God Has Done “Great Things”

Throughout history, great women have done great things. From Esther, Ruth and Judith of the Old Testament to Mother Teresa and Dorothy Day of our time, great women have left their mark on history. Today we celebrate a great woman who is at the heart of Christianity – Mary, the Mother of Jesus.

Our feast celebrates the “great things” God has done for Mary. He chose her to be the mother of Jesus, assumed her body and soul into heaven, and graced her with his indwelling presence. Sometimes I think she is beyond us! When reflecting on this solemnity, I am reminded that “God has done great things” for all God’s beloved, that God shows mercy to all the faithful and that God promises all of us a share in divine life. Like Mary we also receive “great things” from God.

Mary was a simple maiden from Nazareth- a woman who gave birth, a wife who cared for her family and home, a refuge in a foreign land, a caring relative who visited her pregnant cousin, a mother who suffered. Mary is surely not beyond us in these ordinary, everyday things. In all things she responded faithfully to God.  Mary is our model of fidelity.