Drawing by a student of
the Sacred Heart School in,
México D.F. México
I think we all know the story of Mater - the fresco painted in the Trinita dei Monti in Rome in 1844 by a young Religious of the Sacred Heart, Pauline Perdreau, picturing Mary as a young Jewish girl, sitting in the Temple, with the dawn rising behind her. She is dressed in pink, and is surrounded by her workbasket, her spindle, an open book at her feet, a lily by her side. In schools of the Sacred Heart throughout the world we honor Mary as Mater Admirabiis, Mother Most Admirable, on October 20.
So, instead of re-telling the story, I am going to share with you a soliloquy, a 'Southern chat', a reflection that perhaps anyone of you could have with Mater today.
I am a girl, about the same age as you were, Mary, when the angel spoke to you. But what does a 2,000 year-old woman have to say to me, a young girl in 2002?
You lived in Israel; I live in New Orleans.
You grew up traveling on donkeys; I go by cars or planes.
You read the Torah; we celebrate Mass.
You went to the Temple to learn and to pray; I come to Sacred Heart.
You watched Jesus write in the sand; we write with computers.
You wore long dresses and veils; I wear plaid skirts AND ASH monogrammed socks!
Did Anna (your mom) ever tell you that you were out of uniform when you left home to go to the Temple? My mom tells me to tuck in my shirt. Did Anna ever tell you to fix your veil??
You grew up with the Romans invading your land; we live in a time of terrorism. You were sinless; and well, me, I fall now and again.
So, if you are so different, what do we have in common with you?
I'll bet no one remembers me 2,000 years from now. How did you do it? What is it, Mary, that keeps you in our memory?
Well, I guess it is because you listened - you really listened - even to angels. There are probably angels in my life, too, if only I would learn to listen to them. Who are the angels in my life - the ones who help me understand who I am to be? But you not only listened, you told others what you heard.
You jumped on your donkey and took off to visit your cousin and friend Elizabeth. She must have been a good friend someone you could share troubling things with. Do I have an Elizabeth in my life? A friend who listens to my deepest questions? A friend who helps me be holy?
You were pretty ordinary, Mary, but you were also extraordinary because you let God take your ordinary life and make something wonderful of it. How can I let God do that for me?
No one will remember me 2,000 year from now because I am not you. But maybe tomorrow someone will remember me because of some kind thing I did for them today. I will never be able to give birth to Jesus, but I can give birth to love every day, many times a day.
The angel told you that "nothing is impossible with God." It's hard to believe in impossible things. It must have been difficult for you to believe when all those strange things kept happening to you. It's hard for me to believe in impossible things, when my friend has hurt me or I fail a test or a get sick and miss a big party. Nothing is impossible with God, if you really believe. really believe! That's another reason why we remember you 2,000 years later. You really believed.
Something else, Mary. You said yes to God. You not only said it once, but you said it again and again. What do I say yes to? Do I say yes to my friends because I am afraid to say no? Do I say, Yes, sure, Mom, I'll take care of my little sister. Do I say yes to my little sister, "Sure, I'll take you to the playground." Do I say yes to my homework even though my friends are on line and I want to join them? I guess we can't say big yeses later on in our lives if we don't start saying the little yeses right now.
Another thing, Mary, you seem so silent. We always picture you sitting in the Temple or standing on the moon and stars or ascending up to heaven. Didn't you ever play soccer or go to parties? Oh, I forgot - you did go to wedding receptions. We read about that in the Bible. You also spent a lot of time wandering around with your son's friends, working miracles. I would like to learn how to be silent, to be prayerful sitting like you, aware of God, and yet surrounded by the concerns of daily life. Maybe then I could also work miracles.
You also must have puzzled a lot over Jesus as he grew up - not always understanding what he was up to. My parents and teachers puzzle over me sometimes, too. Help them not get discouraged.
Your faith must have been very strong, Mary - to answer angels, to be rebuked by your son, to watch him crucified and then to believe that he was still with you and to also believe that heaven is a great banquet where we will all be reunited again some day. Teach me to believe that all oflife is a wedding banquet, where Jesus and you will turn our life from water into wine - if we only believe.
So, happy feast, Mary, Mater, Mother, Friend. Thanks for letting us remember you even though you're 2,000 years old. It will be fun to meet you someday. I wonder if you will be wearing jeans or if you will still be wearing that pink dress and old fashioned veil. No matter what you are wearing, I think I will recognize you because today, on your feast, with children of the Sacred Heart everywhere in the world, I feel as if I have gotten to know you better, and once you really get to know someone, I think you will always recognize them, no matter how old they are, no matter what they are wearing. Thanks for listening to me. Now, Mater, teach me to listen to you.
For the next few minutes, let all be silent and listen to what mater might have to say to each of us today.
Shirley Miller rscj
Province of the United States
Given at the Academy of the Sacred Heart, The Rosary, New Orleans, USA
|
