By Jeffrey A. Beer Jr. –
The feast of the Assumption of Mary happens to fall on a Sunday this year. On August 15th, we celebrate that Mary, having completed her duties as the mother of Christ, was brought up to heaven body and soul, fulfilling the promise Christ made for all of us. But if you are anything like me, you might have found it difficult to understand Mary’s role in the church and in your own life. The first reading this Sunday, from the Book of Revelation, describes a woman of the apocalypse, “clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” This common image is a description of Mary, after her assumption, as the queen of heaven and the queen of the world.
Mother Mary is an incredible example for us. She is a model of purity and love. At a young age, she was asked by the angel Gabriel to be the mother of God. And her response was fiat. Let it be done to me according to Your will. It would have been so easy for Mary to have been scared of what was being asked of her. It would have been reasonable for her to say “Okay God, I’ll do this for You, but You have to promise You’ll keep me safe.” Or “Yes God, I’ll follow Your will if You let me get married first.” But she didn’t say any of that. She just said yes. Period. No if’s or when’s. Just yes.
We can learn so much from this example. It is easy for us to say “Yes, Lord, I’ll follow You, but You have to let me keep my old friends.” Or “God I will try to be a better person if You promise to give me what I want.” Or “Jesus, I’ll go wherever You call me, but I don’t want things to be too different. I don’t want to make any real changes. I’ll do whatever You want as long as I don’t have to change the way I dress or what I do on the weekends.” But Mary didn’t say “yes, if…” or “yes, when…” She just said yes. And our own growth as a person and as a child of God has to start with an unreserved, unconditional YES. Mary’s yes changed the history of the world. She continued to say yes everyday by being a holy, loving and caring mother. And because of that she became the queen of heaven and of the world.
Despite the obvious importance of Mary and her fiat, sometimes Catholics are accused of worshiping Mary, making her like a God, or giving her too much prominence in our religion. Certainly, it can be easy to feel this way. The “Hail Mary,” which is based off of what Elizabeth says to Mary in this week’s Gospel, can seem as if we are worshiping Mary. Praying to Mary can be confusing. However, I think one of the best ways to describe Mary’s role in the church is to compare her to the moon. The moon is not equal to the sun. The moon is not even a lesser star. And the moon does not emit its own light. The moon simply reflects the light of the sun. So we do not ask Mary to send us her spirit, or guide us towards her will. We ask her to intercede for us- to reflect the spirit, love and light of her son.
The moon shines brightest on the darkest of nights. And sometimes it is the dark times of our lives when Mary’s presence is the most needed and the most beneficial. Even after I gained a new understanding and respect for Mother Mary and her role in the church, I still didn’t feel a personal connection to her or really feel like praying ten “Hail Mary’s” helped me at all. It wasn’t until I prayed to her about relationships that were broken, purity that needed to be restored, or situations where I needed a courage like hers to say “yes.” that I began to develop a relationship with her, and see a spot for her in my own life. Try it sometime. In the darkest areas of your life, when you feel like there is no light to be found, look to the moon- the mother of God and the Queen of the world. Ask her to reflect the strength and spirit of her son. And follow the example of her fiat.
