By Webmaster
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March 15, 2025
During the Annunciation, when Angel Gabriel told Mary: "Hail, you that are highly favoured! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.", and Mary responded to God's Invitation with her 'fiat'. Would you think that being the Mother of God means that she became more superior than others and from then on it will be a 'happily ever after'? No. In fact, quite the opposite, because 'Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.' (Matt 23:12) Since then, Our Lady, when she was on earth, together with Our Blessed Lord, lived in the most sorrowful life until the day she died: From her long and hard journey to Bethlehem even though she was heavily pregnant, being rejected by every household that they wished to stay; to ending up sheltered in a dark cold cave with the animals and gave birth to her Son in a stable. From receiving the heartpiercing prophecy from Simeon which stayed in her mind for the rest of her life; follow by setting off on another harder, much more longer, life-threatening journey across the desert to go to Egypt, with Baby Jesus still being carried in her arms, in order to escape from the hands of Herod; to became a refugee in Egypt for 7 long years. From discovered that her Child has gone missing and went to search for Him for three days, to being a young widow after St Joseph died. From being separated from her only Child as He went to began to ministry, to tolerating the criticisms and despising from others and the locals about her beloved Son. But her sorrow reached its peak during her Son's Passion. Yet in every trials and sufferings, her action resonated her 'fiat' to God, until the very end. She closely took part in the Works of Salvation, by uniting her pain and sorrow with the Merits of her Son. This Lent, let our penitential mind recall the Passion of Christ, whom suffered the unimaginable for our sake, but also remember this sorrowful Mother, who in her free will, offered her pain for us. Let what they have done for us be our strength and courage to truly reject the sins in our lives, and let their examples be the comfort and consolation in our own sufferings. Let's accompany Mary to meditate on Jesus' Passion, who both love us so much, as their own little children.