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JMJ
"But he said in reply to the one who told him, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said,"Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother." (Mt. 12:48-50)49
Marriage is one of the vocations of service, and after Our Lord, no one models selfless servitude better than Our Blessed Mother. One can easily excuse himself from admiration for Mary because she cared for God, Himself, and so surely had no difficulties? Of course Our Lady's life was filled with an abundance of blessings. What a joy to shelter Christ inside of her for nine months! What a privilege she enjoyed to nurse him, clothe him, feed him, speak to Him, and just adore and observe Him for thirty years!
Yet, before Our Lady endured the sacrifice of Her Son on the cross, she first suffered their parting when He began His public ministry. What pain her pure heart must have felt at their first separation! She, who had so tenderly cared for all His needs now must share Him with the rest of the world. Mary shows us that to have a true servant's heart we must be willing to serve in unexpected and uncomfortable ways. She said, "Yes" to sharing her greatest joy with others. She said ,"yes" to being in the background and following at a distance. She said, "yes" to allowing other women to minister to His needs. After His Resurrection and Ascension, she said,"Yes" to now serving as Mother of His Apostles, guiding her Son's infant Church. Her Firstborn Son is Divine, but she has had to endure many heartaches with the imperfect sons and daughters that followed.
Our Blessed Mother knew Her Son's voice in all that was asked of her, and though one cannot hear it as distinctly as she, when he is called upon to serve in marriage and family life, he must know that it is the voice of His Savior asking Him to do this. Many times it will go against our immediate desire, and sometimes it will require extraordinary effort, but He is always there with the supernatural grace to aid us in the daily grind. We, too, can be models for others close to us if we serve with peaceful acceptance and gentleness.
