Friends of God, 286
Mary teaches us to hope. She proclaimed: “All generations
will call me blessed.” Humanly speaking, how could she hope for such a thing?
Who was she, in the eyes of the men and women of her time? The great heroines
of the Old Testament – Judith, Esther, Deborah – won a measure of human glory
even here on earth, for they were acclaimed and exalted by the people. Mary’s
throne, by contrast, like that of her Son, is the Cross. During the rest of her
life, until she was taken body and soul into Heaven, what most impresses us
about her is her quiet presence. St Luke, who knew her well, describes her as
being close to the first disciples, in prayer. This was the way she lived to
the end of her days on earth, she who was to be praised by all creatures for
all eternity.
What a contrast between Our Lady’s hope and our own
impatience! So often we call upon God to reward us at once for any little good
we have done. No sooner does the first difficulty appear than we start to
complain. Often we are incapable of sustaining our efforts, of keeping our hope
alive. Why? Because we lack faith. “Blessed art thou for thy believing; the
message that was brought to thee from the Lord shall have fulfilment.”
Friends of God, 221
Let us be full of hope! This is the great thing about being
a contemplative soul. We live by Faith, Hope and Love, and Hope makes us
powerful. Do you remember what St John says? “I am writing to you, young men,
because you are strong and the word of God abides in you, and you have
conquered the evil one.” God is urging us on, for the sake of the eternal youthfulness
of the Church and of all mankind. You have the power to transform everything
human into something divine, just as King Midas turned everything he touched
into gold!
Do not ever forget that after death you will be welcomed by
Love itself. And in the love of God you will find as well all the noble loves
which you had on earth. Our Lord has arranged for us to spend this brief day of
our earthly existence working and, like his only-begotten Son, “doing good.”
Meanwhile we have to be on our guard, alert to the call St Ignatius of Antioch
felt within his soul as the hour of his martyrdom approached. “Come to the
Father,” come to your Father, who anxiously awaits you.
PRAYER Let us ask Holy Mary, Spes Nostra, our hope, to
kindle in us a holy desire that we may all come together to dwell in the house
of the Father. Nothing need disturb us if we make up our minds to anchor our
hearts in a real longing for our true fatherland. Our Lord will lead us there
with his grace, and he will send a good wind to carry our ship to the bright
shores of our destination. Friends of God, 221
