To Jesus Through Mary
By Steve Martin
The month of May is specially dedicated to Mary, Queen of Heaven. As Catholics we understand that we have been given a great gift in the Blessed Mother. Mary shows us what it looks like to have the power of grace working in a human heart that is wholly
dedicated to God’s will. Growing closer to Mary will always lead us closer to Jesus.
Mary is unique among all creation… she is full of grace. In Luke’s Gospel, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!”1 In order to be full of grace she must be without sin. When a glass is full of water, nothing else can fit into that glass. When a soul is full of grace, nothing else can fit into that soul. There is no room for sin.
When Gabriel announced that Mary would be the mother of the Savior, she was surprised and in awe. She knew that it was humanly impossible for her to bear a child. She replied, “How can this be, since I have no husband?”2
Gabriel tells her that this will be the work of the Holy Spirit, and that nothing is impossible for God.3 Hearing this, Mary responded with humble obedience and said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”4 This is Mary’s fiat, her great yes to God.
The Navarre Bible describes Mary’s action of faith in this way. “Once she learns of God’s plan, our Lady yields to God’s will with prompt obedience, unreservedly. She realizes the disproportion between what she is going to become – the Mother of God – and what she is – a woman. However, this is what God wants to happen.”5 It continues, “Mary, combining humility and obedience, responds perfectly to God’s call.”6 What an inspiring example of faith we have in Mary!
Mary, as his Mother, knew Jesus intimately and served his needs more directly than any other person. She cared for him as a baby. She taught him the necessary skills of living a human life. She encouraged him to develop and grow in human virtue and faith. She loved him in a very privileged and unique context.
Mary is not only the Mother of Jesus. In a significant way, she is our Mother as well. In the Gospel of John, Jesus looked down from the cross at his beloved disciple John and said, “Behold, your mother!”7 The Church guides us to accept this gift which Christ has given us from the cross. We are encouraged to come to Mary as a child. Only then can we receive the many graces which God wants to give us through her maternal care and intercession.
Many saints have testified that dedication to Mary is a powerful means of attaining holiness. In his book, True Devotion to Mary, St. Louis De Montfourt proclaims, “All our perfection consists in being conformed to Jesus Christ; and therefore the most perfect of all devotions is, without any doubt, that which most perfectly conforms, unites and consecrates us to Jesus Christ. Now, Mary being the most conformed of all creatures to Jesus Christ, it follows that, of all devotions, that which most consecrates and conforms the soul to Our Lord is devotion to His holy Mother, and that the more a soul is consecrated to Mary, the more it is consecrated to Jesus.”8
Our Blessed Mother is an example of faith. She is the Mother of Jesus. She is the Mother of us all. During this month of May the Church encourages us to seek the intercession of Mary. We are challenged to meditate on her role in Christ’s mission of salvation. Let’s follow the Church and come humbly to Jesus through Mary.
1The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition, Gospel of Luke 1:28
2The New American Bible, Gospel of Luke 1:34
3The New American Bible, Gospel of Luke 1:35-37
4The New American Bible, Gospel of Luke 1:38
5The Navarre Bible, pg. 324
6The Navarre Bible, pg. 324
7The New American Bible, Gospel of John, 19:27
8True Devotion to Mary, St. Louis De Montfort, Translated by Fr.
Frederick Faber, pg. 77