MARY, OUR MOTHER

"Do whatever He tells you. (John 2:5)

VATICAN - AVE MARIA - God's glory is resplendent in Mary ,

Rev. Luciano Alimandi

Vatican City (Fides Service) - In the month of May the Church is especially attentive to the words of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, “do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2, 5). These were the last of the few words of Mary recorded in the Gospel according to Saint John who more than anyone knew the secrets of Our Lady's knowledge and love for the incarnate Word. “do whatever he tells you” is her legacy of love to us.

The numerous Marian apparitions through history even in our day, are simply a repetition of that heartfelt advice. Every time “they have no wine” and the Lord must work the miracle, in substance, the “conversion of humanity”, immediately the Mother is present, as in Cana in Galilee, to intercede with her Son and to tell his servants to do His Will. It is with regret that we must add that not rarely Marian apparitions have not been received as the intended gift: but as the cause of dispute, contrariety and extremism in one sense or the other …

Every authentic apparition is given essentially as a call to hearts to convert to the Lord; wherever Mary is present the words of Isaiah, applied to Jesus come true: “You have multiplied the nation, you have increased their joy: they joy before you according to the joy in harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.” (Is 9, 2-3).

It would be unthinkable that human action alone, let alone that of the Evil One, could multiply joy and happiness and bring hearts to permanent conversion to God. The places “visited” by Mary have a special attraction which cannot be described in words or measured with human means; it is precisely this attractiveness of Mary which draws people from near and far to rediscover Jesus.
In those places the working of the Holy Spirit is intensified through prayer as it cannot be experienced elsewhere. Mary in fact intercedes with her Son that the manifestation of His glory may increase faith in Him in the hearts of all men and women of good will. Mary's love is immeasurable, her sole desire is that her Son's will be done, that His every word become lived reality, without hesitation, afterthoughts, and much less, regrets.

At times we are assailed by the temptation to think that following the Gospel to the letter we will be considered “losers”, people to “forget”, to “avoid”. In fact for the “world” we are because the “world” is far from attracted by the testimony of the life of Christ's servants who occupy the worst seats. If, sad to say, the worldly mentality falls into the trap of front row seats, this should not surprise us: Jesus warned of this temptation many times.

The Handmaid of the Lord, let us never forget, is more present in our life the more we grow in humility, because the smaller we are the more the glory of God will mysteriously irradiate from our life. It is as if those hearts bear the incision in capital letters of the wonderful words of the Psalmist: “not to us O Lord, not to us but to Thy name give glory” (Ps. 113,1).

It is appropriate in this context to reread part of a prayer to Our Lady which Pope Benedict XVI prayed during his visit to Munich last year: “… Your Son, just before his farewell to his disciples, said to them: "Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all" (Mk 10:43-44). At the decisive hour in your own life, you said: "Here I am, the servant of the Lord" (Lk 1:38). You lived your whole life as service. And you continue to do so throughout history. At Cana, you silently and discreetly interceded for the spouses, and so you continue to do. You take upon yourself people's needs and concerns, and you bring them before the Lord, before your Son. Your power is goodness. Your power is service. …” (Benedict XVI, 9 September 2006).

Please God may the presence of Mary multiply in the souls of the faithful the joy of giving to Him all glory and praise for ever and ever!

(Agenzia Fides 9/5/2007; righe 46, parole 707)