Happy you because you believed

The Mother was a pilgrim. She walked the same roads that we used, and in her travels, there existed the typical characteristics of a pilgrimage: disturbances, confusion, perplexities, surprises, fear and fatigue. Above all, there were questions: what is this? is it true? And now what will we do? I don’t see anything. Everything is unclear.

Mary’s life was not that of a tourist. In the same way as we, she was also discovering the mystery of Jesus Christ, with the attitude typical of the “poor of Yahweh:” one of surrender, humbly searching, always trusting. The Mother was also wandering among the dark and empty streets and valleys, step by step, searching for the face and the will of the Father. Just as we now do.

If we examine the evangelical texts, we see that Mary’s life was a voyage on a sea of lights and shadows.

The greatness of Mary does not consist in thinking that she was never assailed by confusion. It is in knowing, that when she doesn’t understand something, she does not react as if she were distressed, impatient, irritated, anxious or afraid. Instead of speaking that way, she assumes the attitude of the Poor Ones of God: peaceful, patient and sweet, as she takes their words, accepts them, thinks about them, reflects on their meaning, saying to herself, “I wonder what these words mean? What is the will of God in all this? Thus, she withdraws into herself, full of peace, identifying herself with the disconcerting will of God, accepting the mystery of life.

What is to be gained resisting the impossible? Those are the times that we should act like Mary: keep our mouths shut and be at peace. We don’t know anything. The Father knows all. If we can do something to alter the chain of events, let us do it. But why fight against realities that we cannot change?

Then the Mother would appear, and say to us: “Children of mine: I am the way. Follow me. Do what I did. Travel that same route of faith that I traveled and you will have a home with the fortunate ones: Happy are those who, in the depths of the darkness of night, believed in the splendor of the Light!

From the book “The Silence of Mary” by Fr. Ignacio Larrañaga