Mary the Masterpiece

Loving Mother Mary like her Son Jesus does

08/15/2021

Responsorial Psalm 45:10, 11, 12, 16

R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

The queen takes her place at your right hand in gold of Ophir.

R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

Hear, O daughter, and see;

turn your ear, forget your people and your father’s house.

R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

So shall the king desire your beauty; for he is your lord.

R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

They are borne in with gladness and joy;

they enter the palace of the king.

R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

Every conscientious Catholic should have a special place in his heart for the Blessed Virgin Mary. That is, no Catholic, indeed no Christian, should be devoid of devotion to Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our own spiritual mother. After all, love for Mary is how Jesus fulfilled the fourth commandment of the Decalogue, “Honor your father and your mother.” Jesus honored his Mother Mary and his foster father, St. Joseph.

All Christians must keep the Ten Commandments, too, and when we love Mary like her Son, Jesus, we also fulfill the fourth commandment. How so? Well, Mary is our spiritual mother, too. Indeed, Jesus created this maternal connection between Mary and every Christian when he told his beloved disciple at the foot of the Cross in Jn 19:27, “Behold your mother.” I am convinced that all true devotion to Mary can be summarized in Jesus’ words, “Behold your mother.” That is what it means to love Mary like Jesus did.

I will never forget how this maternal connection to Mary hit me hard while I was watching the movie “The Passion of the Christ.” Did you see that movie by Mel Gibson, especially the surreal scene of the scourging at the pillar? As the Roman soldiers were whipping Jesus, and ripping chunks of his sacred flesh off his body, I tried not to cry. I thought, Jesus is being tough and taking this torture like a man, so I will be tough too; because, of course, real men don’t cry.

But then without seeing the end of the scourging, the camera started to pan across the crowd and stopped at Mary, as she watched her Son bleed for me. And at that moment, I lost it and wept like a little baby in his mother’s arms. Suddenly, Mary was no longer consoling her natural Son, Jesus, she was comforting her supernatural son, Fr. John. I felt overwhelmed by that maternal connection every Christian feels for Mary, and I knew she held a special place in my heart.

Today we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven. The Assumption is the belief that Mary was taken up into heaven, body and soul, at the end of her natural life. That means Mary has already achieved the glory of the Resurrection in heaven and is seated next to her Son, Jesus, in glory.

That is why we repeated Psalm 45, saying: “The Queen stands at your right hand arrayed in gold.” When you are the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, you can do cool stuff like that for your mother. And Jesus fulfills the fourth commandment in heaven just like he did on earth by seating her at his right. By the way, that is why Jesus told the mother of James and john in Mt 20:23 they could not sit at his right and left. That seat was already reserved for Jesus’ Queen Mother.

Incidentally, be careful not to confuse the Assumption of Mary with the Ascension of Jesus. What’s the diff? Unthinking Catholics assume they both mean the same thing. But you know what happens when you “assume” – you make a “you-know-what” out of you and me. The Assumption is Mary being taken up into heaven by God’s power; it is not her work or her effort or her achievement. She is assumed purely by God’s power.

Jesus’ Ascension, on the other hand, is by his own power because he is God. It is entirely his work, his effort, and his achievement. Like every second in Mary’s life – from her Immaculate Conception to her immortal Coronation – all is the achievement of God’s grace, and the work, indeed the masterpiece of Jesus. Mary is Jesus’ masterpiece of grace, his “pièce de résistance,” and that is why he tells us, “Behold your mother.” All great artists want others to admire their masterpiece.

My friends, may I suggest a few ways you can fulfill the fourth commandment and Jesus’ personal commandment to “Behold your Mother” Mary? One custom in our church office is praying the Angelus at noon every day. The church bells ring at 12 o’clock every day and we stop what we are dong to “Behold our Mother.” During the Angelus, we behold our Mother on earth like the angels behold her in heaven.

My personal devotion is praying the rosary daily, meditating on the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries. The rosary helps me see Mary through the eyes of Jesus. When we see Mary like Jesus did, we behold his masterpiece. Thirdly, say a Hail Mary (and an Act of Contrition) as your final prayer before you go to bed. Mary may help you maintain a little more purity of heart as you lie in bed, since she is called “Virgin most pure.” We need to behold our Mother when we are in bed.

In the seminary, we all gathered for night prayers, and we concluded with the great Marian hymn, “Salve Regina,” or “Hail Holy Queen.” Imagine a chapel full of 150 young men, like 150 beloved disciples, fulfilling Jesus’ command to “Behold your Mother.” And this is what they sang: “Salve Regina, mater misericordiae, vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra salve. Ad te clamamus, exules filii Evae. Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes, in hac lacrimarum valle. Eia ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos, ad nos converte. Et Jesum, benedictum, fructum ventris tui, nobis, post hoc exilium, ostende. O clemens, o pia, o dulcis, Virgo Maria.” Real men don't cry, but real Christians do.

Praised be Jesus Christ!