Bonita Thom
Director, Office of Respect Life
As I ponder this year’s Respect Life theme – “Mary, Mother of Life, pray for us!” – I can’t help but wonder who Mary is to each of us. Do we imagine her as Jesus’ mother? Do we see her as an intercessor? Do we think of her as a role model? Do we think of her as a mother figure?
While we do not worship Mary, we do honor her. She is our spiritual mother, and she cares deeply for us. Mary assists us in our needs by interceding, supporting and mediating for us. Lumen Gentium (n. 62) teaches us: “By her maternal charity, she cares for the brethren of her Son, who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and difficulties, until they are led into their blessed home. Therefore, the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress and Mediatrix.”
What a wonderful gift Jesus gave to all of us when he gave us his mother to be our spiritual mother. He has given us a mother that walks this journey alongside of us, interceding in difficult times, quietly accompanying us in the joyful time and always leading us back to her son, Jesus. What a beautiful role model for motherhood!
How fitting it is to call upon our spiritual mother and request her pray for us at times in life when we need an increase in virtue, or when we need others to be virtuous toward us as we go through challenging times on our journey through this life and into eternity. Meditating on the life of Christ during the rosary can transform sorrow and pain into hope and joy.
In Pope St. John Paul II’s general audience on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 1997, he shared with us, “Mary’s universal mission is exercised in the context of her unique relationship with the church. With her concern for every Christian, and indeed for every human creature, she guides the faith of the church towards an ever-deeper acceptance of God’s word, sustains her hope, enlivens her charity and fraternal communion and encourages her apostolic dynamism.”
May we remember Mary’s special place in the church when we are ministering and serving people at any stage of life, facing challenges of all kinds, and as we build a culture of life within the Diocese of Superior and beyond our borders.
Mary, Mother of Life, pray for us!
Bonnie Thom
