THE FAITH THAT MARY MODELS MOTIVATES YOUNG ADULTS
By Katherine Jass Lopez
For Today’s Catholic
Our Lady of Guadalupe. Our Lady of Fatima. Our Lady of the Miracle. Our Lady of Lourdes. She is known by many names; been known to have appeared to one or more believers, but simply put, she is Mary, the mother of Christ.
Young adults gathered to learn more of the incredible life and mystery of our Mother Mary and how we can invite her to be a part of our faith journey at Theology on Tap on March 25 at the Blue Star Brewery located at 1414 South Alamo.
Father Bob Hogan, BBD, associate liaison to the Catholic Charismatic Renewal and National Service Committee member, engaged the YA’s in a discussion “Mary 2010 — Who is Mary?” The date of the discussion was particularly foretelling. “It is a joy to be with you this evening and a special blessing that we are discussing Mary on this date. Today is very appropriate for our talk and it is the Feast of the Annunciation of Mary when the Angel Gabriel came to Mary to tell her she was going to be the mother of Christ,” Father Hogan began.
“Can you imagine what that moment must have been like? Do you think you would have so willingly accepted what the angel was saying and trust in the Lord? Think about your own life now and how you respond when God calls as we continue to discuss the faith that Mary models for us,” he said.
By focusing on the life of Mary at different times in her life we can invite her to join us on our own spiritual journey. “Mary is someone who can accompany us on our pilgrimage of faith; all we have to do is invite her into our lives and she will help us. There are five (5) types of faith experiences that I want to share with you so that you can begin your journey with Mary tonight.”
Referring back to the origins of the Annunciation, Father Hogan explained that (1) trust is the most important aspect of faith. “Remember when Jesus talks about having the faith of a little child — well we should all strive for this and Mary is the perfect example. Mary entrusts herself to the Lord without asking any questions. Sometimes we try so hard to be in control; we must remember, the control lies within in God and we should trust in him just as Mary did.”
(2) Rejoicing and maturing faith are also modeled by Mary. “Think of when Mary hears that Elizabeth is with child — she goes to her to pray and rejoice with her because she believes all things are possible with God. This is our example to always rejoice, even when things appear bleak and negative we must remember and rejoice in the love of God. As Mary grows and encounters certain events she begins to ponder the word of God; by pondering things we begin to mature and see things in a different light. Mary pondered so many things and grew in wisdom. This is also what we must do so that we can fully understand God’s call for each of us.”
(3) Having faith means persevering through even the most difficult times and Mary demonstrates this faith to us at the foot of the cross. “Life does have pain and we can either turn to negative means of escape that pain or we can look to Mary and the faith she showed at the foot of the cross. Her faith was so strong because she knew God will make even the bad things work for the good of his people; she knew her son dying on the cross was God’s will to save each of us and her faith in that is a perfect example for each of us to turn to when we are dealing with difficulties in life.”
(4) God has a mission for each of us and has (5) an expectation that we go out and share our faith with the world. “God wants us to go and share his good news and Mary knew this better than anyone. Mary wants to teach you a faith that allows you to do great things in the name of God. She is the model for all these types of faith and we should ask Mary to pray with us and accompany us on this journey that God has called us to.”
For Today’s Catholic
Our Lady of Guadalupe. Our Lady of Fatima. Our Lady of the Miracle. Our Lady of Lourdes. She is known by many names; been known to have appeared to one or more believers, but simply put, she is Mary, the mother of Christ.
“Can you imagine what that moment must have been like? Do you think you would have so willingly accepted what the angel was saying and trust in the Lord? Think about your own life now and how you respond when God calls as we continue to discuss the faith that Mary models for us,” he said.
By focusing on the life of Mary at different times in her life we can invite her to join us on our own spiritual journey. “Mary is someone who can accompany us on our pilgrimage of faith; all we have to do is invite her into our lives and she will help us. There are five (5) types of faith experiences that I want to share with you so that you can begin your journey with Mary tonight.”
Referring back to the origins of the Annunciation, Father Hogan explained that (1) trust is the most important aspect of faith. “Remember when Jesus talks about having the faith of a little child — well we should all strive for this and Mary is the perfect example. Mary entrusts herself to the Lord without asking any questions. Sometimes we try so hard to be in control; we must remember, the control lies within in God and we should trust in him just as Mary did.”
(2) Rejoicing and maturing faith are also modeled by Mary. “Think of when Mary hears that Elizabeth is with child — she goes to her to pray and rejoice with her because she believes all things are possible with God. This is our example to always rejoice, even when things appear bleak and negative we must remember and rejoice in the love of God. As Mary grows and encounters certain events she begins to ponder the word of God; by pondering things we begin to mature and see things in a different light. Mary pondered so many things and grew in wisdom. This is also what we must do so that we can fully understand God’s call for each of us.”
(3) Having faith means persevering through even the most difficult times and Mary demonstrates this faith to us at the foot of the cross. “Life does have pain and we can either turn to negative means of escape that pain or we can look to Mary and the faith she showed at the foot of the cross. Her faith was so strong because she knew God will make even the bad things work for the good of his people; she knew her son dying on the cross was God’s will to save each of us and her faith in that is a perfect example for each of us to turn to when we are dealing with difficulties in life.”
(4) God has a mission for each of us and has (5) an expectation that we go out and share our faith with the world. “God wants us to go and share his good news and Mary knew this better than anyone. Mary wants to teach you a faith that allows you to do great things in the name of God. She is the model for all these types of faith and we should ask Mary to pray with us and accompany us on this journey that God has called us to.”