be given only to the beloved disciple John, but to all of us who comes to love Jesus as well. John was a representation of the disciples that are to come in the ages. As such, although Mary is not our mother in flesh, Mary is our spiritual mother in heaven.
The Church teaches us of the maternal mediation of Mary. This means that Mary is our spiritual mother who assists us from heaven with her motherly care to help bring us to God. So where is it in the Bible where this maternal mediation is shown? It is at the wedding of Cana John 2:1-12). St John Paul II writes:
“Cana clearly outlines the new dimension, the new meaning of Mary’s motherhood... Mary places herself between her Son and mankind in the reality of their wants, needs and sufferings. She put herself in the middle, that is to say she acts as mediatrix not as an outsider but in her position as Mother”.
Mary as the mediator between us and Christ helps us to do the will of God more perfectly in our lives.
For me, when it is difficult to follow Jesus, Mary strews along my path graces to help in my walk with Jesus and to encourage me to keep going. Through her gentleness and love as our Mother, more than anything, Mary desires for us to be able to come to encounter Jesus. And as we continue to have deeper encounter with the Lord, we are of course called to be his disciples and follow him (Matt 4:19-20)
Disciple - St Louis de Montfort
As the we continue to walk with the Lord and be his disciples, the Lord knows the difficulties of the journey. We may sometimes feel discouraged and worn out from the journey and thus, before He ascended into heaven, the Lord promised for us His helper, the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit brings with Him the gift of zeal and passion to live out a live of discipleship. In the upper room before Pentecost, the apostles were in fear but after the descent of the Holy Spirit they were filled with such zeal and spirit to proclaim the Good News. So where does Mary fit into the picture? The Acts of the Apostles records that before Pentecost they were “With one heart all these joined constantly in prayer, together with some women, including Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers” (Acts 1:14). As Mary was present to pray with the apostles as they await the descent of the Holy Spirit, Mary continues to pray for us as we wait for a greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
At baptism, we were given the gift of the Holy Spirit and thus our call as disciples is to continuously renew our baptismal vows and to live them out with the example of Mary. St Louis de Montfort proposes:
“Consecration to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom through the hands of Mary”.
Through Mary’s example we are called to live out our baptismal vows and to bear fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22). While praying the rosary and meditating on the mysteries of Christ, Mary teaches me many virtues to help me be a disciple of Christ. Mary’s total abandonment to the Divine Will of God and her humility to accept that in her life never cease to teach me and remind me of my need for a greater surrender and trust in our Lord. Mary through her life also teaches us that the goal of our baptism is a closer communion with the Holy Spirit and the Church.
Communion - St Maximilian Kolbe
When we are disciples of the Lord, we realize how important it is for us to be united through the Holy Spirit. In the Bible, there is no one, other than Jesus himself who had a more perfect communion than Mary herself. St Maximilian Kolbe explains that the bond between Mary and the Holy Spirit is one of perfect union; Mary was the chosen spouse of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). He explains further that the union between Mary and the Holy Spirit is:
“above all an interior union of her essence with the essence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in her and lives in her”.
So what is the importance of this communion with the Holy Spirit? It helps us to unite our will to the perfect will of God so that we may be holy and sanctified. Mary’s response at the annunciation says it all “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38). Mary was so filled with humility that she was able to submit herself to the divine will of God. With such example, we too are called to unite ourselves with the perfect will of God.
For me, I experience this when I pray the rosary. Praying the rosary daily helps me to create space for prayer to allow the Holy Spirit to prompt me and to speak to me. With this space, through the grace of God, Mary brings me to be more aware of the movement of the Holy Spirit that is within me and also others. A close communion with the Holy Spirit propels us in our journey towards holiness as it is the Spirit who sanctifies us. The other importance of such communion is that it has to bring us to mission of love and charity for others.
Mission - St Teresa of Calcutta
This love and goodness that we have received from Jesus is something that should compel us to go on mission to reach out to our brothers and sisters. Jesus says in Scripture “whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me (Matthew 25: 40). This same longing is again repeated when Jesus hung at the cross and said “I thirst” (John 19:28).
What is Jesus thirsting for? Jesus thirsts to love us and he thirsts for our loving response to Him. We who have truly encountered the Lord would be eager to go and share this goodness that we have received like the Samaritan woman in the well after her encounter with Jesus (John 4:26). In our mission of loving others, Mary teaches us what it means to love them. After the Annunciation, when Mary heard from the angel Gabriel that her cousin Elizabeth was also pregnant, Mary rushed to visit Elizabeth, travelling to the country side, even though she too was pregnant. There was much inconvenience in the visit but Mary’s concern was not herself but Elizabeth which may have led her to remark “And how does it happen to me that the mother of my Lord comes to visit me”. We too are called, like Mary to love selflessly and wholeheartedly with self abandon.
One of St Teresa’s favourite prayer is to ask from Mary to lend her her Immaculate Heart so that she can satiate the thirst and alleviate the suffering of Jesus. As we go out on mission, we too will encounter the face of Christ in the people that we serve.
Mary, like us was human, but her cooperation with grace earned her the title of Queen of Heaven and dispenser of all graces. If you still do not have a relationship with our Blessed Mother, I would encourage you to get to know this woman who bore Christ in her womb. Come to know her and come to love her and allow her to lead you to a path of holiness towards Jesus Christ.
*The materials in this article is inspired by the teachings of the saints from the book 33 Days to Morning Glory.
- Kathleen Utojo