Br. Christopher on the Special Gift of the Virgin Mother: “Some people, both within and without the Catholic Church, are uncomfortable about how much attention is given to the Blessed Virgin Mary by those devoted to her. The concern comes from a well-meaning intention: they feel that Jesus should be at the center of a Christian’s life. And no one would agree more with that feeling than Mary! So let’s talk about Mary and her role.
Jesus alone is Divine, God and Man. Only Jesus can Save. Our Lady is like us in that she is fully human, but also unlike any other Christian because of the totally unique role she plays in salvation history: to give a human nature to God so that He could redeem us.
Mary’s being, her life, her virtues, actions, and privileges, were all given by God to help reveal her Son to us. Mary is all about Jesus, about bringing us to know Jesus. One cannot fully know or understand Jesus and His Mission without knowing His Mother. As St. Louis of Montfort put it, the reason Jesus is not better known is because Mary is not better known. Mary is not optional.
To use a strange analogy: Mary is a math tutor, Jesus is Math. It is not about the tutor but about the subject. Those who think we pay too much attention to the tutor should realize that we are only doing so because we want to learn the Subject the best we possibly can. And in Mary we have the best guide, someone who knows her subject better than anyone else who will ever live. She is not a rival to Jesus but the best aid we will ever have in living out a fully Christ-centered life.”
God bless you,
Your brothers of New Clairvaux
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