The mother was like the Son, Mary: Day 040

The mother was like the Son, Mary: Day 040 August 30, 2015

year_with_mary_ignatius_of_loyola_1The mother was like the Son

St. Ignatius of Loyola reminds us that the Son and the mother bear a resem- blance, not just in body, but in soul.

What creature was more like Jesus than Mary? The laws of nature ordain that the son should resemble the mother; the laws of grace ordained beforehand that the mother should possess all the characteristics suitable to the Son. Here recall with profound respect:

First, her immaculate conception, which renders her a stranger to sin and its consequences, and to all the occasions leading to sin. This privilege alone, which separates Mary from the mass of iniquity out of which we have all come, raises her above all the saints as much as the heavens are above the earth.

Second, her heavenly virginity, which causes her to be alarmed at the approach of an angel; which would shrink from divine maternity if the Mother of God would cease to be a virgin; a virginity that the Holy Spirit renders fruit- ful, making her a mother by a miracle beyond words.

Third, her profound humility that, says a holy Father of the Church, made her merit to become the Mother of God: “Behold,” she said, “the handmaid of the Lord. He has regarded the humility of his handmaid. He has exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things” (see Lk 1:38, 48, 52, 53).

Fourth, her perfect charity, which made her so prompt in visiting Elizabeth, so faithful in preserving in her heart the words of life, so attentive at the marriage of Cana, so devoted, so heroic during the labors and sorrows of her Son, so use- ful to the apostles, so dear to the infant Church. —St. Ignatius Loyola, The Spiritual Exercises

IN GOD’S PRESENCE, CONSIDER . . .
St. Ignatius notes four fundamental ways in which Mary resembles Jesus. In what other ways do I see a resemblance?

CLOSING PRAYER
From a prayer of St. John of Damascus: Mary, make us worthy of future happi- ness through the sweet and face-to-face vision of the Word made flesh through you. With him, glory, praise, power, and majesty be to the Father and to the holy and life-giving Spirit, now and forever.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Remember to subscribe to my feed so you will not miss a day! This recurring feature at The Catholic Blogger is possible through the cooperation of author Paul Thigpen and publisher Saint Benedict Press. To get your own copy of this book, click below.


Browse Our Archives