Devotion to Mary.....Time Well Spent

A question from an evangelical friend a short time ago prompted me to write this piece. Most everyone who knows me is aware that I like to hang around with the Blessed Virgin and pray the Rosary each day. So, the question I received is one that so many Catholics receive, but unfortunately, many are unable to answer. That question is this: Why go to Mary when you can go to Jesus Himself? Not a bad question, and a fair one. Years back I drifted from Christ’s Church, and even spent time in an evangelical one, and, as the place was full of Catholics who had left their Church, I found it a question that was asked often. Most didn’t know, others had outright hatred toward Mary, and a lot fell into the category of thinking that Catholics "worship idols". Eventually, I returned to the Catholic Church, and got a degree in Pastoral/Theology at the age of 47. I had experienced some very specific incidents that I KNOW were at Mary’s intercession (that’s not the point, perhaps I will talk in detail about that in a later piece), I still wanted to find the answer to that question. So, I decided to pray, and to do some research. So, I did.

I guess I’ll start at the Gospel of John, at the Wedding of Cana. I had since come to the realization that the Bible is the story of God’s relationship to His people, not just a history book, I prayed to know the complete meaning of the story. We know that they were there 2 days, rather than 3, which indicated that His story did not end there, it is just beginning. We also know that it was His first miracle, the one that raised the curtain on His ministry. And - this is the biggie - we know that the miracle was done at the request of His Mother. As a side, we know he addressed His Mother as "woman", something that any young Jewish man of the day would never do....(even today, had I addressed my Mom like that it would have wound up a swift kick in the butt), and we know there was a very specific reason for that. We know that the groom went to His Mother for help, and she did what she always does....showed him to Jesus with the command "do what He tells you". Not a co-incidence....the message to all of us that we should not be afraid to do the same. When we pray the Rosary, or communicate with Our Lady that is exactly what we are doing.

The story of salvation itself......think about Mary for a moment. You’re a young girl of about 16 or so (they think)....a devout Jew, and an Angel shows up out of nowhere and informs you that you will bear the Son of God, the child that will show salvation to the world. That’s pretty heavy, folks. Remember, too, that the Cross & Resurrection have not happened yet....you are relying on interpretations of the Torah for your information. You also know that in the society you live in, the penalty for becoming pregnant out of wedlock is pretty severe. At the very best you would become ostracized, persona non grata. At the very worse you could be stoned to death. Not a great scenario, and neither sound very inviting. The explanation you would have is that an Angel appeared to you and told you this was the deal. C’mon, do you really think those judging you would buy that? Especially at a time when women were not the equal of men? And, the kicker was that she was not forced to do this. She was asked! A lot hung in the balance as she was contemplating God’s question, "Do you trust me? Do you?" She thought about it.....Scripture is clear.....but, she submitted herself to God’s will, and the rest is history. Her "yes" to God’s will undid Eve’s "no".

Of course, I could throw in the Magnificat (from where the Hail Mary is derived almost word for word) in Luke’s Gospel, the service to others and the tough times she had during and after her pregnancy, a message to us that accepting Christ is going to have it’s challenges, and her trust that her son would accomplish what He was there to do. And, to top it off, as He was dying on the Cross, He gave all of us to Her as our mother, the mother of our salvation. And, she chose to accept, again in accordance to His will. She was there at the beginning and the end of His ministry. She never distanced herself from her Son.

However, the simplest reason is the fact He CHOSE to come to us through her. He didn’t decide to hop off a bus and say "I’m here"....he didn’t just wander in out of the desert. He made a specific point to come to us through His Mother, and inspired the writers of the Gospels to emphasize that point. So, It must have meant something very important to Him. We are very wrong to trivialize it.

Devotion to Mary was very much a part of the early Church, it became a pariah to some disciplines long after the reformation. One could also make the point that the founder of Protestantism, Martin Luther, never distanced himself from Mary. He prayed the rosary, and encouraged that prayer, until the day he passed. Another little fact that has gotten lost in the passage of time. It can very easily be assumed that maybe the early Church got it right the first time.

Now, I’m fully aware of what is going to happen. There are going to be some very knowledgeable Evangelicals who are going to read this and get on their hackles. That’s OK, too. There are a lot of things that they miss in a literal interpretation of Scripture. This is just part of the fullness of Christ’s relationship to His people.....a beautiful part. Obviously, Christ thought of everything when it came to providing the tools for His people to stay close to Him.

An old priest told me many years ago...."If you want to stay close to Christ, stay close to His Mother". It’s still true.

God Bless.