Tag: Mary

Advent Reflections – December 3, 2015

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Characteristics of a Mother

Each of us has a unique experience of motherhood. All of our mothers were different. Some of us are mothers. Some will never become mothers. Regardless of our experiences and situations, we all have some basic notion of motherhood. Our human history has attributed certain characteristics to what I would call an “ideal mother.” Based on my own reckoning, and in no particular order, here are a few such characteristics that I believe sum up the basics of an “ideal mother”:

  1. Open to life
  2. Able to love without needing, requiring or expecting love in return
  3. Willing to sacrifice or suffer on behalf of others, especially her children
  4. Capable of forgiveness
  5. Desires to live in harmony with others

Mary fulfills all of these characteristics. Indeed, she even exceeds the expectations of history by perfectly living each of these qualities to their fullest.

When we imitate Mary, we are striving to ingrain these qualities into the very fiber of our being. By living these characteristics, we not only will draw closer to Mary, we are walking in her footsteps which always lead us directly to her Son.

Which of the 5 qualities listed resonates the most with you at this particular stage of your life? Which, at first glance, do you think would be the hardest to adopt?

Advent Reflections – December 2, 2015

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The Notion of Motherhood: Part 2

Yesterday we approached God as Mother. Today, we are going to encounter the motherhood of Mary.

A number of years ago, my mother-in-law gave me a series of writings by Chiara Lubich (founder of the Focolare Movement) that have had a profound impact on how I understand Mary. In one letter, written in 1987 for the Year of Mary, Chiara states:

Let’s imitate her [Mary] in what is essential. She is a mother, Jesus’ mother and spiritually our mother. From the cross, Jesus gave her to us as such in the person of John. We have to be like her other self, as a mother. In practice we have to state this intention: during the Marian Year I will behave toward every neighbour I meet, or for whom I shall be working, as though I were their mother.

Chiara goes onto list a number of qualities that we tend to associate with motherhood, which Mary exemplified perfectly during her life. A mother is always welcoming, gracious, hopeful, forgiving, etc. When we start to adopt the heart of a mother, Mary’s heart, we are transforming our vision to see those we meet in a new light. Chiara challenged her readers, and us today:

 To live like Mary, as if we were mothers to everyone.

Who is someone in my life that I should try to see more as a mother would, to treat as their own mother would?

Advent Reflections – November 30, 2015

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Imitating Mary

For those of you who do not know, I graduated from the University of Dayton, a Catholic and Marianist university. The university happens to be the home to the largest collections of resources of Mariology – the study of Mary. My thesis advisor, now director of the Marian Library, gave a speech for his installation as the director about why we should study Mary. He quotes Blessed William Joseph Chaminade, founder of the Marianist order: “We can say that the knowledge of the Blessed Virgin leads us to a much deeper knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The story of Christianity begins not with the birth of Christ, but with the “yes” of Mary. In order to grow in our knowledge, understanding and relationship with Jesus, we must understand who he is and where he comes from. Jesus is fully God, so we study and learn about God. But Jesus is also fully human, so we must study and learn about Mary, his human mother.

mary-mother-of-sorrow-painting
Picture from http://theveilofchastity.com/2013/06/14/7-quick-takes-friday-vol-33/

As we study Mary, we discover her role as the first theologian, the first to “ponder these things in her heart” (Luke 2:19). Mary soaked up everything Jesus had to offer and then held it close, reflecting on what it meant. Of all Jesus’ followers, Mary is the only one who was present at both his birth and his death. She truly was his first disciple, the perfect model of what it means to follow Jesus.

So we turn our gaze to Mary, for through our study of her, we will come to more intimate communion with her Son.

How has Mary impacted your faith? Is she an active player in your spiritual journey?