September 8


Mary: Way to Jesus

        I wish that you give me your heart, so I may give it to my divine Son, Jesus. Once your heart belongs to him, then you will receive from him the necessary graces to remain in         him … So give me your heart that I may give it to Jesus. (OOCC, XIII, pp. 716 - 717)

The spirituality of St. Vincent Pallotti has a Marian touch. So the essential element of St. Vincent’s spiritual journey is “through Mary to Jesus.” The most important task of Mary’s life is to bring Christ to the world. Hence, she is interested in bringing Christ into the hearts of every believer and making him/her mature in Christ. Therefore, St. Vincent encouraged all types of people, whether they were sinful, tepid or half-hearted, and the fervent persons to go to Mary that they all may find their proper way to reach Jesus. To the persons who are sinful, Mary offers refuge and helps them to make peace with the crucified Lord who was crucified for their sins. To those persons who are tepid and half-hearted in their attitude towards the Lord, Mary after accepting them, asks them to stop living a life that endangers the gift of the Spirit in their lives. They must start anew with renewed fervor and move towards a life of genuine perfection which in turn would take them to Jesus. To those persons who are fervent in their commitment to the Lord, Mary helps them to increase their efforts in becoming perfect, and thereby makes them more like Jesus. Thus Mary wishes all groups of people would give their hearts to her, so that she can bring about the needed transformation in them. Having transformed them, she can offer them to Jesus. In this manner, Mary becomes the way to Jesus, as far as the spiritual life of every Christian is concerned.

Do I acknowledge Mary as the way to lead me to Jesus? What is the spiritual state I find myself in? Am I in the state of sin? Am I tepid or half- hearted? Am I fervent in my commitment to the Lord? Am I ready to offer myself to Mary despite the fact of my actual spiritual state? Do I believe that with Mary’s help I can truly know Jesus?

        His Mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” (Jn: 2: 5)