Mary, the Great Believer

Mary is the great believer who humbly offered herself to God as an empty vessel for him to use in his mysterious plan. Without complaint she surrendered control of her life; she did not try to live according to human calculation but put herself completely at the disposal of God's mysterious, incomprehensible design. All she wanted was to be the handmaid of the Lord, the instrument and servant of the Word. Therein lies her true fame: that she remained a believer despite all the darkness and all the inexplicable demands God made on her. She believed even in the face of certain incomprehensible facts: that she should carry her Creator in her womb; that the child growing there should be the Lord; that he who was the source of Israel's salvation should be regarded by his fellows as deranged; that he should brush her aside, first as a twelve year-old and again at the beginning of his public life; that he who was to bring salvation and healing to Israel should be executed by that same Israel.

Today God is still mysterious; indeed he seems to have a special kind of obscurity in store for each person's life. But could he ever render any life as dark and incomprehensible as he did Mary's? "Blessed are you who have believed," even when this faith became a sword that pierced her heart. This is the real reason for her greatness and her being called blessed: she is the great believer.

~Pope Benedict XVI

Dear Mary, whose indomitable faith was deeply rooted in God's enduring love, I want to be a great believer like you. Please share your faith and your love with me. Amen.