By Judie Brown
The mother of God, the Virgin Mary, is unstained by sin. She is, as Father John Hardon, SJ, explained, “a sign of contradiction because, humanly speaking, it seems contradictory to obtain by yielding; to get by giving.” He continues:
Yet that is what Mary teaches us. We gain most when we give most; we grow when we give up; we merit before God when we surrender. You don’t explain that—you believe it. Mary is also the sign of hope because we see in her what marvels God can do in human nature. She was told by the Angel and believed that “nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). Mary’s whole life proved how right she was. She shows us what it is to hope from God for everything, provided we give God everything.
This may sound contradictory, especially given the self-centered world in which we live. But as Catholics we look to Mary to remind us of what is truly important, beginning with total humility before the Lord.
Quoting “Mary, Humility and the Hand of God”:
She begins with a prophetic crown but chooses the handmaid’s towel. She bore and raised the Savior of the world, yet never sought personal glory, instead relying on God’s directive and timing. Her passing is not given explicit biblical detail, and even her supposed home is known through mystical revelation rather than historical certainty. This summary, far from diminishing her, elevates her as the supreme model of quiet surrender, profound faith, and true humility—a woman whose greatness truly sprang from her “low estate” as regarded by the Almighty.
Mary’s life was remarkable in its simplicity. When we pray “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus,” we are reminding ourselves of what is truly important in daily life. This is an urgent reminder because in our struggles against the culture of death, we must always be open to the will of God, His guidance, and His grace. By reflecting on Mary, we are yielding ourselves to the Lord, humbly accepting our human frailty, and seeking divine strength to do our work.
Being a pro-life advocate in our world today requires the sort of acquiescence before Christ that brings us to our knees, thus enabling us to better be God’s conduit to those who may not know that they need His love but who need it in every way.
I will never forget the visit my husband and I made to Ephesus, Turkey. Among these ancient ruins we saw the place where Mary’s final days were spent in a humble home traditionally said to have been St. John the Baptist’s residence as well. What struck us the most was that it was a tiny, crumbling building that became a holy place because the Virgin resided there until her death.
That place reflected the humility of a holy woman who devoted her life to God’s will and who, while ever acquiring the status the world confers, is the Queen of Heaven and Earth: “As Mediatrix of all graces, who shared in earning all graces, she is, as Benedict XV said, ‘Suppliant omnipotence’: she, united with her Son, can obtain by her intercession anything that the all-powerful God can do by His own inherent power.”
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee!