Luke 2: 41-51

While Luke ends this passage of the finding of Jesus in the Temple with “his mother kept all these things in her heart,” its save to presume that Mary continued to reflect on all the major events in Jesus’ life up to that point including his birth, his presentation in the Temple, and now his being found in the Temple. And why wouldn’t she reflect on these important events? She’s the boys mother! Mary taught her son how to be a more effective person on the human level, how to relate with men and women in his ministry, how to express feelings of mercy and tenderness and compassion. Jesus in turn taught her, as his first and chief disciple, how to understand the Jewish scriptures about his own life’s work, so that she was fully prepared to surrender her mother’s rights, let go of him, and even enter the mystery of the passion at his side.

In his apostolic exhortation, Sacramentum Caritatis (the Sacrament of Charity), Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI wrote: “From the Annunciation to Pentecost, Mary of Nazareth appears as someone who's freedom is completely open to God’s will. Her immaculate conception is revealed precisely in her unconditional docility to God’s word. Obedient faith in response to God’s word shapes her life at every moment. A virgin attentive to God’s word, she lives in complete harmony with his will.” Mary is a person in conversation with God, with the word of God and also with the events through which God spoke to her.

Now, I’m well aware that no one else was immaculately conceived other than the Blessed Virgin; however, we can still put ourselves in the same spiritual disposition as Mary. Our Blessed Mother was a fully human woman. She felt temptations, had free will, and needed to be saved like the rest of us but it was her full dependance on God that kept her in the spiritual disposition of being a complete slave to the word of God. Mary was a good Jew, following the purity laws, keeping the sabbath, and following the commandments and other laws of the Torah. These were not easy laws to follow, especially for women, but Mary kept her focus on being an obedient child of God. But Mary did more than just follow the Law; she was in conversation with God! She had an intimate relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: Yahweh. This relationship would become very personal when she gave birth to God on that glorious day in the City of David.

So, as we continue our spiritual exercise of consecrating ourselves to Jesus Christ though Mary, how can we begin to foster this spirituality of our Blessed Mother. In a sense, it’s a very simple spirituality of reading, conversing, and most importantly, listening. May I suggest a prayer formula I was taught in the seminary, sometimes called the pirates prayer: Acknowledge, Relate, Receive, Respond (ARRR). Reading the scripture is already part of this spiritual exercise, so today or tomorrow when you read the next scripture try this spiritual formula. First, before you read anything, acknowledge how you feel. Are you hungry, angry, happy, giggling, tired? This is an important step because it will help you settle and see where you’re at and, if necessary, ask yourself why you feel this way. Then, read the scripture passage a couple times and at different speeds (regular pace, then a little slower, maybe just parts that stuck out to you, etc.) Once you’re done reading the scripture over a couple times relate when you feel and what stuck out to God. Tell God how your feelings, what the scripture passage means to you, and anything else that is on your heart and mind. Communicate with God! Tell him what’s going on! The third step is the hardest and the most important: receive. Once you are done relating and telling God whats on your mind and heart, sit in silence (yes, silence) and wait to receive from God whatever it is he want’s to tell you. It may be a feeling of comfort, peace, or a movement in your heart toward a specific message or feeling, or maybe you will experience your own burning bush equivalent (probably not though so don’t wait that long; but, who am I to limit God?). Then respond to God once you have received from him. This may be a simple “thank you Jesus” prayer, or if you received insight on a problem you may act on the solution, but the response should always include a thanksgiving of sorts for the time of prayer with Jesus.

This is exactly what Mary did and she is modeling for us what a grace it is to have a disposition toward God. To be in communication with God through his word is exactly what kept our Blessed Mother in union with God and prepared her to assist in the word becoming flesh in Jesus Christ. So this week, try this prayer formula, it may help or it may not but Mary’s spirituality was to be constantly with the word, relate her feelings to the Lord, and receive from God the grace and joy to continue her life of love and self-surrender. Let us all pray for such a grace.