A Journey of Renewal: Oh Maria, Madre Mia!

Ok, here's the deal. I am a Catholic, if you know me you know this about me already. Being Catholic can be simple and yet complex. Being Catholic means that I believe in the teachings of our ancient Church, a community that begun when Jesus' disciples (apostles)gathered after his death; who left for us a model of living and of how to worship our God; how to be Church. Now, those of you who are reading this and are not Catholic may have all sort of assumptions about my faith and my church. I have found that the most confused about the Catholic faith and Church are those who once were Catholic themselves and were catechized (taught) in a way that is not truly and authentically Catholic. And then there are the Hollywood images of Catholicism which usually contorts the Catholic faith into something it isn't. And there are many Catholics who just don't know their faith and easily confuse others when asked about what the Church teaches. This is the case often when we are asked about why we "worship" Mary.

Mary was a young Jewish girl, who we believe accepted God's invitation to become the Mother of Jesus. We see her as the first disciple. She was the first to say "yes" to God. This is scriptural. In Luke's Gospel he references 3 themes in regards to Mary-they are discipleship, her virginity and motherhood. In Luke 1:26-38 he tells us of the moment of the Incarnation, when the Word of God took flesh in Mary's womb. You will find in Luke 1: 45-55, where Mary proclaims God's goodness and holiness and all the marvelous deeds he has done. She was a faith filled Jewish girl who has become a great role model for all Catholics by her ability to say "yes" to God so fully.

Because Mary was a simple woman, a devoted mother, a wife, and a disciple, from the very beginnings of the Church, she was a woman who was honored for her part in building God's Church. One only has to look at architectural monuments, early churches from the 3rd and 4th century in Syria, Turkey, Egypt, and find old Churches named in her honor or see her image depicted as large icons on the church's main walls. There was something special about Mary, she was the heart of the early Church, and the early Church fathers did not want future generations of Christians to forget. Many early bishops and theologians from those early centuries wrote about her special role as Mother of the Church.

Over the centuries devotions to Mary grew, but this crucial understanding of Mary: being especially selected by God, being a virgin, and giving birth to our Lord, makes her worthy of devotion and honor (caution: in Catholic lingo devotion and honor does not equal worship). Heads up!....beware Catholics who are reading this, remember that our devotion to Mary does not mean that we adore her like we do God.

Not a lot is written about Mary in the Bible, but like other events that happened in the early church period, certain oral traditions exist and were passed down, like about where Mary lived, where Mary died, etc. It is not my intention to write a theological argument for the Catholic doctrine of Mary. But what I do want to share today is my love for Mary, especially on such a special day for her. Today we celebrate her going (being assumed) into God's presence, body and soul. This is another very early Christian understanding of Mary's death.

Simply, I want to share with you dear reader, that as I have deepened by relationship with our Lord I have naturally found a need to know his family more. I reflect on how Mary came to be his mother. The Bible gives me some understanding on her humility and her being "full of grace". "And he (the angel) came to her and said, 'Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!'" (Luke 1:28)

To really grasp the full depth of meaning in this passage, we have to look at the original Greek language in which it was written. What does that mean, to be FULL of grace? Unlike you or me, who have grace accessible to us, we are not "full of grace" in the same way. She carried our Lord in her womb, she became a living tabernacle for our Lord to grow and become human! Mary wasn't just given grace like we receive grace. The bible say she was filled with grace, completed in grace, perfected in grace, and this fullness of grace persisted, it continued up to and through the present. Sin and grace are opposed (Rom 5:20-21), and grace saves us from sin (Eph 2:5, 8). Where there is fullness of grace there is no room for sin. The more I reflect on this, the more I am in awe of God's mysterious plan for salvation for his creation.

When I pray to Mary, I am not worshipping her, nor am I saying she is equal to Jesus. Simply I am developing a spiritual relationship with her, as I would to my deceased grandmother for example. I believe that Mary, who is my mother too, is in heaven already enjoying God's presence, she will intercede for me and she will direct me to be holy, as any good mother does for her child. This is similar when I ask anyone to pray for me, who better than our Lord's mother to also put in a good word for me?

Lastly, I am not here to defend my love for Mary. Because in the end, when you love someone, whether they are alive or passed on, there is no need to justify it, you continue to experience the love and you want to share it. I enjoy my relationship with my spiritual mother, she keeps me focused straight on her son. She wants me to love her Son more, because He is God. (As she did in the Wedding at Cana....she tells us too "do as he says".)

So as I reflect on this feast day, The Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary I think of this song I learned as a girl, sung to me by my Catholic Grandmother:

Oh Maria, Madre Mia, o Consuelo del mortal....amparadme, y guiadme a la patria celestial.

Literally translated this song says: Oh Maria, My Mother, Consoler of mortal ones...protect me and guide me to the celestial homeland.

The understanding of Mary that I learned from my abuela was to trust in God's mercy who gave us his Church as a way to reach our celestial homeland. The Church doesn't want us to worship Mary. The Church only follows in the example of Elizabeth, who exclaimed upon seeing Mary, “And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Lk 1:43). God not only sent us his son to save us, he gave us his Mother too. So by making room for Jesus in my heart, I also found Mary waiting there for me too. No, we don't worship Mary, but we do love her for what she did and who she continues to be to us.