Mary loves those who do their work with love

 

“Guided by this faith and also by this hope, I wish to renew today that which is part of Christ’s Easter testament and entrust to the Mother of God this city and this Church. May she be the good star and wise guide of all who diligently pursue the true good and genuine social and spiritual progress …. May she enlighten all men of culture and science in the search for Truth, to go deeper into it and communicate it to others; may she make workers feel the value of their work and how much they are loved and appreciated by the Church…. May she be a Mother to all!”

(From the catechesis of John Paul II at the Regina Caeli on April 13, 1980. PQF translation.)

What great things did the Virgin Mary do? We always go back again and again to the “great” moments in the life of our Mother, like her FIAT to the angel after he told her she would be the Mother of God, or her intersession at the wedding in Cana, when her Son changed the water into wine. But these are just exceptions in her daily living. Mary’s greatness lies in her “yes” each morning to do the will of God with all her heart’s love.

Mary offered her life each day in all her household tasks, helping Joseph in his workshop, being with Jesus and forming him, counseling her neighbors, helping her cousin Elizabeth in her late maternity.... She knew the value of each human person in God’s eyes, and used her intelligence, will, heart, feelings, imagination and all her talents in her daily living, for she saw in this the fulfillment of the mission God had given her her.

What was her astonishment watching her Son grow? Jesus Christ was true God and true man, and as a real man he learned to walk, to read, and his strength developed and he discovered his talents little by little, like all of us. As she observed this growth in Jesus, Mary grew in her awe at the greatness, potentials and dignity of the human person. Why? Because God himself became incarnate with all of these characteristics, and He wished to learn and grow! 

Mary has always seen her Son in each person who like him works with love. She loves and protects all who use their talents in the service of others, because that’s precisely what the Son of God did when he came to Earth; He spent 3 years preaching and working miracles, but he spent 30 years working in Nazareth under Mary’s watch!

 Do I understand the value of all deeds in the eyes of God? Do I search for Him in my daily work?

Monthly commitment:

I will invoke the Holy Spirit or the Blessed Virgin upon beginning my day and put in their hands the fruits of my work.

Mission with Mary:

The Pilgrim Queen member with grow in his conviction that all work performed can have a supernatural value by writing on a card the prayer consecrating his work to the Holy Spirit or the Blessed Virgin and placing it on his desk (or workplace) to pray it every morning.

                             

To further explore this subject, see:

Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2426-2463

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a7.htm#IV

Centessimus Annus, Encyclical Letter of John Paul II, May 1, 1991

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_01051991_centesimus-annus_en.html