The best lesson I think our Blessed Mother teaches us is: let go and let God.  What I mean by this popular phrase, I’m sure many of you have heard it before, is trust in God’s providence, submit to His will over our own, and this will lead us to true joy.  Its exactly what our Blessed Mother did from the moment of her Immaculate conception all the way through her glorious assumption.  Mary submitted herself to the will of God and only sought to please Him above everyone else.  This is a lesson we all need to take to heart and mimic in our own lives.  

    Bishop Robert Barron, when he was rector at Mundelein Seminary, spoke of three paths to the Spiritual Life.  He wrote about these paths in one of his books, The Strangest Way.  Bishop Barron modeled our whole formation program off these three paths and while they're broad and generic, they're also hard and require a lifetime of prayer and work.  The first path is to find the center, who is of course, Jesus Christ.  The second path is to know you’re a sinner and the third path is to know your life is not about you.  Our Blessed Mother knew these three paths and followed them her whole life.

    Now, those paying attention will ask, how could she know Jesus is the center before giving birth to him and she was born without sin so how could she participate in path two?  Very good to those of you thinking those great questions.  Allow me to try and explain.  You are correct, our Blessed Mother did not know Jesus until she conceived Him; however, Mary had an intimate relationship with God from the moment of her conception.  Yes, she didn’t know the second person of the Trinity until He was conceived in her womb but she did know God the Father and kept Him and His will at the center of her life.  We are called to do the same.

    Yes, Mary was conceived without sin but she was not perfect.  Mary still needed a savior, someone to unlock the gates of Heaven for her to eventually enter in through.  The Blessed Mother was sinless but she didn’t flaunt it or become prideful.  This wasn’t a super power the Lord had given her but a choice she made every single day of her life to put the will of the Father ahead of her own.  We are called to do the same. 

    Both of these first two paths automatically lead to the third, our life is not about us.  The path of humility is the hardest, in my humble opinion, because we are so used to making everything about us.  The Blessed Virgin didn’t count the cost every time she gave of herself.  Her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, certainly didn’t think of Himself as he hung on the Cross for us.  

    We all know ourselves and what exactly we need to change and work on.  Use these three paths to help yourself start that conversion.  Find the Center, who is Jesus Christ, know you’re a sinner, your not perfect so stop acting like you are, and know your life is not about you.  This is what our Blessed Mother did and we are called to do the same.