Duc in Altum

All to Jesus through Mary. An entry on Catholic Analysis started me thinking about the necessity of our Blessed Mother. Although you can have a relationship with Christ without ever really thinking about Mary, with the occasional exception at Christmastime, eventually you have to ask yourself if that is indeed the fullness of Christianity. Would Jesus have you ignore His mother or simply be indifferent to her?

Soon after reading the entry, I came across the Latin phrase listed at the top of this entry. Most Christians would agree with the sentiment of all to Jesus. After all, everyone should come to Jesus. The problem for many Christians is this idea of "through Mary". What does it mean to come to Jesus through Mary? Do we need another mediator between God and man?

The second chapter of the Gospel of St. John (2:1-11) helps us to better understand the role which God has given to our Blessed Mother. In this well-known passage which records our Lord's miracle of transforming water into wine, Mary plays a crucial role as the one who intercedes with humility and boldness.

Our Lady recognizes that the couple, perhaps because of their poverty, have run out of wine and are unable to get more. She knows that it would be an embarrassment for the couple to not have wine for their guests. Her response is to bring the problem to her son confident that He will assist the newlyweds. Note, too, the beauty of the relationship between Mary and Jesus. With only a simple sentence Mary is able to convey all that is in her heart because she knows that His heart understands her heart completely.

Much has been written about Jesus' reply to His mother. The context, however, makes it clear that our Lord answers her by performing a miracle. Her confidence is manifested in her comment to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." In other words, this passage shows us the powerful intercessor that we have in our Lady. She knows the heart of our Lord Jesus unlike any other creature. She is able to speak directly to Him unlike anyone else because of her deep humility--she, better than anyone else, understands that she is a creature before an infinite God. She also has a boldness that enables her to trust that He will hear her and answer her.

We, too, can go to Jesus through Mary. Can we go directly to Jesus? Certainly. But this passage makes it clear that we can also turn to our Lady because she is so close to our Lord. She know the heart of her son. Even as we ask our friends and family to pray for us, we can ask the mother of our Lord to pray for us. We can reach out to Jesus through His mother who knowing who her son is brings prayers from the heart to His Sacred Heart knowing how to best speak to Him with her beautiful simplicity and understanding of Him.

Posted by David at 8:01 AM  |  Comments (0)  |