8 December 2022
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
In the 1990’s, there was a popular movement in which people wore bracelets that posed a provocative question: “What would Jesus do?” I would never for a single second even imply that we should not try to imitate Jesus. The active contemplation and conformation of our personal lives to that of Christ is central to the Christian state. At the same time, as mere human beings who are not God and not persons of the Trinity, we do admittedly have certain limitations.
For this reason, I would personally suggest an alternate mantra: “What would Mary do?” Mary is the model for all of humanity who shows us how to properly relate to God. Her entire existence is based upon her perpetual “Yes” to God in every single aspect of her life. She models a flawless receptivity in which there is nothing of her own will or desires that are disordered and therefore nothing that obstructs the will of the Creator. As such, there is nothing to limit what God is able to do for and through her.
Mary is both our Mother and our model, and if we only stopped more frequently to ask “what would Mary do?”, how quickly our lives would be irrevocably transformed and brought into ever deepening union with the gentle heart of our Lord Jesus.