Day 25 – Mary, our fiercely compassionate Mother
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke:
So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:3-7)
From Pope Benedict XVI’s homily for the Immaculate Conception, December 8, 2005:
In her, God has impressed his own image, the image of the One who follows the lost sheep even up into the mountains and among the briars and thornbushes of the sins of this world, letting himself be spiked by the crown of thorns of these sins in order to take the sheep on his shoulders and bring it home.
As a merciful Mother, Mary is the anticipated figure and everlasting portrait of the Son. Thus, we see that the image of the Sorrowful Virgin, of the Mother who shares her suffering and her love, is also a true image of the Immaculate Conception. Her heart was enlarged by being and feeling together with God. In her, God’s goodness came very close to us.
Reflection:
We see how fiercely Mary protects her children. We think of the saintly mothers throughout history, who, like Mary, would lay down their lives to protect their babies in the womb. Saint Gianna Beretta Molla and Chiara Corbella Petrillo and so many other Mary-like mothers laid down their lives to protect the babies in their wombs. Our Mother Mary loves us even more than that. When we speak of being in the womb of Mary, we know there is no pain or threat we face that she does not share with us. We know that her fiercely maternal heart fights vigorously to protect us. We know that she will never abandon us, no matter what the cost to her might be.
Litany of the Holy Spirit or Veni Sancte Spiritus
Rosary (or at least one decade) followed by the Litany of Loreto
Prayer of Entrustment to the Womb of Mary