Mary, Mother of Sorrows

The second sorrow of Mary:   “Take the child and his mother and flee!”  It’s like God’s messenger said: “Don’t waste any time! Get going before it’s too late.  Trust not those who are out to get the child.”

 Mary and Joseph obeyed immediately and do not get sucked into self-pity.  Grief does not overwhelm them into inaction. Nor do they allow fear to detain them up from embarking on a very challenging journey.  They listen to and act upon what they have heard in their heart. They do not panic.

Bearing her sorrow in her heart, Mary trusts Joseph. She does what she needs to do to protect her son. In this morning’s news, we heard about a little 10-year-old girl who does what she needs to do to protect her younger siblings, as a burglar is breaking a window to get into their house.  She locks herself and her siblings in a bedroom and calls 911.  As police arrive the burglar dashes off. The children are saved because a little girl trusted her inner urgings to take action.
 
The Spirit guides each one of us as we journey through the perils of life and meet life’s challenges.  Evil is all around us, not just physical evil but evils that threaten our souls, that lure us away from carrying out God’s will for us. What precautions are we taking? To whom are we listening? Who are the “Josephs” in our lives? Who are the “Marys”?  Who are the “big sisters” who protect us? And when are we “the big sisters,” the “Josephs” and the “Marys”  who protect others who are as vulnerable as we are to the deceptive ploys of Satan? God knows our vulnerabilities and does not ever hold back sending us persons to see us through the maze of life’s pathways or to give us the strength to be the ones who help ourselves and others maneuver difficult terrains.