Behold Your Mother

Devotion to and intercession through, Mary the mother of Jesus, is efficacious help, in beseeching the higher power of Jesus Christ the eternal Savior. Marian devotion remains ever a highly beneficial dimension of Christian faith. The Blessed Virgin ministers tenderly to catholics, but her mediation does not end there. All the children of earth, indeed all sinners, are under her care.

Prayer to Mary is not an innovation of later Christianity. The centrality of her assistance and help are biblical. Jesus is the perfect offering: priest and victim, and His mother shared completely in the sacrificial work of His Cross. Mary raised God's Son to manhood aware of His mission and true to the end, as mother, stood at the foot of the Cross on the day of humanity's redemption.

In his last moments, "When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, 'Woman behold your son!' Then he said to the disciple, 'Behold your mother!' And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home." John 19: 26, 27

Scripture scholar, protestant-convert Scott Hahn comments on this passage: The address 'Woman' sounds impersonal to modern readers, but was considered polite in biblical antiquity. Jesus probably alludes to Genesis 3:15, which describes the mother of the Messiah as the 'woman' whose offspring conquers the devil. Jesus honors his Mother by entrusting her to the protective care of the apostle John, presumably because Mary had no other children to assume the responsibility. John is not just an individual disciple. He is portrayed by the evangelist as an icon of every disciple whom Jesus loves. In this sense, Mary is given to all beloved disciples of Christ, as every disciple is given to the maternal care of Mary.

Mary could have been 'sheltered' by any one of numerous devout followers, by the wealthy sisters of Lazarus, by Joseph of Arimethea or Nicodemus, by any of those close and faithful to Jesus. The precious and powerful protection of the Mother is given to all who love Jesus and to whom our Lord himself draws particularly close to. John, and all of us who love and are loved, are here given to His mother. Do we know what it means to love and be loved by the Lord, in the same closeness of friendship's love?

From the hour each disciple takes her to his own home each one of us who love, serve and remain the faithful friend of God, who seek only one Savior, and grasp the benefit of Christ's instituted mediation by Mary, we will be loved, taught, lead, nourished and protected by the Holy Mother of Jesus.

The Holy Rosary, an intercessory prayer to the Blessed Virgin, conferred to St Dominic in the 13^th century, is the central practice of this relationship, which is not worship as if Mary were deity, but a petition for her powerful and unsurpassed intercession before the Godhead. If we say a rosary every day with sincerity and love, heaven will be ours at the end of life. And if this is true, then we will surely be upheld against the obstacle of lust.

And even if we fall, we need never be afraid. The Father's mercy is beyond human understanding. God is ever ready to forgive us and fill us with the grace we cry out for, in trust, confidence, in faith, believing that He can do it. God does not want us to flee from Him in fear.

If we do not believe God will forgive us, it is because we have believed the lie of the enemy, who whispers wickedly 'you cannot be forgiven, you are unforgiveable, you are not worthy of Him'. Satan's great deception is trying to convince us that Christ did not die for all the sins ever committed. But Jesus has in fact done so. Believe!

The atonement of all sin that will ever be committed has been accomplished by Christ. Here is why the enemy howls forever, because nothing wrought by the devil can fail to be erased by the perfect, immaculate blood of the Savior, invoked and received with faith.

It happens through the sacrament of reconciliation which is our miraculous cleansing from the mark and memory of all sin. Holy Communion received at Mass is our steady and increasing fortification against error and sin.

Our Savior has ascended but he has left us with the comfort and the favor of his mother. If we pray to her, she is a powerful advocate who will not fail to gain what is needed for us; for Her Son who so loved her will not fail to heed her requests to him.

Our Lord is telling us that Mary his mother, is our mother.Do we comprehend the greatness of this gift?Are the powers and merits of our Lady of Sorrows obvious? We need take these things into our hearts and with faith turn to our mother, who is the helper par excellence.

Hail Mary full of grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among woman and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Pray the rosary every day!Hundreds of thousands of rosaries have been handmade for American and international soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many chaplains reported the wide acceptance of this help, irrespective of soldier denomination!

Who are the beloved of Christ? Those who make full use of the sacraments, prayers, devotions and pieties that are the inheritance of centuries of catholic practice. They have all survived for no small reason or purpose they are the lifeline of sinners being transformed to purity and chastity, being born into the life of grace. Sobriety is not an achievement or an accomplishment, it is a gift, a grace.

Mary the Holy Mother of Jesus is a treasure house of God's graces and she waits to share her riches with us. We need only seek her and ask with faith.

Thank you Most Holy Mother of God!