J.M.J. Our Blessed
Mother’s constant practice of the virtue of obedience was nothing short of
perfect. Her entire existence can be summed up in a simple but profound phrase:
to do always the Will of God.
How may we
characterize Our Blessed Lady’s stellar obedience? Here are only a few of the
many possible descriptions.
Mary obeyed
always. No one can point to a moment from Her Immaculate Conception in the
previously sterile womb of Her Mother Saint Anne to Her Coronation by the Most
Blessed Trinity as the Queen of Heaven and Earth in which the Mother of God
refused Her Good Lord anything. Her answer was always “yes”—“yes” to love,
“yes” to sacrifice, “yes” to hardship. God had only to ask . . . and Mary’s
response was always the same: fiat—“Let it be done as You say.”
Mary obeyed
unhesitatingly. Our Lady needed no time for deliberation on whether to obey.
She responded immediately and affirmatively to the Lord without delay. Her
delight was to obey God with all rapidity.
Mary obeyed
blindly. Mary never asked Herself: “Is this in my best interest?” “Would I be
hampered if I obeyed?” Such self-seeking questions were the farthest removed
from Her mind. She obeyed without selfish consideration of the future. She
surrendered equally to both joys and sorrows.
Mary obeyed
cheerfully. Who can imagine Mary with a “long face” when She was called to
embrace some sacrifice? No, She was continually joyful in Her obedience, no
matter what God required of Her. Mary’s was a deep joy that never escaped He
soul.
The reader can see
where our discussion is leading us. If we wish to drawer closer to Jesus
Christ, then we must take a page from His Ever-Virgin Mother’s Immaculate Heart
and obey as she did. Our obedience, too, must be always, unhesitating, blind
and cheerful.
This task is not
easy, to be sure. Rather, it demands much from each of us. Yet, obedience is
possible! And it is necessary if, like Our Heavenly Mother, we are to inherit
the Kingdom of God
In our world where
obedience is regarded as weakness and a lack of self-assertiveness, the example
of Our Blessed Lady provides a necessary corrective. She is the beautiful model
of obedience. She gladly exalted God’s Will in Her life. We can even say that
His Will became Her Will, so much did She yield to it.
In Her own
stirring example, Mary reminds us that obedience to God is where our treasure
and unending happiness lie. By clinging to His Will instead of our own, we grow
in Sanctifying Grace, which is the very life of God.
Our Blessed Mother
never tired of obeying Her Divine Son. She did everything She was asked by God.
And all that She did was carried out with intense love for and gratitude to Her
benevolent Creator.
We may ask
ourselves: how was it that Mary understood the importance of obedience? What
special insight did She have?
Having been filled
with the Holy Spirit at the instance of Her Immaculate Conception, Our Lady
knew what was proper and just. Her decisions were blessed because She made them
humbly and with reference to Almighty God and His Eternal Law.
Are our decisions
blessed? Yes, if they are made humbly and with reference to Almighty God. By our
daily prayer, frequent and worthy reception of the Holy Sacraments (especially
Penance and the Most Holy Eucharist), regular acts of charity and self-denial,
our minds too become increasingly enlightened. Then, we see with the eyes of
God and do as He wishes.
The virtue of
obedience is within our grasp. We turn to Our Blessed Lady and seek Her
intercession so that we may behave as She did. Our reward will be like Hers:
Everlasting Life with the Most Blessed Trinity forever!
(Originally published in Missio Immaculatae International, English Edition, November 2006,
pages 8-9. Reprinted with permission.)
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