Special

por Temi Mary Faccio Simionato

Mary, simple Mary!

"Humble, she hid the experience of the wise; fragile as a lily, she brought with her the endurance of the diamond, she carried in her own virtue the firm treasures of the heart, but she was great and prestigious before God". (1)  


Thus, she comes to this Earth, Mary or Miriam, Lady of Light, born between 18 and 20 BC in Jerusalem or Sepphoris in Galilee. During her childhood she lived in Nazareth, married at the age of fourteen to the carpenter Joseph of the tribe of David. Mary, simply Mary...

Her life becomes a symbol of tenderness and hope for the disinherited on Earth. She experiences the wonderful effort of being a mother in order to lead men to the path of love, carrying out their mission with magnitude. Her humbleness and resignation were special gifts that favored her choice for the special task of reconciling men. The example of having Jesus in the heart represented a strong sentimental connection based on love marked in two opposing scenes: Mary full of joy with the boy in her arms in the stable of Bethlehem and at the foot of the cross in the painful scene of Calvary.

This food of spiritual and maternal love is what brings us the necessary forces to face the trials and struggles that we must overcome. That is why it is important to examine the precious words of Mary at Cana at a wedding feast, full of wisdom and love: "Do whatever He tells you" (John 2: 5).

We are at the engagement feast of the Gospel with the Earth. Although more than twenty centuries have passed, the joy is still the one of an engagement, because, until now, we have not concluded our perfect union in this great concert of the renewing idea. On many occasions we have finished the wine of Hope, feeling tired, disillusioned, imploring maternal tenderness.

At this time, we must understand the depth and wisdom of His words to begin the work of salvation for each one of us.

We return to Mary, anxious and tortured, eyes fixed on the tree, reverting to the past in bitter memories. Her thoughts wander through the sea of ​​afflicted questions, when a friendly voice speaks to the Spirit about the unfathomable and just determinations of God, which must be accepted for the redemption of all. In this way, we understand that in the future the clarity of the Kingdom of God will reveal the need to cease all selfishness; and one day in every heart there will be the most abundant quota of love, not only for the family circle, but also for all the needy of the world. And in the temple of each dwelling real fraternity will remain so that the mutual assistance is practiced on Earth.

Jesus was her son, but above all, He was the Messenger of God. It was then that Mary understood the perfection, the mercy, and the justice of the Father’s mind, and she knelt at the feet of the cross, looking at her dead son, and repeating the unforgettable words: "Lord, here is your servant! Be it done unto me according to Your word" (Luke 1:38).

A worthy soul sees the generous wine of Cana transforming into the vinegar of martyrdom. Time marks a greater longing in the world and an ever higher hope in Heaven.

Time goes by. Her hut in Ephesus, facing the sea, was known as the House of the Blessed, a name given when a leper after having his wounds healed, kissed her hands, murmuring: "Lady, you are the mother of our Master and our Most Holy Mother(2). Mary always avoided the affectionate tributes of Jesus' disciples, but that filial confidence with which they asked for her presence was for her soul a soft and delicious treasure in her heart.

The helpless arrived daily, begging for spiritual assistance. Others came to hear her comforting words; the sick asked for her protection and the unfortunate mothers asked for the blessing of her affection. And she, affectionately, would say, "That will pass too! Only the Kingdom of God is strong enough to never pass from our souls, as an eternal fulfillment of heavenly love”. (2)

Her concepts softened the pain of the most desperate, thus clearing the dark thoughts of the most oppressed. When Paul of Tarsus goes to Ephesus and visits her, he is impressed by the humbleness of that simple and loving creature, paying attention to her narratives about the Master. He records her divine impressions in order to gather the indispensable data for the Gospel he intends to write for the Christians of the future.

Most of the time, Maria was alone, not feeling alone. The apostle John, with whom she lived after the crucifixion of Jesus, was much sought after in the Church of Ephesus, and so the days, the weeks, the months, and the years passed. Old age had not caused her weariness or bitterness. She was sure of the divine protection, and this provided her with uninterrupted comfort and grateful rest.

Some Christians who had been banished from Rome came to Ephesus with sad accounts of painful persecutions of all who were faithful to the doctrine of Jesus. Thus, Mary devoted herself to prayers asking God for all who were in anguish for the sake of His son.

Alone in her humble house, a strength enters her soul, and so, enlightened in her meditations, she sees the approach of a beggar. Maternally, she invites him in impressed with that voice that inspires her deep sympathy. The pilgrim speaks to her about Heaven, comforting her gently, commenting on the beatitudes that await all the devoted sons of God, implying that he understood the tender longings of the heart. What beggar would be the one who soothed the secret pains of the soul with so sweet balms? Where had she heard that sweet, tender voice? It was when the anonymous guest extended his generous hands and spoke with deep love: "My mother, come to my arms!"

Taken with great commotion, she saw in his hands two wounds, like the ones His Son had on the cross, and instinctively looked at the pilgrim's feet and also saw ulcers caused by the nails of the torment. She understands, then, the loving visit that God sent her. Her tender and eager hands embraced Him, in an impulse of love and in a motion to kneel. However, He, lifting her, kneels and kisses her hands, saying tenderly: "Yes, my mother, it is me! I came to fetch you, because my Father wants you to be in My Kingdom the Queen of Angels!(2)

Feeling that she is leaving this world, Mary wants to revisit Galilee. She remembers the disciples persecuted by the cruelty of men and wishes to embrace those who remained in the valley of the shadows, waiting for the enlightenment of the Kingdom of God. In a few moments, she sees a superb city where patrician litters pass constantly, displaying precious stones and animal skins, carried by miserable slaves. A few more moments, and she sees the dark prisons of the Esquiline, where hundreds of embittered faces portray atrocious sufferings. She prays with fervor and faith, approaching an imprisoned young woman with a bruised face, saying in her ear: "Sing, my daughter! Let us be of good cheer! Let us turn our pains on Earth into joys to Heaven!" (2) The sad prisoner through the bars sings a tender hymn of love for Jesus, turning all her bitterness into verses of hope, and thus her song is accompanied by hundreds of voices of those who wept in prison.

Let us thus learn to recognize in Mary an evolved entity, which for more than two thousand years has attained great virtues, performing on Earth a great mission, receiving as her Son the emissary of God. She is one of the purest Spirits that have been given to mankind to know by helping Jesus in the building up of His Kingdom, which is being built in our hearts little by little.

Let us work with her in the task of love for our redemption, work that can be done word by word, thought by thought, emotion by emotion and prayer by prayer. It is a love that adds energy to affection; it adds the discipline necessary for the corrective education that is needed by those who are accustomed to evil, by also adding hope and certainty of the final triumph of good.

Mary, simply Mary!

 

Bibliography:

(1) XAVIER, C. Francisco - Religion of the Spirits - dictated by the Spirit Emmanuel -22nd edition -Brasilia / DF / Publisher FEB -2013 - Item: The woman before the Christ.

(2) XAVIER, C. Francisco - PEREIRA. A. Yvonne – Mary Mother of Jesus - 1st edition - Sao Paulo / SP / Publisher Alianca - 2007 - pages 12,48,54,62,65 e 70.

And more: XAVIER, C. Francisco - Good News- dictated by the Spirit Humberto de Campos – 36th edition - Brasilia / DF / FEB -2013 - Chapter 30.


Translation:
Eleni Frangatos - eleni.moreira@uol.com.br

 

     
     

O Consolador
 Revista Semanal de Divulgação Espírita