Mother Mary/ Mary’s courageous living

Mary’s courageous living

Sr Patricia Michelle Mathias fsp

More often than not, Mary has been proclaimed as the humble one, the silent one, the one whose heart was pierced with a lance. What often gets negated is the fact that Mary our Mother is a very courageous woman. Right from the Annunciation to the Ascension, Mary proves to be a woman of Faith and courage. A woman who challenges our living through her ordeals in life! No other example can compete the beauty of Mary’s call to Motherhood and Mary’s courageous response- a response that changed the entire course of her life.

Pregnancy was a taboo before marriage. The punishment was as harsh as being stoned to death. Mary knew that if she said ‘Yes’ to Archangel Gabriel. She was running a huge risk. A risk to her name, a risk to her betrothal to Joseph, A risk of death! And yet, Mary had the courage to say ‘Yes’ to God’s plan. Mary’s  ‘Yes’ was a courageous one, knowing the fact that she was a virgin and the entire society would rush to kill her when the news of her pregnancy would leak. Yet, a young girl, far too mature for her age decides to take the risk for God and answers a ‘Yes’ to God’s messenger to bring forth God’s Son.

Mary’s witness to a courageous living did not stop there. A pregnant Mary voluntarily makes a long distance journey in order to help her old cousin, ‘Elizabeth’. One needs to bear in mind journeying in those days was not as good as the journey on the tar roads of today. They were mountainous terrains. Very risky and dangerous to travel alone on! A pregnant, young Mary in her utter generosity thinks of her old cousin, rather than herself. Mary cross-questions our own luke- warm, individualistic behaviour in the consumerist society of today, wherein, we have to no time for others. Often many of us run to church and say ‘Praise the Lord and Praise you Jesus’ but the same person may never know his or her neighbour. Our Work or our prayer at times becomes self-centred. Jesus summarises the Ten Commandments into two when he says, ‘Love of God and Love of neighbour’. Mary sets an example of service and the exemplary attitude ‘of reaching out to those in need’ before each one of us today. She is the first witness to a ‘Christ-like’ living.

And again Mary has to run with her baby and her husband. That horrible mountaneous terrain… And she barely has strength after pregnancy and yet with every ounce of energy left, she goes. Herod hounds the child day and night. They have to rush at night as soon as the angel warns and live in total silence to avoid any attention for the child. Wouldn’t we grumble, first bear the mighty’s son and run out of fear, hiding that we won’t be killed! Lockdown reminds us of this hiding out of fear of death. Mary understands. She knows what it is to fear death. She knows what it is to hide and remain quiet. It is like a journey of training. God trains her and she responds with flair. She is a good student.

The wedding at Cana is another example of Mary’s living of the commandments of God. She once gain reaches out the family of those getting married when she realises the wedding hosts can get into an embarrassing situation with the wine running out.  She demands a miracle from Jesus. Jesus, who is initially unwilling, just can’t refuse his Mother. Jesus performs his first miracle. Mary knew that her son was divine. When her son showed hesitation, Mary being a gentle woman would have sensed her son’s discomfort in performing a miracle. But Mary shows that she is a woman who is also a generous and a courageous mother. She does not take ‘no’ for an answer from her son. Jesus gives in to Mary’s demand. Mary’s courage and sensitivity towards the needs of others cannot but compel Jesus to perform the divine miracle.

Mary had to live a solitary life with her only Son touring all over with his mission of proclaiming the good news. But Mary does not give up on her son. She reaches out to him. And even when most of his disciples abandon him at a time when he needs them the most, Mother Mary stands close to her son. The movie ‘Passion of Christ’ has a striking scene when Jesus falls with the weight of the cross, Mary is shown in a flashback scene of how when he fell as a little boy, she would rush to pick him and hold him in her arms. Mary’s courage leads her closer to the foot of the cross. She does not care about the soldiers. She witnesses to her Son. Mary often challenges our faith. In our lives, when we lose the ones we love to premature deaths or accidents or any such painful incidents, we tend to question God. We blame him for our misfortunes. We ask God, “Why me?” We complain. We fret. We brood. Mary, the woman of courage, surrenders! Through her brokenness Mary stands with all of us who have gone through pain in our lives. She stands by us because she knows the pain of losing her beloved Son. Mary encourages us with her own courageous response to life.

Mary does not give up hope. She is there with the apostles in the cenacle when the descent of the Holy Spirit occurs. Mary is a leader in Prayer, praise and Worship. She is a woman of the spirit. She stands for truth, justice, love, sensitivity, care, concern, but much more than that she witnesses to a life of courage. She is a beautiful example to every woman who wishes to stand for God, His values and His will. She is a woman of justice in times of trial. She does not fail to stand on the side of Truth even if she risked being man-handled by soldiers. She is a courageous Mother.

A Mother we love!