In his most recent encyclical entitled Spe Salvi that reflects on the meaning of Christian Hope, Pope Benedict XVI reminded us that Mary is the Star of Hope. She is the Star of the Sea ,“Stella Maris,” the star that indicates the route in our “voyage on the sea of history, often dark and stormy.” She is a star that shines with the light of Jesus and so “guide us along our way.” [Spe Salvi # 49]
How does Mary’s light guide us along the way of our faith?
God was with Mary in her conception.
God was there for Mary from the very beginning. God called Mary from her mother’s womb. God provided the grace for her special mission to be the Mother of God from the very beginning. God was the author of her call; God was the protector of her mission.
Anuman ang ipagawa sa atin ng Diyos? Anuman ang kalooban ng Diyos para sa atin? Hindi tayo natatakot dahil sa simula’t simula kasama natin siya.
God was with Mary in her assumption.
God was with Mary until the end. He was there in her conception. He was there in at
Anuman ang kalagayan natin sa buhay? Anumang pagtatagumpay o pagsubok ang ating harapin? Hindi tayo makapagmamalaki o panghihinaan ng loob dahil hanggang sa huli kasama natin ang Diyos.
God needs our Yes.
From the very beginning God was with Mary. He was there in her conception. Until the end, God was there. He was there in her assumption. In between, were Mary’s “yes” to God; life-changing “yes” like the “yes” of annunciation, in Calvary, and on the day of Pentecost, ordinary “yes” like the “yes” when she had to travel to far away Bethlehem during her pregnancy, like the “yes” when her son had to leave home to begin his public ministry. God was always in Mary’s life, and continued to be there because Mary embraced God with her total and consistent “yes.”
Anumang dami ng mga biyayang ipinagkakaloob sa atin ng Diyos? Anumang ganda ng mga pagpapalang ito? Hindi ipipilit ng Diyos kung ayaw natin. Kailangan ang ating matamis, totoo, buo at mapagtiwalang “oo.” Hindi lamang sa simula o sa katapusan, hindi lamang minsan, kundi araw-araw na pag-oo sa presensya ng Diyos, at sa kanyang kalooban para sa atin.
The God of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob, and of the prophets is a faithful God. The God of Mary is a faithful God. He has called us from our mother’s womb. He is there from the very beginning. And just as God has always been there for Mary until the end, he will always be there for us, until the end. But between the beginning and the end, in this time of pilgrimage from creation to parousia, God awaits our “yes.” May Mary’s “yes” be our “yes.”
