From my
early youth, I loved Mary, frequently prayed the rosary, and thought of her as
my second mother. Her existence to me was
as real as my own dear mom. I loved
Jesus, but since he was God, it was Mary, I felt, who could lead me to
him. As I grew older, the belief that
she was conceived without sin meant little to me.
Now that I am much older, I realize that only through
the grace of God could Mary be so open to others’ needs, to the performance of
good works, to prayer, and so united with her son in spirit, that her life was
totally given. I remember that she was
as human as you and I. Not so easy after
all. She had her day-to- day struggles,
times of misunderstandings and fear, great inconveniences, and deep, wrenching loss. Only with God’s grace, was she able to come
through it all. In other words, she was
like us in all ways, except sin. Because
she loved more, she trusted more. At
Cana, her secret was revealed: “Do as he tells you”, she says, directing us to
everlasting life and the Source of all joy!
Sr. Sharon Portwood, OSB
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ReplyDeleteDear Sister thank you for this good message -- I have been learning about Saint Mary in my life, having grown up without any religious instruction about her, and meeting her most often in my early years in holy art in churches that I loved. Love can grow through good learning. There are stages in learning and growth and we must protect them. Also, we live in an age in which knowledge flows freely and more freely -- how can we stop that? We cannot. We need to be able to explain our love and our truth in the way that can defend it and allow us to be open in our love and patience. How can we do that? The beauty of the Immaculate Conception shines in the heart of Mary the pure pearl and whom she also gave birth to, the monogenous, the sinless Christ. God bless OSB amen. Merry Christmas OSB amen. Feast of the Immaculate Conception, thank you God for this beautiful teaching amen.
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