Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her home.   

"I've been waiting for my dreams to turn into something I could believe in and looking for that magic rainbow on the horizon. Now, I’m coming alive, body and soul, and feeling my world start to turn. And I’ll taste every moment and live it out loud. I know this is the time, this is the time to be more than a name or a face in the crowd. I know this is the time of my life. I couldn’t see until I let go, gave into love and watched all the bitterness burn."    

Why is the person of Mary, the mother of Jesus, so important in the Church? Setting aside any possible intercession to God on our behalf that she is capable of, primarily it is that she is the premier example of someone who "gave into love." She recognized the call of love from her God, let go of her life as she knew it, and lived out that love. As she did it, she recognized that it was the time of her life. Her life took on a different perspective and she expressed her joy as she witnessed the greatness of her God.

In her life, Mary probably did not experience the "bitterness" that David Cook sings about in his song, the bitterness that is overcome once a person gives into love. But as a human being, she had to know how it felt. Bitterness comes when things are not going right, when we believe that we are not being treated fairly, when we see how others have it so good and we are lacking so much. Such bitterness has a tendency to dominate our lives. Even if we feel good for a while, the bitterness can take over, leading us toward personal despair and in some cases, deliberate hatred.

David Cook sings of the antidote to that bitterness in his song "The Time of My Life," namely giving into love. Mary was able to accept it in her life once she understood what God's plans were for her. You and I have the same opportunity--to give into the fire of true love of others and watch any bitterness burn away. We can come alive in our lives and conquer the selfish desires that tend to make us bitter when we look at what others have; we can overcome the feelings of despair and depression; we can take ourselves seriously, and at the same time be able to laugh at and correct the faults of our humanness.

If we give into the love of our God and others, the possible bitterness in our lives will burn away, and our lives will be moved to actions of love.                   

THOUGHT
 
PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son gave into love in his human life, the love of all of us. Your servant Mary gave into love by accepting what you said to her. Give us the grace to give into love of you in a greater way, and at the same time, to give into love of others. Be with us, we pray. 

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America