Mary experienced uncertainty and insecurity
when she said yes to the angel. She knew
what oppression was when she didn’t find a hospitable place to give birth to
Jesus. She knew the sufferings of
mothers who see their children being thrown into the air and being pierced by
bayonets; she lived as a refugee in a strange land with a strange language and
strange customs; she knew what it meant to have a child who does not follow the
regular ways of life but creates turmoil wherever he goes; she felt the loneliness
of the widow and the agony of seeing her own son being executed. Mary is the woman who stands next to all the
poor, oppressed, and lonely women of our time.
Every word in Scripture about Mary points
to her intimate connection with all who are forgotten, rejected, despised, and
pushed aside. She joyfully proclaims, He has cast down the mighty from their
thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He
has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away. (Luke
1: 52-53).
--Henri Nouwen, ¡Gracias!
In May we remember Mary...
