Mary, Communicator of GraceMary, Communicator of Grace
Let us study Our Lady in the Gospels, and see how she is always spreading happiness and communicating grace to all who turn to her.
The Mystery of the Annunciation
And the Angel Gabriel was sent from God, into the city of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the House of David; and the Virgin's name was Mary. And the Angel being come in said unto her: 'Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: Blessed art thou among women!' (Luke 1:26,27,28)
In the mystery of the Annunciation the Archangel Gabriel salutes Mary as "Full of grace". The very first time she is mentioned in the gospel, Mary's name is linked with grace. There never was, and there never could be, anyone like Mary - she was God's masterpiece, and each of the three Persons of the Blessed Trinity played some part in preparing Mary for her sublime vocation of Mother of God. What a glorious title, "Mother of God", and she is our mother, too.
God the Father accords her the dignity of daughterhood; God the Son awaits her voluntary acceptance of Motherhood - while she remains a perfect virgin; and God the Holy Ghost pours forth on her virginal soul the immense wealth of His grace in choosing her as His Immaculate Spouse.
So flawlessly did the Three Divine Persons work in achieving this work of art, Mary, that when the Archangel Gabriel came to her little room as the Ambassador of the Most High he was so overwhelmed with Mary's great dignity that he could only stammer his wonder in saying, "Hail, full of grace!" When the Angel had given his message, sent from the Most High God, he left - and the great mystery of the Incarnation had taken place: Mary, a girl of Nazareth, had given her consent to become the Mother of God, and in that instant He had taken flesh within her womb. Our redemption had already begun, thanks to Our Lady.
The Visitation
And Mary rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste into a city of Juda. And she entered into the house of Zachary and saluted Elizabeth. And it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb for joy. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost. And she cried out with a loud voice and said: 'Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?' (Luke 1:39,40,41,42)
Immediately Mary began her work of communicating grace to others. So vibrant was Mary over her Motherhood, that she "hastened" as the Gospel says, to visit her cousin Elizabeth who was also to become a mother - the mother of the great Precursor of Christ - Saint John the Baptist. Many great artists have tried to portray the scene of the meeting of these two mothers. Saint Elizabeth embraces Mary with the great affection she felt for this little cousin, and then in deep humility she pronounces the words we repeat after her so often, "Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, and whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should visit me?" She recognized Mary as the Mother of God. As Mother of the Redeemer, Mary began at once her work in the part of the Redemption in freeing Elizabeth's unborn child of the stain of original sin. That is what the Doctors of the Church tell us regarding the words of Saint Elizabeth: "For behold as soon as the voice of thy salvation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy." Saint John had been conceived in original sin, but now the visit of his Unborn Redeemer washed away that stain before he was born. Later, during His public life, our Lord would say of Saint John: "Of those born of women none is greater than John the Baptist." He must have been referring to this marvelous grace of a redemption from original sin, which came to Saint John through Mary on the day of her Visitation of Elizabeth.
The Nativity
And it came to pass that when they were in Bethlehem her days were accomplished, and she brought forth her first-born Son, and wrapped Him up in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds keeping the night watches over their flocks. And behold an Angel of the Lord stood by them , and the brightness of God shone around about them, and they feared with a great fear. And the Angel said to them: 'Fear not: for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy that shall be to all the people. For this day is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.' And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will.' (Luke 2:6-14)
Who shall dare set limits to the plenitude of grace in the soul of Mary on that night when the Son of God was visibly made Flesh "and dwelt among us". On that night of nights when the angels, overflowing with joy, carolled in the midnight skies, who shall ever guess of the billows of grace that broke In quiet beauty and breath-taking loveliness on the shores of Mary's soul. Surely now, more than ever before, she was "full of grace".
The Shepherds Come
When the glorious chorus of angels appeared to the shepherds, and they knew of this "Word that had come to pass", they hurried to the place described by the angel and found the Child with His Mother. It is always the same - Christ and His Mother, and again Mary fulfills her role of communicator of grace and radiates joy to those poor shepherds when she offers her Child for their admiration and worship. Mary, as it were, exposed Christ on the altar of their souls, and placed Our Lord on the throne of grace in their very arms. Who could ever imagine the amount of grace that was so freely offered to them by Our Lady, the great High Priestess. They must surely have returned to their flocks filled with a desire to be vigilant shepherds of Him who was the King and Shepherd of their souls.
The Magi Come
Later there came to the feet of Christ that strange, colorful cavalcade of Oriental Magi saying, "Where is He that is bom King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east and are come to adore Him." When the star that had guided them over the sandy wastes of the desert "stood over where the Child was," they find, as the shepherds did, "the Child with His Mother and falling down they adored Him. And opening their treasures they offered Him gold, frankincense, and myrrh."
Mary was a most gracious hostess on this state occasion, and performed all the ceremonies with queenly grace. Why should she be nervous, or have any fears or hesitation in the presence of royalty, she who mothered the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, before Whom the princely archangel bowed low and spoke in awe: "Hail! full of grace." It is easy to imagine Mary again as High Priestess of the New Testament, holding an exposition ceremony as she placed the Divine Child on the altar of each Magi's arms. That was truly the first enthronement of the Sacred Heart in the Gentile race as represented by the Magi from the East. Surely they received an abundance of grace, thanks to Mary, and went back to their countries as enthusiastic missionaries and preachers of the Divine Word.
Again we see Mary busy in her role of communicator of grace and active in spreading far and wide the "tidings of great joy". In imitating the Magi, what can we give to Mary for the Divine Child? Why not gladly give her for Him the rich gold of our love, the fragrant incense of our prayers, and the precious myrrh of our mortifications?
The Presentation
And after the days of her purification were accomplished they carried Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord; and to offer a sacrifice as it is written in the law of the Lord , a pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons. And Simeon took the Child into his arms and blessed God and said: 'My eyes have seem Thy salvation'. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His Mother: ' Behold this Child is set for the fall and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted. And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that out of many hearts thoughts may be revealed.' (Luke 2:22,24,28,29,30,34,35)
In this mystery Mary brings the grace of holy joy to the aged Simeon and the additional grace of a happy death. We know this from the words he spoke, "Now Thou dost dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, according to Thy word in peace, because my eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all the peoples: A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel."
Picture the scene - a lovely Mother of unearthly beauty coming up the steps of the Temple at Jerusalem, tenderly holding in her arms a tiny Baby and sheltering the Little One from every harmful breeze and blinding sun ray. The old man Simeon had received assurance from the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had looked upon the Desired of the Nations, and now he recognizes in Mary's arms the Redeemer of the World.
Simeon took the Infant into his arms and sang, in the wavering voice of old age, his "Nunc dimittis" - now Thou dost dismiss Thy servant, O Lord. . All around him in the temple heard Simeon's acknowledgement that this was the Savior for whom they were waiting. Mary listened to all of this, she who was being obedient to a law that did not bind her as the Mother of God. Through this act of obedience she won the grace that she communicated to Simeon, and he - tottering on the brink of the grave - received that grace of a holy death after looking upon the Face of the Son of God. What joy and happiness he received through the hands of Mary!
Lessons. We can learn many lessons from this Mystery. First of all, we see how closely united is Our Lady with every instance in the life of her Son. She worked also in closest collaboration with the Holy Spirit, following every inspiration with the greatest perfection.
Secondly, she is ever interested in bringing happiness to souls, in giving Christ to all - the young as well as the old.
Thirdly, we see in this mystery the reward of a blessed life coming to a close at the end of a well spent life in the service of God. Simeon lived for God only, and spent much of his time in the Temple of Jerusalem. His thoughts were ever on the Messiah, and so great was his longing to see Christ in the Flesh, that the Holy Spirit acquiesced to his prayers, - a great privilege accorded him in return for his many years of faithful service.
If we live for Christ and really, sincerely appreciate our holy religion, Mary will reveal Christ ever more and more to us in our Temple - in our Churches - where the same Christ ever abides in our Tabernacles and becomes actually present during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Loving fidelity to the Eucharistic Christ, and to Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, will bring, through Mary's intercession, her Divine Son to us on our death-bed as she practically did for Simeon. We must yearn for Christ as Simeon did, and practice devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, if we dare hope for the same reward as his.
Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple
And it came to pass that after three days they found Him in the temple sitting in the midst of the Doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard Him were astonished at His wisdom and His answers. And He went down with Mary and Joseph and came to Nazareth; and was subject to them. And Mary His Mother kept all these words in her heart. (Luke 2:6-13)
In this Mystery, Mary and Joseph find at the close of the first day's return journey from Jerusalem, that Jesus is missing. It was customary in those days for the men to travel together in one group, and the women in another. The children might travel with either, so Mary and Joseph each had reason to think that the Child was safe with the other. At the evening encampment, when all met for the night's rest, imagine the horror that filled their souls when they discovered that they had lost Jesus!
Grief-stricken and with heavy hearts they retraced their steps back to the Holy City, back to the Temple. They inquired, questioned, searched, and hoped against hope for the smallest clue, but all was in vain. Arriving at Jerusalem their first thought was of the Temple and there - to their astonishment and awe - they saw the Holy Child calmly seated in the midst of the learned Rabbis and scholarly doctors of the law, masterfully and artfully hearing them and asking them questions. In a burst of motherly concern Mary questions, "Son, why hast Thou done so to us? Behold, Thy father and I have sought Thee sorrowing?" Notice the exquisite courtesy of Mary, putting Saint Joseph - the foster-father of Jesus, first. How natural was this spontaneous reproach from a loving mother's aching heart. Any mother whose blood had formed and fashioned her child, any woman in whose heart burns the flame of a maternal, protective love, would have said the same thing as did Mary, the true Mother of this Child who was God. And the Son, loving her more than any son ever loved a mother, answered: "How is it that you sought Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?"
The rest of the dramatic incident is too rich in meaning to omit: "And He went down with them to Nazareth and was subject to them. And His Mother kept all these words in her heart."
Lessons. One can hardly restrain the stream of lessons that gush forth from this fifth mystery of the Holy Rosary.
Mary lost Jesus through no fault of her own for some forty-eight hours, and life was practically unbearable to her. She sought Him sorrowing. And you? Maliciously and guiltily and premeditatedly you lose Jesus through deliberate mortal sin. With eyes wide open you miss Mass on Sunday, you eat meat on forbidden days, you tell "dirty" jokes, tell suggestive stories, use your body for impure purposes, defile the bodies of others, you blaspheme the name of God, you scandalize others, you pilfer and steal.
Mary sought Jesus sorrowing.
And you? Week after week, month after month, you revel in your sin - as Scripture says - "drinking iniquity like water". There is no question of repentance or sorrow. Confession? To confess would mean giving up that bad companion, the exacting of a promise to avoid the occasion of sin, the use of the means of grace, receiving the Sacraments frequently, leading a decent life. Do you seek Jesus sorrowing, as Mary did? Perhaps instead you keep Jesus and Mary sorrowing. What a difference between Mary and you, her child! Where did Mary find Jesus? In the Temple carrying on His work of instructing others in the ways of God. Where can you find Jesus? In the same place. There, too, you will find Jesus in the serenity and security of a sincere and contrite confession; in the peace and joy of a good conscience; in the ecstasy and fervor of a devout Holy Communion.
What was Jesus doing? He was enlightening others in the way of God. You will find Jesus doing the same in your visits to the Blessed Sacrament, in your attendance at Holy Mass, in your reception of Him in Holy Communion. His concern is ever to enlighten your mind on the things of God, for He knows that the more knowledge you have of Him and His Kingdom, the more keenly and ardently you will love Him.
Our Lady teaches us another lesson. She found life unbearable without Jesus' holy presence and so, having found Him, she took Him with her and there at Nazareth for 18 blissful years she never let Jesus out of her sight. And you? Do you find life unbearable without Jesus? Do you take Him with you to your homes, to your places of business, to your parties and dances? Do you try to "live Jesus" by your practice of charity in the family-circle, by giving good example, by exercising patience toward your associates? Can people say of you as one man said after seeing the Cure of Ars: "I have seen God today in a man?" Can people say of you as they said of a little girl of France, Anne de Guigne: "Jesus is in her eyes!" Can people say of you as one wife said of her husband: "His soul is like a cathedral in which there is held constant exposition of the Blessed Sacrament." Can people say of your family: "Why, the members of that family would never miss Mass"? Can people say of you individually: "I have never heard an unkind, an uncharitable, a bad word or a sentence from that person's lips"? If this is true of you, you may feel sure that you have, like Mary, taken Jesus to your home after finding Him in your parish Church through a heartfelt repentance.
From Jesus' attitude toward His Mother, whom He dearly loved and toward whom He could not show the least spirit of irreverence or rebellion, we can learn the important lesson of doing God's will in spite of anything or anybody. Though someone be as dear to us and as near to us as Our Mother, and yet God's law is in question, we must choose to disappoint this person - or even cause grief - rather than go contrary to what we know to be God's will for us. That was the spirit behind what might seem a blunt and stem answer of Christ to His Mother: "Didst thou not know that I must be about My Father's business?"
- text taken from Rosary Meditations for Fatima Saturday, by Father Lester Martin Dooley, S.V.D.