Blessed Virgin Mary
Jesus and His mother
Guess most of you must be wondering why am I writing a post on Mother Mary. A couple of months back, Marlene asked if I was interested to do a session with her for YAM. The topic was drawing near to God.
Honestly, I thought it will be a really easy topic to speak about. Afterall, I think I am close to God and its quite simple to come out with some pointers like..more prayer time...word of God and so on. Strangely, as the week of the session drew nearer, all my initial thoughts and ideas just didnt seem to feel right in me.
I asked a few on their view on this topic and I got some interesting replies. Still, I felt something was missing. And one night, through a sharing, I began to recall how I drew near to God. And it's none other than through her. Our blessed Mother of God.
How, you must be wondering. It all happened when I first got baptized in 2006. There I was in high spirits but yet I had a completely empty prayer life. I just could not understand how people could spend hours in adoration room praying. I just did my usual glory be and that's it. What was most appalling was my lack of interest for the saints and history of the church. Everytime, I will just whizz by Mother Mary grotto and just head straight into the church door.
Until a chance to attend Jesus Youth Conference in Bangkok that same period of time. It was a shock when every session, the sessionist will devote time to ask Mother Mary for intercession. We had to do a prayer walk praying the rosary and I know nuts of how to pray honestly. I felt so un-catholic la! So I decided on the last day of the conference to be in front of Mother Mary's grotto. I said an awkward hi to her and started my prayer. In the midst, I slipped her name a few times by calling her Jesus..Lord..God..Thinking back, I thought my prayer sounded really funny and abruptly silly.
Once I got home and in preparation of my new job, I had lots of free time. I started to read lots of books but I still had time to spare. So my mother seeing that her daughter is so free, decided to give me her rosary and booklet to pray. With each bead, I prayed and was doing it faithfully for almost 2 weeks until I found praying the rosary quite dry due to the mysteries I keep saying but don't understand.
But it's at this point, I picked up some courage to send a mass email to everyone I knew asking if they need any prayers. Half an hour passed and still no replies. I thought maybe it was a dumb idea. But I woke up from a noon nap to see my mailbox so filled with prayer intentions! Immediately, I started to lift up each and every single prayer intentions with each decade and guess what!My prayer life changed at that instant! I found it so meaningful to pray and truely prayers moved moutains and God affirmed my prayers through many amazing transformation and healing that took place.
Even after praying the rosary, I was still questioning why do we pray to Mother Mary and these few answers I got through my research online answered my doubts.
1. A saying that is well known among Catholics is, "To Jesus, through Mary." This does not mean, "To Mary, through Jesus." Nor does it mean, "To Jesus and to Mary." This saying affirms that Catholics do not pray "to" Mary as an equal to God. They pray "through" Mary as an intercessor who prays to God on behalf of mankind.
If Catholics were to pray to Mary, this would imply that they are worshipping her as a god. But Catholics do not perceive Mary as a god. They perceive her as the greatest of all the saints that ever lived.
2. Mary was the birth mother of the humanity of Jesus in who "the fullness of the deity (God) was pleased to dwell bodily," [Col. 1:19, 2:9] Catholics recognize the Virgin Mary as the Mother of God.
3. Mary was "favoured by God" [Lk. 1:30] when she was personally chosen by the Lord to become the mother of Jesus, God incarnated, Catholics believe that they have a greater chance of obtaining God's grace for their daily physical and spiritual needs by asking Mary to intercede on their behalf.
4. In the Old Testament, we learn of the favoured position of the queen mother through the following words, "... then the king sat on his throne, and had a throne brought for the king's mother, and she sat on his right. Then she said, 'I have one small request to make of you, do not refuse me.' And the king said to her, 'Make your request, my mother, for I will not refuse you.'" [1 Kgs. 2:19-20]
5. Furthermore, Catholics do not differentiate between the living (in this world) and the dead (those who departed) members of the Body of Christ (the fullness of the Church.) The fullness of the mystical Body of Christ is found in the union of all the saints, past and present, here below and those above in Heaven.
___________________________________________________________________
The Holy Rosary is considered a perfect prayer because within it lies the awesome story of our salvation. With the Rosary in fact we meditate the mysteries of joy, of sorrow and the glory of Jesus and Mary.
It's a simple prayer, humble so much like Mary. It's a prayer we can all say together with Her, the Mother of God. With the Hail Mary we invite Her to pray for us. Our Lady always grants our request. She joins Her prayer to ours. Therefore it becomes ever more useful, because what Mary asks She always receives, Jesus can never say no to whatever His Mother asks for.
In every apparition, the heavenly Mother has invited us to say the Rosary as a powerful weapon against evil, to bring us to true peace. With your prayer made together with Your heavenly Mother, you can obtain the great gift of bringing about a change of hearts and conversion. Each day, through prayer you can drive away from yourselves and from your homeland many dangers and many evils.
I love this line..It can seem a repetitive prayer but instead it is like two sweethearts who many times say one another the words: "I love you"...
No comments:
Post a Comment