Mother Mary, Model of Evangelizer par Excellence

We are in the month of May, a month specially dedicated to Our Blessed Mother. Through the daily Marian devotion, we reflect on the life and her qualities. Mary is our Mother, the mother of mankind, standing at the foot of the cross she became our other. She is the first Christian and the first Evangelizer, thus the perfect model of every baptized Christian. As Christians we are called to imitate her. And so let us reflect on her life of commitment.

Like all other Jewish girls of her time she had a plan for her life. But when she came to know the plan of God for her life at the Annunciation she surrendered herself and accepted the plan of God whole heartedly. When she expressed her doubt, the Angel Gabriel assured her saying, The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Lk. 1:35). With this anointing of the Holy Spirit Mary was able to respond, “then Mary said, Here am I, the servant of the Lord; Let it be with me according to your word: (Lk. 1:38). From that moment her life was different. We can see four important elements in the life of Mary which are very essential to the life of every baptized Christian. As Mary was oriented and filled with the Holy Spirit at Annunciation, we too are anointed and filled with the Holy Spirit at our Baptism. A Baptised Christian is a sprit-filled and sprit-led person. And so our life should resemble the life of our Mother Mary.

Mary as soon as she was anointed by the Holy Spirit, she surrendered herself saying, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done according to thy word” (Lk. 1:38). From this response we can draw four manifestations of her spirituality for every baptized Christian to follow.

1. Mary’s life was a life according to the Word of God. At the Annunciation she enters into a Word of God-relationship. Her life is governed and guided by the Word of God. We read in Lk. 8:21 “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the Word of God and do it” By saying this Jesus makes it clear that May became his mother not in Bethlehem by giving a biological birth but at the Annunciation by accepting the Word of God. In today’s world we are divided on blood relationship, caste, creed, colour, language, culture etc. But anointing helps us to overcome all divisive factors in our society and makes us one family. The one who accepts and lives on these divisive factors cannot be a Christian. Since Mary accepted the relationship of the Word of God she could become the mother of mankind at the foot of the cross.

2. Secondly from the moment of Annunciation Mary becomes other-Oriented, Sensitive and Generous. She becomes selfless and runs to her Kinswoman Elizabeth to be of service to her. In Cana she is sensitive to the needs of that family. So like our mother, a baptized Christian must be a sensitive, generous and other oriented person.

3. Mary’s life was a life of praising and thanking God all the time for everything both good and bad. Because, anointing makes us to be possessed by God. Thus whatever happens to us; good or bad comes from God for a good. So we need to make our life, a life of thanking and praising the Lord always and for all things.

4. From the moment of being filled with the Holy Spirit she becomes joyful. She is always joyful because God, the service of joy is present in her. That’s why Pope Francis says that “A gloomy Christian is a contradiction”.

Thus Mary’s life was a life according to the Word of God. Her relationship is a relating of the Word of God. She was an other-oriented person, selfless, sensitive and generous. Her life was a life of Praise and worship and she was joyful. That’s why she was standing at the foot of the cross with the real courage and happiness in fulfilling the will of God the Father. We, as baptized Christians need to imitate Mary the first and perfect Christian. May Our Blessed Mother Mary the Immaculate Conception help us to become like her to make “xU tpRthr FLk;gk;” or “One Flock and one Shepherd” a reality.