Mary, A Lesson on Trusting in God

Mary, A Lesson on Trusting In God


By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD,

Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy

www.missionstsergius.org

Email: Mission_St_Sergius@msn.com



The Feast of The Immaculate Conception celebrates Our Lady‘s complete trust in Almighty God. We celebrate God’s greatest gift to humankind, His beloved son Jesus Christ, and the fact that God decided that Mary would be free of original sin that the rest of humankind is prone to so that she would be a pure vessel for Christ to be conceived in by the Holy Spirit and nurtured to human life for nine months.

When the Angel Gabriel, informed her that God had chosen her to bear the promised of the ages with these words "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.” Luke 1:29-35. Mary asked; “How can this be, for I know not man?. "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.”

This fulfilled the promise from God when He drove Satan from the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:14-16 “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” and in Isaiah 11: 1: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse: from his roots a branch will bear fruit.”.

What faith in God Mary must have had to accept this message. After all, the punishment for having a sexual relation without being married was to be stoned to death as an adulteress.

Mary’s response to Gabriel’s message was “Let it be done to me according to God’s will” Luke 1:38

In our daily live we are often faced with challenges or situations where we have great apprehension do we respond to them with “Let it be done to me according to God’s will” as Mary did or do we gross and complain because things are difficult.?

What went through Our Blessed Mothers mind when Simeon told her "A sword will pierce your own soul too." Luke 2: 34-35 I think if I had been told this, I would run away rather than face a future filled with suffering.

Mary was an example on how we should respond to the challenges God sends us because, as we have seen from how this story turned out, God will also give us the tools to deal with the problems he sends.

Mary placed her trust in the message of Gabriel as we should also in our life. We need to seek God in prayer and putting our trust in God will for us.

When we we do this we come through our difficulties alright.

Even Jesus, when faced with what was about to happen after His entry into Jerusalem cried out to God "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." Matthew 26:41-43

On Dec. 8th, 1957 I could not fall asleep because of thoughts flashing through my mind, I finally got up and wrote down what I was thinking and went to fall into a peaceful and deep sleep. Upon awakening the following day I noticed a paper with writing on it. After reading it I thought, “My mother will like this” and mailed it off to her. 30 years later, after mom passed on, I found the original paper I had written that night. I end this reflection with the words I wrote that Dec. 8th 1957 which I have called A Sinners Prayer.

A SINNER’S PRAYER

Written in 1957 By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD



O, Mary Immaculate, virgin so fair, mother of Our Savior, please hear my prayer.

Intercede, dearest mother, to your heavenly son.

Tell Him I am truly sorry for all the wrongs and sins I have done.

Ask Him to guide me, by the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit, in all of my ways

So that I might give Him honor, glory and praise with all the Heavenly elect when I come to the end of my earthly days. AMEN