Growing up in a practicing catholic family, I came to know the Blessed Mary in my early age. By joining some Marian prayers and other celebrations in my family and in our Basic Ecclesial community, I developed a love for her. Such love was accentuated when I was preparing to receive the first communion. Once, while having a catechetical session in the Church of our former Parish (Kibumbu), I was captivated by a statue of Mary holding Jesus in her hands. At that time, I felt the embrace of Mother Mary. Since then, I have not relented to invoke the Blessed Mary as my mother. I can still attest that Mary is my loving mother; she has been accompanying me in my journey towards what the Lord is calling me to become. For me, she is a mother without whom I am insecure in my religious life.
After coming across the Theology on Mary (Mariology), I continue to grow in my understanding of her. In some discussions, I ask myself why there is so much focus on Mary rather than on Jesus. It’s like that focusing much on Mary, we lose the focus on Jesus, who says," I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn 14:6) A fortiori, the Catholic Church agrees with all Christians on the centrality of the person of Jesus Christ in the proclamation of faith. (Cf CCC. 425) This implies that Jesus is at the heart of our salvation; he is our unique and universal savior.
However, missing the mark on Mary can distort our Theology. “For Mary entered deeply the history of salvation. When she is preached about and honored, she calls believers to her son, to his sacrifice, and to the love of the Father." By conceiving and giving birth to Jesus, Mary entered not only into a physical union with Christ but also into a spiritual one. So, she knows him more than any other creature. As the late Pope Benedict XVI put it, “it is necessary to go back to Mary if we want to return to that truth about Jesus Christ, truth about the Church and truth about man.” Mary is not so much an object of our faith but an instrument. She contributes to a fuller understanding of the life of Jesus and leads us to him." Like the moon in relation to the sun, Mary is not the light; she is the most perfect reflection of that light." By honoring Mary, the epitome of sanctity, we honor God who made her full of grace. Mary is what she is because of her Son. She is a mirror in which we see our human destiny.
Since Mary is the mother of Jesus, and the latter is our brother by virtue of our Baptism, Mary becomes our mother too. She is the mother of all humanity that Jesus represents as a perfect man. Mary is not our physical mother but our Spiritual Mother. To remind us this truth, Jesus inherited Mary to us at the foot of the cross. Jesus ‘words to the apostle John, and each of us, were yet profound:" Behold your mother" (John 19:27).
All in all, Mary is my loving mother who wants to see me love God and listen to her Son. I am sure that she never ceases to intercede for me to her beloved Son in heaven. Whenever I do my prayer to God, I realize that I don’t perform well. Having the Blessed Mary, my mother, I fly to her asking him to help me to make a good and presentable petition to the Lord. I know that she is the person closest to God. No doubt, I feel her abiding presence and her assistance in my life. I invite you to love her more. She is waiting to keep you in her mantle.
