Mary & Mothers

Mary Our Mother carrying Baby Jesus

“Let it be to me according to your word… My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…” (Luke 1:38, 46-47). These are among the most well-known words of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and they give us a lot to reflect on. In the Gospel reading for the 4th Sunday of Qyamta (John 16:16-33), Jesus speaks of sorrow turning into joy, and he illustrates his point through the image of a mother enduring the suffering of labor pains which then turns into joy upon receiving her newborn child. While suffering is a reality we all must face, Jesus consoles us with the hope that something joyful can and will emerge from sorrow. Consider the example of Mary. As the mother of Christ, from the beginning of her Son’s life, she had to accept that she was raising him for the sake of others, that he would never be completely hers, that there would come a day when she would have to painfully offer him up for the sake of sinners.

While facing all of this, Mary could have considered all of this as purely a loss. Yet, because of how faithful she was to the will of God, she accepted her role in the bigger picture of Christ’s mission, the conversion and salvation of sinners. There was fruit to be produced from her sacrifice and the sacrifice of her Son, there was a way for sorrow to become joy. In the same way, all mothers who faithfully carry out their duties can either consider that they are solely giving away of themselves and losing out on other opportunities, or they can find joy in birthing and raising children bearing the reflection of their own love and wisdom, because at the end of the day, when a mother truly loves, the world cannot erase what she has written on the hearts of her family, especially when she has helped them go through the labor pains of giving birth to Christ in their souls.

All of this is to say that sorrow is not the end of someone’s story. When we seek after God’s will and allow him to work in our lives, there is real hope that joy can be found. At that point, we’ve become less of ourselves because we’ve allowed ourselves to be clothed with Christ, and the labor pains no longer seem so heavy. Let us get to work in the way that a good mother does.