The month of May is dedicated to our Blessed Mother. When we look at her life, we see that Mary is the model of every “yes.” She didn’t know what was before her, but she trusted in God. Mary was already dedicated to the Lord, she was a servant of God in her personal life, but, in a pivotal moment in human history, God called her to trust him completely in becoming the Mother of Christ.
Mary’s obedience was not blind. At the Annunciation, together with her profound “yes,” Mary asked, “how can this be?” Later, in Luke 2:41-52 she finds Jesus in the Temple and says, “child why have you done this to us?”
In those two instances, I think, Mary foreshadows Jesus on the cross who cries out, “my God, my God why have you forsaken me?” Already in conformity with him, Mary says her “yes” through these two questions. Because of those questions, she was brought to a deeper sense of what it means to trust completely and say “yes.”
The same happens in our lives. I am sure that you also have asked yourself in moments of your life the same questions. How can this be? Why have you done this to me, to us? We too paradoxically experience God’s presence in the midst of personal suffering and confusion. We too are called to deeper faith and to trust - by saying “yes.”
Let’s look to another important moment of the life of Mary in Matthew 12:50 when his mother came to find Jesus as he spoke to a crowd. Instead of going to her, he pointed to his disciples and said that they indeed were his mother and brothers: “For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.” You might be tempted to think that he was ignoring his Mother by not going to her, instead, he showed us Mary as the perfect disciple. Her “yes” to the will of God as she walked with her son, even to his suffering and death, gives us inspiration and comfort as we can be assured that she will walk with us in our trials and help us stay close to Christ.
Finally, Mary stood at the foot of the cross. She “stands” (stabat) firm. She doesn’t give up. She is not there just accepting in resignation but knowing that this Jesus’ passion and death on the Cross, will bring forth fruit.
I see in Mary’s constant “yes” her fidelity to the beauty of our Christian calling.
So, when we don’t understand, when we don’t know what to do, we stand with her in faith, in hope and most of all in love. In this way, we relive in our life Mary’s fidelity. Let us stay close to Mary. She is close to us.
When I was in seminary years ago, I had a very good spiritual director, a Jesuit. Just before I was ordained, I said to him, “I want to have a closer relationship with Mary.” He simply responded, “Ask God to show his mother to you.” He has done so in many ways over the years.
May the Lord bring each of you closer to Mary in this special month of May.