You are my Mary

Never have I thought that any four words could be so powerful until one of my teens shed tears as she uttered: "You are my Mary." I almost wondered if she was mistaken...if she might have meant to look at someone else, or if she meant to say another name, like, Jan--a crazy nut from the Brady Bunch. But, no, the reality was she was looking right at me..staring not just at my face and into my eyes, but directly into my soul, touching the depths like only those words could do as she compared me to her idea of the Blessed Mother.

I certainly don't share this out of pride and boastfulness. I share it out of humility and out of love. You see, I was putting on  a retreat for my high schoolers this past weekend at the beach. It's a retreat that follows the entire life of Christ, from the annunciation to the resurrection. How can you even begin to share that journey without talking about Mary's "YES" in the grand scheme of things? And for those of you unfamiliar with my journey, the Blessed Mother and I have a very special relationship. She has helped to revive my heart and renew my soul by drawing me nearer to Christ. All things Mary point right back to Christ and I just love her for that! Since my own personal transformation and redemption I have always sought to be first like Christ, but, admittedly so, also, like Mary and Elizabeth. Mary was so quick to say YES to God's will for her, and she was also quick to carry Christ to others (very literally since he was in her womb) as she traveled to see her relative Elizabeth. Elizabeth quickly recognized Christ in her when she arrived. These are two things that I strive to do on a daily, heck a minutely basis! First to be so eager to carry Christ to others, but also to be so enthusiastic and quick to recognize him in others.

When my teen told me that I am her Mary, I in essence took it as her saying she believes I am carrying Christ to others. That is my goal in life. I desire to serve God, to let His will be done unto me, and to ultimately bring Christ to every person I encounter along the way. I guess for the sake of what I am saying here, this teen was then my Elizabeth, who was so faithful and so quick to recognize Christ in others. We have so much to learn from one another! May we go out each day, with Christ on our minds, our hearts and our lips...as we strive eagerly to be a Mary and an Elizabeth to those around us. Who will you be today?

Again, I share this out of humility and love, as I remember that I am called daily to pick up my cross, whether in jeopardy of persecution or not, and share our amazing Savior with all those I meet, but even more importantly for me at times, to recognize him in others. It can be easy to forget the duality of our responsibility as Christians. And so, I leave you with this: Go out with the intention of being like Mary and Elizabeth today, and know that when you turn in for the night you will be more Christ like than imaginable.

LinC Retreat Dec. 2010 with AMAZING youth and leaders--true servants of Christ