MARY ‘S VIRTUES: PATH TO JESUS

DECEMBER 8, 2007

As we draw near to Christmas and prepare to celebrate the birth of the Redeemer, we are drawn to contemplate his mother Mary, the central person in the story of his birth and the greatest of all the saints. Mary’s greatness, however, does not derive simply from the circumstantial fact of her having been chosen by God to be the mother of the Redeemer, but from the great holiness that was the fruit of her practice of virtue. It was because she was so holy that God chose her to be the mother of His Son.

Since Mary is the model of Christian perfection for both men and women, contemplating her virtues can be the source of inspiration that moves us to Christ the center of our lives, just as she did from the moment of his conception within her.

We know little of Mary: yet, the simple and brief portrait that the New Testament provides is sufficient for us to glimpse her many virtues.

Her humility shines in her response to Elizabeth’s greeting. She praises God in her beautiful canticle, the “Magnificat”, saying, that “he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness” (Luke 1:48).

Her virtue of purity is highlighted in the narrative about the Annunciation, “In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary” (Luke 1:26-27). She herself makes reference to it when she asks the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” (Luke 1:34) Her question reveals her virtue of prudence, as well.

When the angel answers that “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35), her virtue of obedience is made manifest in her famous response: “I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). Her obedience is reconfirmed by St. Luke, who records that she and Joseph presented the infant Jesus in the Temple “in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord” (Luke 2:24).

Mary’s virtue of faith in God was acknowledged by her cousin Elizabeth: “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled” (Luke 1:45). Later in her life we see her virtue of faith extended to her son, Jesus, when she prompts his first miracle at the wedding feast at Cana. After informing him that the wine had run out, she instructs the servers, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5).

Her virtue of poverty of spirit expressed itself in actual material poverty. She had to lay her newborn son “in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7). Joseph’s menial labor of carpentry, we can be confident, was able to provide her and the child Jesus with only the minimal material requirements for their daily sustenance.

Her virtues of mercy and fortitude are glimpsed in her three month visit to Elizabeth, who was pregnant with her child, John the Baptist (Luke 1:56). We may presume Mary remained with her to assist her during her pregnancy. Mary’s mercy was also evident in the gentle way she responded to the child Jesus, after he disappeared and they found him three days later teaching in the Temple (Luke 2:48-52). Her patience and fortitude are displayed in John 19:25, where we are told Mary stood by the cross of her son as he hung on it for our salvation.

Mary’s virtue of piety is exemplified in her canticle: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior” (Luke 1:46-47), and in her devotion to prayer along with the Apostles and other disciples of the Lord after his resurrection, while they awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14).

It is clear that Mary had a deep interior life, and had cultivated a wisdom that enabled God to guide her in her words and actions. After experiencing the marvelous events surrounding the birth of Jesus, Luke tells us, “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart” (2:19). After she returned to Nazareth with Joseph and the child Jesus, as the years passed and Jesus “advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man” (Luke 2:52), we are told again that Mary “kept all these things in her heart” (Luke 2:51)

The practice of these and other virtues, which the Blessed Virgin Mary cultivated to a high degree, were essential to her attainment of holiness, and in turn to her fulfilling God’s will. The same virtues are essential for the effectiveness of our words and actions as Christians in the world today.

Let us recall that we are disciples of the Lord in mission in the world to bring his light, message, grace and salvation to all. To fulfill our apostolic calling, we must first draw close to him, and a sure and simple path to doing so is through Mary – through her intercession for us and through our imitation of her virtues.

+Bishop Raymundo J. Peña

last updated 10-Dec-2007 8:31 sitemap