Saturday, May 15, 2010
Sabbath Moments - Mother most beautiful
Sabbath Moments is a weekly meme hosted by Colleen at Thoughts on Grace. These are moments when we "let go and let God" and live in the present moment. They are the "special moments" when we are touched by God's grace in a way that stays with us. I enjoyed many of these moments this week, God delights in revealing Himself to us whether in prayer, through others or through nature. This week I have seen His hand in each of these areas.
My daughter has been giving me flowers every day - she can find every wildflower under the sun .Occasionally she'll pinch one of the landscaped flowers, too :) These flowers remind me of how precious she is to me ... God planted this Little Rose right in the heart of my home. My heart has flowered since she was born, too. As difficult as it can be at times to be a mother the joy of having her in my life never leaves. It doesn't mean I don't get frustrated or angry at times but even then I am grateful that God sent her to me.
Speaking of roses, I love Mother Mary. She is a model for all women and I have learned a lot from her. She is the greatest saint of all times. Bar none. We are temples of the Holy Spirit and Mary's soul was His delight. God didn't just randomly pick a woman to bear His Son. No way. The Old Testament has many references to Mary. She was the chosen vehicle to bear the Savior of the world. God prepared her perfectly...she lived in His Will and never stepped out of it. We, too, are called to this state of abandonment to Divine Providence. Through Mary's intercession great graces are poured upon us. Every word that Jesus spoke from the cross has a spiritual significance so deep and great that it is beyond our understanding. It echoes into eternity because Jesus was the "Eternal Word" made flesh. "I thirst" was not merely a cry for a physical thirst to be quenched - it was a deep thirst for souls. It was also our own thirst for God that He took upon Himself. " Behold thy mother" are words that hold that this deep spiritual significance also. If He was merely giving her over into John's care there would be no need for Him to say first, "Woman, behold thy son"... if you say one - the other is a given. Both Mary and John were under the cross. This would be a waste of breath and Jesus didn't have much breath to waste. He was being crucified and every breath was agonizing; there were no useless words upon this cross. He was making a point in speaking both sentences. It is crystal clear to me that He was giving her to each and every one of us. Why? Because Jesus' death and resurrection encompassed all humanity not just John. Sometimes I cannot quite understand how people can thump the Bible and say, "I go by these words alone"...and then not go by them. I have had this said to me so many times that I have lost count. I used to argue over it. Now, I usually just ask the Holy Spirit to send His wisdom and light upon the person. Some people are simply afraid to honor Mary because they mistakenly fear that they are taking something away from God. This shouldn't be a worry. God the Father bestowed on Mary the greatest honor of all - The Holy Spirit came upon her and she gave birth to the Son of God. One of God's commandments is "Honor thy mother and father" and we can be sure that God didn't break His own commandments :)
I tell people that Jesus loved and honored His Mother and He wants us all to do the same. Just as we don't "diss" somebody's mother in this life, we should not spurn Our Lady. If we say we love Jesus and then don't love His Mother, we do not have a good understanding of her true role in salvation history. Like you, I now just pray to the Holy Spirit to enlighten those who are so against honoring Mary.
ReplyDeleteBarb,
ReplyDeleteI like the way you put that!