Mary follows our footsteps, Mary: Day 083

Mary follows our footsteps

Pope Benedict XVI urges those who live without faith, or as if they had no faith, to open themselves to the mystery of God by contemplating Mary.

Some people today live as if they never had to die or as if, with death, everything were over; others, who hold that man is the one and only author of his own destiny, behave as though God did not exist, and at times they even reach the point of denying that there is room for him in our world. Yet the great break- throughs of technology and science that have considerably improved humanity’s condition leave unresolved the deepest searchings of the human soul.

Only openness to the mystery of God, who is Love, can quench the thirst for truth and happiness in our hearts; only the prospect of eternity can give authen- tic value to historical events and especially to the mystery of human frailty, suffering, and death.

By contemplating Mary in heavenly glory, we understand that the earth is not the definitive homeland for us either, and that if we live with our gaze fixed on eternal goods, we will one day share in this same glory and the earth will become more beautiful. Consequently, we must not lose our serenity and peace even amid the thousands of daily difficulties. The luminous sign of Our Lady taken up into heaven shines out even more brightly when sad shadows of suffer- ing and violence seem to loom on the horizon.

We may be sure of it: From on high, Mary follows our footsteps with gentle concern, dispels the gloom in moments of darkness and distress, reassures us with her motherly hand. Supported by awareness of this, let us continue confi- dently on our path of Christian commitment wherever Providence may lead us. Let us forge ahead in our lives under Mary’s guidance. —Pope Benedict XVI, “Mary, the Exemplar”

IN GOD’S PRESENCE, CONSIDER . . .
How much room in my everyday life do I give to God? Does my devotion to Mary help to expand that space?

CLOSING PRAYER
From a prayer of Pope St. John Paul II: Mary, be our mother. Share with us your limitless faith. Take and keep us within your protective arms in a world that has largely lost faith and abandoned hope.

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