On Saturday in St. Luke’s gospel Jesus responds to the woman in the crowd who called out “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you.” “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it,” he replied.

Jesus does not take anything away from Mary, his mother, in his response. In fact, he praises her faith.  She’s a woman of great faith at the beginning of St. Luke’s gospel, when the angel came with his mysterious message. She believed in God’s power and accepted his word, a message only great faith could accept.

We usually begin the Rosary with the Creed, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth…” That belief prompted Mary’s response to the angel who came to her at Nazareth. Though God’s promises of a Messiah to her people were well known to her, the mystery she was asked to accept went far beyond what the scriptures predicted and her tradition taught.  

Mary’s faith came from her belief in the Creator of heaven and earth, a Father Almighty,  who could do all things. We need her example of faith in times like ours. So many expect we’re headed for disaster. Our planet is being destroyed, and there little hope in the future.

That leads me to Mary in our garden. There she stands with her mighty Child in her arms, looking out on creation. Don’t lose hope in this planet of ours, she says. Care for it, cherish it, and pray that God, the Creator of heaven and earth, will move the hearts of the children of Adam and Eve, so that we may flourish along with the creatures of the earth, the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea. 

“Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.”