Today, we celebrate the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church.
Some years ago, Father Jay asked this question in a homily: “What if Mary had said NO when the Angel Gabriel announced to her that she would be the Mother of God?”
We are all created in God’s image and God gave us a Free Will to say Yes or No to him. Therefore, Mary had the ability to say No to God.
What if God decided that he would only give humanity one chance at salvation from the Original Sin that happened in the Garden of Eden, and that hinged on Mary’s answer. What if Mary said, “A pregnancy would be so inconvenient at this point in my life.” In essence saying No for all of humanity.
To put it into today’s terms, what if Mary said “I can’t get pregnant now. I am so busy now with our wedding planning and the scandal would be shameful to us and to my family. I don’t want to endure all of that right now.”
Today, sex before marriage is accepted and normal. An accidental pregnancy today simply means that one would get an abortion and it’s no longer a problem. This is true of many Catholics sitting in the pews in the US today and not just our political leaders. A pregnancy would not even be considered shameful let alone a sin.
It’s easy for us to criticize the political leaders who consider themselves devout Catholics while pushing for abortion as a woman’s right while we still find it acceptable in our own hearts.
Fortunately for all generations to come including us today, Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”
Mary’s complete dependency on God in spite of the fear and terror in her heart when she said “Yes” is a model for us today. Mary was an extremely devout person, that’s why she found favor with God. She also knew the penalty for adultery was death by stoning. She knew the shame that would come to her family when it was revealed that she was pregnant.
But fear never stopped Mary. She feared for her son’s safety when Joseph led them into Egypt to escape Herod’s wrath on the children of Bethlehem. She and Joseph were frantic when Jesus was missing when they were returning home from the feast in Jerusalem. She endured the suffering and crucifixion of her son silently on the sideline fearing for his life. She was at the cross when her son died a terrible, painful death.
While Mary experienced a life of fear and pain, she also experienced joy and peace in her later years. Mary was there when her son, hanging on the cross, gave her to the Disciple he loved to care for as his own mother. She was there after Jesus rose from the tomb. She was there when Jesus appeared after his resurrection. And Mary was there with his Disciples at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon the new Church.
Our lives are filled with so much pain and suffering. Mary’s life is an example for us that joy and peace will come. Together, let us pray to our Holy Mother:
Hail, Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
