Honoring Mary – Unwavering Trust Amidst Hardship and Trials

Today is the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary in the Roman Catholic Church.  In the United States it is typically a holy day of obligation, marking the event in which Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven at the end of her earthly life.  While this is a dogma of Catholic faith, the question of whether or not she died first is purposely not included in the dogma, leaving the issue up for debate. 

Catholics do not worship Mary, she is only honored and revered.  She is honored so greatly that there are 3 holy days in the church calendar dedicated to her: 

• The Feast of Mary, Mother of God (January 1)
• The Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8)
• The Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary (August 15)

On this day, I figured that it would be a good time to reflect on Mary, specifically on her great trust in God – despite that many obstacles that she faced.

Mary’s unwavering trust in the will of God

Throughout her entire life, Mary always trusted God, and God’s plan for her and her family.  At various times, she trusted in all three persons of God:  Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Here are a few notable examples:

Mary’s Initial “Yes” to God

Mary was a young teenager when the angel Gabriel appeared to her on behalf of the Father.  He asked if she would be willing to be the mother of the “son of God”.  We know today of the enormous place this has in salvation history, but at the time Mary must have been plenty confused, and very frightened.  Although being overwhelmed by it all, she responded by saying that she was a servant of God, and that his will be done as the angel described.

Wedding at Cana

Years later when Jesus was a young adult, but just prior to his public ministry, she and Jesus were at a wedding reception in the nearby town of Cana.  The family of the wedding couple ran into trouble – there was no wine left.  In their culture this would have caused quite the embarrassment if all the guests were to find out.  Mary trusted that Jesus would be able to help out in some way, even if she wasn’t sure how.  At this point, he had not performed any public miracles.  Even Jesus did not seem ready at first, but her faith and insistence led him to his first miracle.  She told the wait staff to “do whatever he tells you”, and Jesus turned water into wine.  This first miracle of Jesus may not seem as important as what was to come, but it shows that we should trust God in all matters, even ones that may seem to be big enough.

Trust in the Father’s plan for Jesus

Mary, Mother of God probably didn’t fully understand many things that Jesus did, like why he went into the desert, or why he toured the region preaching in a certain manner.  Often times his sayings were hard, and he made enemies with powerful religious and political people.  But her trust in the Father’s plan for her son was always there.  She also trusted that Jesus himself knew the Father’s will.

Trust as an early leader in the Church

What extraordinary events Mary saw in her lifetime!  Even after the death, resurrection and ascension of her son, she continued to be a leader in the early Church.  The Church had its share of problems, but through the guidance of the Holy Spirit it continued to gain in strength and numbers.  She always trusted in the Holy Spirit to guide her actions in helping continue the Church.

Sorrows of Mary, Mother of God

Despite being chosen for a very special role in the salvation of humankind, Mary still had to endure many hardships and lived far from a care-free life.  Consider the following:

• Her would-be marriage was almost destroyed.  Joseph, her husband-to-be, was a righteous man and could not come to grips initially with Mary’s mysterious pregnancy.  He had planned to call off the wedding, but due to divine intervention, was granted the assurance that he needed.  I’m sure that others in Mary’s family also had a tough time believing her story.  Talk about family drama!
• She went into labor while travelling, and went through childbirth in a barn.  One might think that agreeing to be the mother of the Son of God might grant you certain comforts.  Maybe, but it surely did not help her to have a comfortable place to have a child.  God’s plan was to have Jesus born in the most humble of circumstances, and so it came to be.
• A jealous king tried to kill her baby.  The Holy family had to flee for Jesus’ life and take refuge in Egypt.  They lived as foreigners for nearly a decade until the king was dead and the coast was clear. 
• She witnessed the cruel execution of her innocent son for unjust reasons.  Although she trusted in God’s plan, her sorrow must have been unimaginable.  Everything seemed to be going horribly wrong – how could such evil and corruption be part of the will of God?  But she remained confident that there must be a reason, and she was right – in a few days it would be Easter Sunday.

Mary is a role model in how to trust in our relationship with God, even when things are not going our way.  We see that she was able to follow God’s plan for her despite the troubles, and we can gain confidence to do the same.