Becoming More Obedient Like Mary

Mary, our Holy Mother was obedient to God all her earthly life and this included keeping reflecting on all the shepherds said to herself and Joseph in her heart.  This passage in the Gospel of Luke is only one place that displays the quality of reflection the first to display her obedience was the Annunciation/Immaculate Conception/Visitation when even though puzzled and troubled by what the Angel Gabriel had said to her she pondered the angels statement and gave her ascent to the ultimate command of God to give birth to his Son, Jesus.

These are the events we recall when we pray the Hail Mary.

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with you.

Blessed are you among women

And Blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death

Amen

We should reflect on and ponder these words as well as the teachings of Jesus. As I enter the New Year I plan to place more emphasis on reflecting on Mary’s acts and other teachings of the Lord. This requires pondering and praying the words of scripture as well as the Rosary and the Liturgy of the Hours.

 

The importance of the Hail Mary is that it demonstrates in concise form how God views the pure and lowly. Mary and Joseph were a poor Nazarene couple that was of King David’s line. Jesus’s place of birth was a stable. Mary always praised God and followed his will.

 

The announcement of the Angel “Hail full of grace, the lord is with you, (Lk. 1:28-29) greatly troubled Mary. This announcement, troubling to Mary at the time, opens our prayer requesting her intercession on our behalf.  This greeting which we dare to use ourselves to address Mary means that she is fully given over to God as his servant. It also means that the Lord is in her midst (CCC 2676).

 

After the greeting of the Angel becomes part of the prayer next we encounter Elizabeth’s greeting to Mary and make it part of our prayer. “Blessed art thou among women. And blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus (Lk. 1:42). Mary is the first in generational successions of women who believed in the fulfillment of the Lord’s word and so she is blessed among women. Also she became the mother of all believers through her faith. This makes Jesus the “fruit of her womb” (CCC 2676)

 

Next is our amazement alongside Elizabeth that The mother of our lord should come to us. Because Mary gives us her son, Jesus she is the Mother of God. We can entrust our petitions and care to her because she prays for us. Her prayers for us are as she prayed for herself, “Let it be done to me according to your word” (CCC 2677, Lk 1:38).

 

Finally, by requesting Mary’s intercession we are acknowledging we are poor sinners and address ourselves to the Mother of Mercy. We also surrender the hour of our death to her asking her to be present as she was at the foot of the cross for her son’s death (CCC 2628).

 

Reflecting on and pondering these thoughts, verses, and prayer allows me to marvel at Mary’s complete obedience to God and her ability to reflect on and ponder her mission in life. I am hoping to apply these lessons in scripture study, mass and study of all other knowledge throughout the year.