Blessed are you who believed
Rev 11,19a; 12,1-6a.1oab; Ps 44; 1 Cor 15,20-26; Lk 1,39-56
15 AUGUST
The Virgin Mary believed more than Abraham, more than Isaac and Jacob, more than Moses and Joshua, more than any other prophet and just of the Old Testament. The summit of faith is reached at Golgotha. There Mary is present because moved by the Holy Spirit to offer the Son hanging from the wood to the Father. There Mary manifests the highest obedience to the Spirit of the Lord. In the offering of her Son she becomes the visible image of the Father. The Father offers his Son for redemption, he gives him. God so loved the world that he gave his only Son. Mary loved the world so much that she gave her only Son. The Father in Christ welcomes us as his true sons. Mary, by command of Christ, takes us as her true children, in Christ, with Christ, through Christ. The Father lives his ministry of love for the salvation of his creatures. Mary also lives her command of love for the redemption of the sons of God. The Father and the Son have not asked anyone for such a great faith and such a demanding obedience. As God watches, so Mary watches. As God seeks, so Mary seeks. As God welcomes, so Mary welcomes. As God offers, Mary offers the Son and in the Son offers herself. Inexpressible mystery, incomprehensible to any human mind. Only the Holy Spirit can somehow give us a flame of intelligence, understanding and above all love.
It is great sadness to think that, like Jesus, today the Virgin Mary is uprooted from many hearts, turned away from many houses. But she can never become a stranger to us. If she becomes a stranger to us, we will be strangers to the Father, to the Son, to the Holy Spirit, strangers to the Church and strangers to one another. That men are becoming strangers to one another and consequently contrary to each other, enemies of each other, is a sign that she Who is the only operator of our peace is missing in the heart. As God used the slingshot of David to bring down the giant Goliath and give peace and security to his people, so Christ Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, uses the Mother to create eternal enmity with the giant Lucifer, or Satan, or ancient Serpent and bring peace to the hearts of his disciples. If we deprive ourselves of Mary, Christ and the Holy Spirit lack a slingshot. The giant Satan cannot be killed and war will torment the disciples of Jesus without a single breath of serenity and peace. It is not easy to understand this truth. History attests that without Mary we are always without peace.
During those days Mary set out and travelled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my saviour. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
Mary is the woman of the most pure faith. She is also the teacher in faith. Anyone who wants to learn how to believe in the Word of Jesus must humbly put himself at her feet and ask her to speak to our hearts. She will reveal to us all the secrets of her most pure faith and, imitating Her, we can reach a perfect and holy imitation. For this reason Mary and the disciple must be one heart, one soul, one life and one spirit. This unity is not achieved in a day, but is the fruit of a daily commitment spent next to her heart, listening to her voice and obeying it.
Mother of God, Angels and Saints, help us to understand this sublime truth.