Remembering Mary on Mother's Day

I'm usually annoyed by Timehop, mostly because I was annoying when I was younger (and like to pretend I'm not anymore and never was). But today, Timehop reminded me of a Facebook status I posted a year ago, before I had a blog to put it on, and I'm really glad it did. I've copied and pasted the entirety of the status here.

It is fitting that Jesus would give us His Mother from the cross. It was prophesied to Mary when Jesus was presented in the Temple that "a sword would pierce her own heart also, that the secret thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." Without a doubt, when Jesus' heart was pierced, Mary's own heart was pierced -- she who loved God totally, so totally that she conceived Him in the flesh in her very person, and bore Him into the world. He truly, as any mother would say of her son, is her heart.

There is a reason Jesus gave us His mother from the cross -- a reason that her own heart was pierced with His. The Catechism says that Jesus died, not as though He was being "punished in our place," but because, by His death into our death, He wanted to bring to us a share in His life.

And so, while giving His life for us, so that He could give His life to us, on the cross, it would only make sense that He would also give us His mother -- the woman who gave Him life, that He shared the majority of His life with. It is fitting that He who calls us to be born again, finishes His work on the cross by giving us a mother to be born to, through that work.

Giving us our Mother Mary was important to Jesus. The Scriptures say He didn't give up His life until He saw that "all had been accomplished" when He had given her to us to be our Mother.

Mary's maternity over us is a fruit of our Redemption. It is not the most important fruit, but it is a very important one. It is one we should never take for granted. After all, as my friend Joey pointed out today: Jesus got to pick His own mother. There really is something special about this woman, and I would definitely encourage every Christian who doesn't already have one to develop a relationship with her. She is the greatest treasure in my life apart from God Himself. I take her for granted so often -- but she has never, ever let me down.

Happy Mother's Day, Theotokos. Pray for us now and at the hour of our death.