Mary Reminds Creation that the World’s Standards are not Lasting!
God chose Mary to be His son’s mother. Of all the different women in the world at that time why did God choose Mary? From her outward appearance, Mary was not a privileged or spoiled woman of leisure. What we gather from the gospels is that Mary and Joseph were simply a loving, poor couple who took their faith seriously.
This was obvious from the moment of Jesus’ birth, and again today when they presented Jesus in the temple. Joseph and Mary were only able to offer the bare minimum, two birds as the sacrificial gift.
As a wife and mother, Mary spent her days working diligently, and likely struggling at times to meet the needs of her family, given the limited income from Joseph’s successful, but small carpentry trade.
As the lady of the house, we can only imagine Mary spending her days cooking, cleaning, and drawing water from the town well. Exhausted, Mary probably spent time tending to the few livestock they were able to maintain.
Mary’s hands and clothing often showed the grime and damage that comes from a life of difficult physical labor. This less romantic image of Mary, the Mother of God, is both a comfort and a challenge.
This image communicates how God calls us to follow him with all our messiness. This unites our imperfect efforts to the death and resurrection of his son, to become a perfect and holy offering.
Like Mary, we come to God as we are, and by God’s grace, are transformed into what God calls us to become. Mary challenges us as well. She conformed her life perfectly to God’s will, receiving God’s word and bringing it to birth.
She walked alongside Jesus in his ministry straight from his cross to his tomb. Even after his resurrection, Mary joined his other disciples in prayer waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Like Mary, we are asked not to shy away from the demanding steps of discipleship, but rather to face them head on. Realizing that following Jesus may lead to our passion and death on our own cross.
We gaze upon Mary as our new Eve, the mother of everyone, Jesus, you, me, and the whole of creation. Mary’s life choices remind every baptized person that the world’s standards are not lasting, while the choices that Mary selected will last throughout eternity. Indeed, Mary heard the word of God and throughout her time on earth kept it.
We only have what we give. Anonymous
Kitchen Madonna, Susie Grossman, artist
