Saturday, August 15, 2015

My Lady, My Mother

Ὅ τι ἂν λέγῃ ὑμῖν ποιήσατε
"Whatever he says to you, do it."
John 2:5

This message must be pretty interesting to hear, considering that the final phrase is now a meme or a slogan, whichever you choose.  And yet, it has been with us for nearly two thousand years.  What have we learned?
Today, we have many churches, many faithful people, and many services.  However, are we still fulfilling this command?
"My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God, my savior."
These are the start of a hymn of praise that Mary says before the birth of Jesus Christ.
Throughout the gospels, Mary appears in some significant moments in her son's life, such as his birth, his first miracle, and at the foot of his cross.  These are a longstanding example of a great mother, one who loves her son before all else.
The Virgin reminds me of my mother, especially after seeing that she was present at most of the significant events in her son's life; for my mom has been at all of the significant events of my life.  She sings, just as Mary does, and she loves me very much, both through all the good and bad.  Alongside being a great mother, she is also someone who has pointed me to God.
My mom's greatest message and advice to me is, "Get on your knees and pray."  She always points me to God, just as Mary does in the Gospels.  When there was a shortage of wine in a wedding feast, she states the solution: Whatever he says to you, do it.
After seeing these parallels, I can only imagine what a great mother Mary was to Jesus, especially after witnessing throughout my whole life the great mothering from my Mama.  Mary must have sung to him many things, and she must have done so much for him throughout his childhood, just as my Mama has.  She was there with him throughout times of great glory, such as the miracle at the wedding feast, and times of sadness (which approaches embarrassment), the crucifixion.
I intentionally chose to have an ambiguous title with this.  In one sense, Mary, my lady, is my mother.  She has shown a life as an example of pure love and devotion in Christ.  In another sense, there are two women in this post, my lady, Mary, and my mother, Sandra Montes.  And, in yet another, I have my lady and mother, who has never left my side, always leading me to Jesus, just as the Holy, Blessed Virgin Mary does.

No comments:

Post a Comment