Our Mother Mary

I grew up with a rocky and unstable relationship with my earthly mother.

Through no fault of her own, there were times when my mom was incapable of being the type of mom God intended her to be.
Growing up I felt lost, confused, and saddened by my mom's inability to care for me in the way I needed her to.
My story isn't unique in any way. The truth is the majority of women (myself included) face times when they are unable to be the mom they are called to be.
Sin, illness, death, societal pressures, and a myriad of factors prevent women from being healthy mothers. But God understood this from the very beginning.

When sin began to consume the world, God sent his angel Gabriel to a young woman whom he viewed as perfect. She was asked to take on the role of being a mother to our savior, Jesus Christ. Mary answered yes, and took on the huge responsibility of caring for and nurturing Jesus until His very death.

During His life, Jesus experienced many of the trials and tribulations that we face as individuals today, and with the help of His mother, he remained strong, and steady on His mission.

. Mary laid down her own life to take up the responsibility of raising Jesus (Luke 2:1-20).

. When Jesus was lost, Mary became worried and went looking for Him (Luke 2:41-51).

. Mary encouraged Jesus to do heavenly works even when he was reluctant to do so (John 2:1-11).

. Mary was with Jesus every step of the way as He carried His cross (Matthew 27:31-34).

. Mary's felt her sons pain, she cried for Him and prayed for Him throughout the course of His life.

. Mary was there as Jesus died on the cross, she took part in His suffering and prayed for Him (Matthew 27:35-50).

. Just before Jesus left this earthly realm He looked to His beloved disciple and said “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home. (John19:25-29)

We are called to walk as Jesus walked, and to perform miracles in the same way that he did. In fact, we are no different from the very first disciples. When Jesus looked down upon Peter and informed him that Mary was now his mother, he was looking upon all of us and making her the mother of all of God's children.

When we are truly walking like Christ we are acknowledging the fact that we are never walking alone. We always have God by our side, we have the angels to minister to us and watch over us, and we have a spiritual mom who is the best mom to have ever existed.

One very common misconception about catholic christians is that we worship Mary.

Sadly, this is a successful trick of the devil in an effort to pull people away from their spiritual mother.

I do not worship Mary. However, I do ask her to pray for me in times of distress, in the same way, that someone with a healthy relationship with their earthly mother would.

I do not worship Mary, but I am forever thankful to her for saying "yes" and being the vessel in which our Savior Jesus Christ entered the world.

I don't worship Mary but I know that she is always praying for me, always encouraging me to keep going, always loving me as her own child, and always working to lead me to her son.

My story with my earthly mother isn't unique at all. Every one of us has at least one grievance about the ways in which we were raised. We've all hashed out our mommy issues to a trusted friend, a therapist, or worse, we've posted about it (in great detail) to some social media platform.

My situation isn't unique, but the outcome is one of grace that I am forever thankful for. By the Grace of God alone, I have been able to find forgiveness, peace, and understanding of my earthly mom.

By God's grace, I've come to accept the gift Jesus gave us as he suffered immensely on the cross. He gave us the gift of Mary, a new mother. A perfect mother who was never stained by the sins of the world. Mary loves me as I am, wants the best for me, and devoted her entire existence to praying for me until the day I meet my heavenly Father again.

If you're like me, and so many other Americans who suffer from a rocky relationship with your earthly mother, I implore you to take up the blessing that God gave us and build a relationship with your Heavenly Mother. Sin entered the world when the serpent lied to us, and his lies continue forward today. Having a relationship with Mary is not equivalent to worshipping her, or putting her above the Holy Trinity.

A relationship with our spiritual mother makes us better mothers, better wives, and better members of God's church on Earth.

Here are my 3 best tips on how to grow closer to our Mother Mary.

1. Ask her to pray for you
Mary loves us so much, and she listens when we ask for her intercession. If you have a problem in your life that you just can't seem to sort out you can pray to God about it, AND you ask the Virgin Mary to pray for you too. This is similar to asking a friend to pray on your behalf, but so much more powerful.

2. Pray the Roarary
The virgin Mary gave us the gift of the Holy Rosary as a way to grow closer to her son Jesus Christ. Meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary (the life of Jesus) helps us deepen our faith, and helps provide peace on Earth. If you're not familiar with the Holy Rosary you can 

3. Be like Mary
Every little girl wants to be like her mom! Although we are no longer little girls we haven't yet transformed into our truest form. Striving to be like our Mother Mary is a good way to be closer to her, and walk in a way God intended. Are you struggling as a mother? Consider what Mary would have done while she was raising Jesus. Not sure about your marriage? Consider Mary's marriage to Joseph. Mary was indeed the perfect woman, and you can never go wrong with wanting to be just like your spiritual mom.

Do you want to learn more about our Blessed Mother? Look into these credible sources.

. The Holy Bible
. The Anti-Mary Exposed by Carrie Gress
. Pocket Guide to the Rosary

In Christ through Mary,
Chay Marie