The beginning of The Imitation of Mary calls her a "masterpiece of grace." Every newly baptized infant shares in that description as a mini-masterpiece of grace. Next time you hold a baptized baby, look into the little one's clean eyes and you will catch a glimpse of heaven. After Jesus, Mary is the source of our salvation. If you want to follow Him, follow her. She is a sure guide and will teach you to walk unerringly in His footsteps.
We don't see Mary in the bible busy running around. Her life was mostly spent in silence. She gives us only one piece of advice - at the wedding feast of Cana. "Do whatever He tells you." We can only follow that advice if we listen to Him. And we can only hear Him in silence, going apart like He did to a quiet place away from the world and it's distractions:
If you are not careful to flee the world, it will soon beguile you, and once you have tasted what the world has to offer, you will no longer have any taste for what God offers. (Book 1, chapter 7)
The world is a noisy and distracting place. When I go into a restaurant with TVs everywhere I also choose a place where I can't see it so I can enjoy the company of my family or friends and not be constantly distracted. But much as I love enjoying the company of others, I like to be alone. My morning time with the Lord gives me my balance for the day. Mass gives me the "daily bread" to nourish my soul. We all need silence:
It is in solitude that God enables your heart to hear the secret words that only He can speak. His heart will speak to yours in a language that only His friends can understand, and His words will imprint upon your soul the truths that spring from His love. (Book 1 chapter 7)
I want to tie up my little boat securely to the two pillars of St. John Bosco's dream -- the large pillar bearing our Eucharistic Lord and the smaller pillar bearing Mary. He is the source of all life and salvation. She is the help of Christians. What a tragic loss if we refuse her help as we struggle along the road to the City of God.
How sad that the feminist movement has deprived women of these quiet moments, away from the world and pondering God's will for our families and all the little souls under our care! Now we are forced to run about frantically attempting the impossible--"bringing home the bacon and frying it up, too."
ReplyDeleteI agree. I once debated a feminist on the radio and when I said I was a wife and mother, she disparagingly said I wasn't a slave. As if working in an office for a boss who is your work master isn't slavery. How many people in the work force don't have a "master" above them?
ReplyDeleteA wife and mother, on the other hand, is the co-captain on the ship of life. The description of her in Proverbs shows exactly how much she is in charge of a tight ship. She is "worth more than diamonds." (Prov. 31: 10-31. How many receptionists and secretaries in the workforce can claim a hymn describing them that way? They are cogs in the wheel at the office.