Month of Mary Reflections

DEVOTION

Mary- Mother of Christ

"Jesus Christus, Deus homo: Jesus Christ, God man. This is one of the ‘mighty works of God,' which we should reflect upon and thank him for. He has come to bring ‘peace on earth to men of good will,' to all who want to unite their wills to the holy will of God -- not just the rich, not just the poor, but everyone: all the brethren. We are all brothers in Jesus, children of God, brothers of Christ. His mother is our mother." 

Let us offer to our Mother today:

Jesus himself, when we receive him in Holy Communion.

(Catholic News Agency)

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(Over the next four weeks, we will share 4 of the 5 lessons discussed in the following blog.)

5 Lessons Mary Taught Me about Being a Mother

- Dr. Julie Barrier

You never stop being a mom. From the day you learn you have a bun in the oven to the day you breathe your last, your child is always on your mind and in your heart.

Mary, Jesus’ mother, encourages me. Her struggles are my struggles. The following are five lessons Mary taught me about being a mother:

*️LESSON 1:

PREGNANCY IS TERRIFYING FOR EVERY EXPECTANT MOTHER.  BEING A MOM IS SCARY.  MARY TAUGHT US TO ENTRUST OUR KIDS TO GOD.

“Will I get fat? Will labor and delivery hurt? Will my baby be healthy? Will my husband still love me? Can I handle being a parent?”

Pregnancy for Mary was more than scary, it was life-threatening.

Luke tells the story of the angel’s announcement to Mary in Luke 1:26-38:

“The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.’

‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’”

The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.'”

Mary knew the cost of being an unwed mother. She risked losing the man she loved and the reputation she guarded.

I became pregnant with our first child right after we moved 1,000 miles away from family and friends to the sweltering Arizona desert. Roger, my husband, was a young pastor. This was our first full-time church. We had 500 Bible commentaries and no money. But God called us to go there. I was petrified. How could we afford to have a baby?

Mary accepted the risks of God’s call. She believed that God would be a Father to His Son. I was inspired by her to trust Him and be obedient to His timing and perfect plan.

DEVOTION

Mary - At Cana

"In the Gospel, St. John has recorded a wonderful phrase of our Lady. At the wedding of Cana, she turned to the waiters and said: ‘Do whatever he tells you.' That is what it is all about -- get­ting people to face Jesus and ask him: ‘Lord, what do you want me to do?' " 

Let us offer to our Mother today:

Prompt obedience, when we are called or asked to do some errand or some act of service.

(Catholic News Agency)

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5 Lessons Mary Taught Me about Being a Mother

- Dr. Julie Barrier

You never stop being a mom. From the day you learn you have a bun in the oven to the day you breathe your last, your child is always on your mind and in your heart.

Mary, Jesus’ mother, encourages me. Her struggles are my struggles. The following are five lessons Mary taught me about being a mother:

*️LESSON 2:

MARY DIDN’T FACE MOTHERHOOD ALONE.  NEITHER WILL YOU.

People don’t often realize that when the angel came to Mary, he told her about Elizabeth’s pregnancy at the very same time.

“…Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age.” - Luke 1:36

Mary immediately went to visit her cousin Elizabeth when Gabriel disappeared. What reassurance and encouragement Elizabeth gave! 

“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She exclaimed: ‘Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!’” - Luke 1:41-45

Mary was not alone when she carried her child. She didn’t know Joseph would marry her until she returned from her visit with Elizabeth, three months into her pregnancy. Elizabeth’s encouragement sustained Mary and kept her focused on God’s promise.

Roger and I learned our first baby was in danger ten weeks into my pregnancy. I carried our daughter to term, but she was born with a genetic defect that would eventually take her life. We fed her milk with a tiny syringe for nine months. But we weren’t alone. Ten of our church ladies appeared at our door and rotated overnight stays with our baby girl so we could sleep. Even with parents so far away, we never felt alone.

DEVOTION

Mary - Queen of the Apostles

"If we take our Lady's hand, she will make us realize more fully that all men are our brothers -- because we are all sons of that God whose daughter, spouse, and mother she is. Our neighbors' problems must be our problems. Christian fraternity should be something very deep in the soul, so that we are indifferent to no one. Mary, who brought up Jesus and accompanied him through his life and is now beside him in heaven, will help us recognize Jesus as he crosses our path and makes himself present to us in the needs of others."  

Let us offer to our Mother today:

A kind word, a friendly conversation, a helping hand to persons with whom we live or work.

(Catholic News Agency)

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5 Lessons Mary Taught Me about Being a Mother

- Dr. Julie Barrier

You never stop being a mom. From the day you learn you have a bun in the oven to the day you breathe your last, your child is always on your mind and in your heart.

Mary, Jesus’ mother, encourages me. Her struggles are my struggles. The following are five lessons Mary taught me about being a mother:

 *️LESSON 3:

MARY WANTED TO PROTECT HER SON.  WE MUST LET OUR KIDS GO AND GROW.

We witness a telling episode between Mary and her son as she loses Jesus while traveling.

“When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, ‘Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you. ’Why were you searching for me?’ he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?’ But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” - Luke 2:45-52

Note that Mary and Joseph frantically searched for Jesus. They felt mistreated. Jesus’ answer didn’t reassure them. Yet Mary pondered Jesus’ words. She trusted God to bring about His plan for Jesus’ life.

Brianna, my oldest daughter, sailed through puberty. Yes, there were wardrobe battles, but she was a people-pleaser. My younger daughter, Bronwyn, was a rebel determined to break the “pastor’s kid” mold. She died her hair orange and pierced her belly button with a safety pin before she turned 13. How could I let her grow up safely without locking her in a closet?

My girls are grown now. They are brilliant, beautiful women. However, I still struggle with being overprotective. I need to watch God work even when I don’t understand what He is doing. 

DEVOTION

Mary - Welcoming the Magi 

"‘Going into the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother. Our Lady is always near her Son. The Magi are not received by a king on a high throne, but by a child in the arms of his mother. Let us ask the Mother of God, who is our mother, to pre­pare for us the way that leads to the fullness of love .... Her sweet heart knows the surest path for finding Christ." 

Let us offer to our Mother today:

A visit to a poor person to communicate

our Lady‘s concern for that person.

(Catholic News Agency)

🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️

5 Lessons Mary Taught Me about Being a Mother

- Dr. Julie Barrier

You never stop being a mom. From the day you learn you have a bun in the oven to the day you breathe your last, your child is always on your mind and in your heart.

Mary, Jesus’ mother, encourages me. Her struggles are my struggles. The following are five lessons Mary taught me about being a mother:

*️LESSON 4:

MARY HAD TO WATCH HER SON SUFFER.  WE MUST ALLOW OUR CHILDREN TO SUFFER FOR THEIR GOOD.

The road Jesus walked would lead to a bloody cross. 

“Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’” – John 19:25-27

Mary knew about Jesus’ calling. She probably taught Him the Psalm of the Cross while He sat on her lap. She remembered Gabriel’s words, the star, the wise man’s gift of myrrh, the prophecies of Simeon and Anna. Mary watched in horror as Jesus hung, suspended between heaven and earth. She knew His destiny, but I’m sure Jesus’ mother hoped for another way to save His people. His suffering was hers as well.

My oldest daughter suffers from chronic pain and nausea every day. Today she just finished a regular 12-hour IV infusion to fortify her immune system. It is a hard-won fight. Every time I take in a breath, I think of her. I eagerly await little victories instead of devastating setbacks.

No mother wants to see her child suffer. Not one.

But Jesus’ suffering brought sinful mankind eternal life. And suffering builds character in our sons and daughters.

Mary continues to inspire me to be a mother of faith, a mother of patience, and a mother of prayer.

I hope to love my girls like she loved her Son, and that this will inspire you to do the same.