Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” vss. 48b-49
Luke 1:46b-50
It didn’t take long for Mary to receive an exalted position among believers in the early church. By the time Luke wrote his gospel, about 50 years after Jesus’ death and resurrection, there was already an anticipation that she was going to be remembered as a rock star of the Jesus Movement. In a few centuries she had become a favorite prayer partner for millions. Some believers even preferred offering their petitions to her, perhaps believing that they could get a more favorable response from the Mother of God than from her Son. Of course Protestants tried to shut-down the Mary connection as a kind of idolatry, even destroying the statues of her that remained in their churches after the Reformation. But Mary is resilient, representing for many the feminine dimension of God, and her simple submission to the Holy Spirit has become a model of faithfulness for the whole Church. She reminds us every Christmas that each of us is called through the Spirit to give birth to Jesus in all we say and do. Sometimes we worry whether we’ve been born again, but what really counts is that Christ is born again in us. When we say with Mary, “Let it be with me according to your word,” the Spirit begins to change us from the inside out, and blessings abound!
Thought for the Day: Why is praying to Mary so natural for many?
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