The Feast of St. Mary the Virgin

Today we celebrate St. Mary the Virgin, not as a distant figure in stained glass, but as a young woman who said "yes" to God without knowing how the story would unfold. In an age marked by uncertainty, rapid change, and anxiety about the future, Mary reminds us that faith is not having all the answers. Faith is trusting God's presence when the path ahead is unclear.

We gather to honor Mary, whose quiet courage changed the course of history. In a world that often rewards noise, self-promotion, and certainty, Mary's life points us toward another way: listening deeply, responding faithfully, and making room for God's work within us. Her example challenges us to ask: What new thing might God be seeking to bring forth through us?

The song Mary sang, the Magnificat, is one of the most powerful visions of justice in Scripture. She proclaimed a God who lifts up the lowly, fills the hungry with good things, and remembers those who are forgotten. As we celebrate her feast today, we are invited to see our world through Mary's eyes and to join God's work of compassion, dignity, and hope for all people.

But how are we to relate to this simple woman of ancient time of whom the Orthodox hymn extols as “More higher than the Seraphim and more glorious beyond compare than the Cherubim,” two of the highest choirs of the angels? What do we have in common with Mary and her life?

Well, to start off, she was asked to do the absolutely and most extraordinary thing as a teen girl of probably 16—to carry and give birth to God’s Son and as an unwed girl.

Imagine the humiliation in first century Palestine to be in that predicament. And who in their right mind would believe her story about the visit from the angel? Think of how many young women through the ages have experienced this? I know it firsthand because I have a long since departed aunt who was an unwed mother—and a teacher in the 1940’s.

After the birth of Jesus, Mary became a refugee. To avoid being assassinated by Herod she had to flee with her husband and child to Egypt. How many people around the world suffer the threat of persecution and even death by evil regimes and drug cartels. A mentoring program at a high school in Norwalk assists some of these surviving children and their stories are heart wrenching. Ask Bob Giolitto about the details.

At 30 years old, having worked in small town Nazareth as a carpenter, Mary’s son announced that he needs to begin his mission. Her only son is leaving her and it’s likely that by now she was a widow. Imagine the feeling of abandonment and her confusion. Where is he going? Will he be OK? Who is are these mashugana characters he picked up—one even a tax collector. How many moms and dads experience this kind of worry about their adult kids?

Eventually, she sees the marvelous work he’s doing, the preaching, the healing, the miracles and Mary is so proud. Now she understands what the angel’s message meant those many years ago that Jesus will be great, will be called the Son of the Most High, will receive the throne of David, and will reign forever with a kingdom that will never end.

 But then comes the darkest of times. He’s vilified by the religious leaders, plotted against, arrested and tried on false charges. It’s no different today for mothers whose sons are falsely accused of something and end up in the penal system only to discover that they are innocent.

And then Mary must witness the unthinkable. The beating, the whipping, the mocking and name calling. I wonder how many mothers in the era of slavery had to see their men tortured that way or strung up on a tree like her son.

Mary’s pain and heartbreak continued at the foot of the cross watching the life slowly drain out of him as he hangs in agony. Now she must bury her only child. I’m sure this must resonate with moms and dads who experienced the unexpected loss of a child or adult son or daughter. My grandmother Burke buried her youngest son of 25 after a tragic accident and then years later attended the funerals of two more of her adult daughters. Yes, we all have common stories with Mary’s.

This is the side of Mary that’s not usually talked about, but it shows her utter humanity and how we can relate to her lifelong experiences in contemporary times. But it also shows how she was able to navigate all the negative experiences of her life. Mary's greatness was not that she was extraordinary, but that she made room for God in a crowded, distracted, and anxious world.

In a culture saturated with opinions, alerts, and constant distraction, Mary's first response to God was to listen. Before she spoke, before she acted, she listened for God's voice.

On this feast day, we give thanks for Mary's example and pray for the grace to hear God's invitation in the midst of our own busy lives.

We live in a time marked by deep divisions and loud voices. Mary reminds us that God often works through humility, compassion, and quiet faithfulness. May we go forth committed not to winning arguments but to building bridges, not to protecting ourselves but to making room for one another, trusting that God's future is always larger than our fears.

Most holy Mother of God, pray for us!