Mary Our Mother And Model

[simpleazon-image align=”left” asin=”0385501692″ locale=”us” height=”375″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31cl7q3yRIL.jpg” width=”281″]John 3:16 tells us that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  As Catholics and Christians, we know and believe this to be true!  But what’s the problem?

For our salvation, it is not enough that God loves us. It is not enough that Jesus died for us. We must respond to God’s love.

If we do not respond, all that Jesus did could be in vain. Hebrews 4: 2 – 3: “Hearing the message did them no good because they did not share the same faith as to those who listened ……..”

God made us free and because we are free, salvation is not complete until we respond.

Why is Mary important? Why is she our Modern and Model? Because the human race has a problem. We to not listen to God. We do not respond to this love. We are bent on doing things our way. We do not cooperate with him so that his plan for us can be realized. Luke 7:29-31.

In the second letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 6 verse 1, St. Paul speaks about God’s grace being in vain.

In Amos chapter 4, versus 6 onwards, God is complaining that he has tried everything to bring his people back to Him but they do not respond.

Some of the saddest moments in the Gospels are when Jesus speaks of the lack of response. For example, in Matthew 23:37-39, Jesus cries over Jerusalem because they would not respond in spite of all he has done. He expressed his sadness over the unbelieving towns that did not repent: Matthew 11:20-24.

On the other hand, the people in Luke 3:8-14 understood the need to respond. They understood that when God comes to us, something must change in our lives. They understood that the love relationship between God and us requires for us to play an active part.

We have a problem of putting off our response to God. Jesus has some very hard words for people who put off their response to his love and call for repentance and conversion. Luke 12:13-21.

Jesus knew that we would find it difficult to respond to God. That is why he left us his Mother because she is a specialist in responding to God. She is a specialist in saying “yes” to God and in giving Him her heart, and what God desires most is for us to surrender our hearts to Him.

Whatever someone says with their dying breath, is always something of importance. Jesus in his dying breath, had something very important to say to us. He knew that in spite of all he had said and done, we would have a hard time responding to His love. So in his dying breath, he gave his mother Mary to us. John 19:25-27.

Luke 11:27-28, Jesus tells the people that his mother is not a blessed because she bore him and nursed him. Jesus said that she is blessed rather because she heard the word of God and kept it. It is the desire of the heart of Jesus that we hear and live by His words.

Not only does Mary have a passion to do God’s will, but she is also very much on the same wavelength as God. In John 6:29, Jesus says that what God wants of us is to believe in the one and that he has sent. Again at the transfiguration, God said, “this is my son the beloved listen to him”. In John 2:5, at the wedding feast in Cana, Mary tells and the servants basically the same thing; that is, “do what ever he tells you.”

On the first Pentecost Sunday, Mary was there with the apostles before and after the descent of the Holy Spirit to teach them to respond to the Holy Spirit. It is not enough to have the Holy Spirit. We must learn to respond and cooperate with the Holy Spirit. Mary can help us to do this.

Mary is an important model because of the trust in God. Mary did not understand many things that happened in her life, but she knew God and trusted him. She knew that he was infinitely faithful, merciful, and loving. She knew that God is always true to his word. Because of this, Mary always trusted God even though as scripture says, she did not understand. Mary is a fantastic model for us here because in our own lives, things will happen that will make no sense. Things will happen that will test a faith and trust in God. Mary will help us to stand firm in the faith and trust in God when life becomes very difficult and painful.

Mary trusted God with her life. When she said yes to God’s desire for her to be the mother of Jesus, she knew that she could have been put to death for being pregnant outside of marriage, since it was the norm in those days, and the death sentence was carried out by stoning to death.

Another important reason why Mary is a fantastic model for us Christians is that she prayed a lot. Scripture says time and time again, that Mary pondered on these things in her heart. That is prayer. When the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, Mary was there with them praying and teaching them to respond to the Holy Spirit.

Mary teaches us to get involved, and to be sensitive to the needs of others. At the wedding feast in Cana, Mary got involved and saw that the newly married couple was out of wine. Mary did something about it. She took it to her son a Jesus in prayer. She put Jesus in the spotlight. Scripture says that Mary was invited, and that Jesus and his disciples had also been invited. Jesus had not yet started his public ministry. As a result of Mary’s intersession, Jesus’ glory was seen, and his disciples believed in him. John 2:11.

Of all the saints, Mary is our most powerful intercessor with God. Mary is close to the heart of God. The prayer of someone who is close to God is more powerful than those of someone will is not. In times of trouble, it is the friends of God whose prayers and answered. For example, the prayer of Elijah – James 5:13-18, and that of Moses in the desert – Exodus 32:11-14.

Going to God through intercessors was a normal thing for God’s people. Jeremiah 15:1.

God sent those in need of prayer to people whose prayers are strong. Genesis 20:7-17 and Job 42:7-10.

Our prayers are weakened because of our attachment to sin. The friend of God (the just man), is the person who is trying to live his life without sin. James 4: 2-3, James 5:15-18, Psalm 66:16-19.

Mary has no sin and therefore there are no obstacles to her prayer. She was able to get Jesus to work his first miracle at the wedding feast in Cana before he was due to start his public ministry. John 2:1-10.

It is therefore wise to ask Mary to adopt our problems as she did at the wedding feast in Cana and take them to her Jesus. It is wise for us to invite her into all hearts and into our homes.