Our Lady, proof we belong to God’s family

THAT gospel episode where somebody in the crowd told Christ that her mother was around (cfr. Mt 12,46-50) can only tell us once again that as long as we follow the example of Mary, we too can be members of God’s family.

And what is this example of Mary? It was she who perfectly fulfills this criterion of how to be a member of God’s family. And this standard was clearly spelled out by Christ when he said, “whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

Mary personifies the ideal human person who, as originally created by God in Adam and Eve, is supposed to be in the state of original justice. Thus, Mary was greeted by the Archangel Gabriel during the Annunciation as “full of grace.” But unlike our first parents, she kept that state intact all throughout her life, from her own conception in the womb of her mother, Anne, until her departure from the world.

Mary proves that man is capable of completely and perfectly identifying himself with God as God wants man to be. She definitely was given some special privileges and graces from God, but these special gifts did not spoil her like what they did to our first parents and like what we tend to fall into also.

She was ever faithful because of her deep humility, her abiding conviction that everything good comes from God and should therefore be enjoyed always with God and never without him.

Thus, during the Annunciation when it was explained to her how she was to conceive the very Son of God, she described herself in this way: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word.” (Lk 1,38)

That response of Our Lady to the archangel clearly traces the organic relation between humility and obedience to God’s will, between humility and fidelity. This humility of Our Lady was also highlighted in her Magnificat prayer when she said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.” (Lk 1,46-48)

All these considerations should tell us that if we would just have a bit of common sense, we would know that it is always wise to go to Mary in order to get to Christ. As a saint once said, Mary is the shortest, surest and safest way to be with Christ.

Let’s see to it that our devotion to her grows. And if it is practically dormant if not dead, then let’s stir it up to life again. She is important to us. In fact, she is indispensable to us. She cannot be treated as an optional feature in our spiritual life, nor something decorative or appendical only.

While she is not God and, therefore, not to be accorded with the worship that is only due to God (latria), she rightly deserves to be given the highest form of veneration (hyperdulia) among all the saints who are already with God in heaven.

She never competes nor undermines our relationship with God. If anything, all she does is to bring us to God and to help us fulfill the will of God. Thus, in that episode of the wedding at Cana where she noticed that the hosts were running out of wine, she told the servants, “Do whatever he (Christ) tells you.” (Jn 2,5)