Something about Mary

This is from the Jan. 1 entry in Divine Intimacy (available on Kindle!), vol. 1, by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen:

Mary is Jesus’ mother not only because she gave him flesh and blood, but also because she entered into his mystery and associated herself with him in the most intimate way: she dedicated herself totally… to the person and to the work of her Son, with a function in the redemption, both dependent on him and with him” (LG 56). That is why Mary is our “mother in the order of grace.”

I had a great exchange with Ted Sri just before Christmas about her, during which he said, in part:

The Bible reveals Mary as the first and model disciple. God singles her out as an outstanding example for us to imitate. In my daily life, I find myself thinking of her example of total love, trust, surrender, and service. She inspires me to love and serve God more, to surrender my life to him more, and to follow him wherever he may lead, even if it means following him to the Cross, as Mary did.

Read more about him and his Walking with Mary in our Q&A here.

Similarly, Scott Hahn talks about her, naturally, in his new Christmas book. Why is she “the cause of our joy,” I asked him in another pre-Christmas Q&A:

God chose Mary to bear the Messiah in the world; but it was his sovereign will that she should do so freely. By her decision, she was as much the “cause” of her offspring as any mother is — and her offspring is Jesus, our joy.

I liked how I heard Gérald Cyprien Lacroix of Quebec once put it:

Like her, we want to be open to the Holy Spirit and available to accomplish God’s plan in today’s world. And following Our Lady’s example, we want to leave with haste as she did, to share the Good News of the Gospel to a world that needs the Hope and the Truth and the Love of Jesus Christ.

Mary, Mother of God and ours, please pray for us. Let us see that you walk with us, you take us to your Son. It makes all the difference, as your “yes” did. Changes everything, as He does.