Blessed Is She, Living Lent With Mary

Lenten Study, Week One

Ash Wednesday - An Introduction

A Lenten Mary
Mary as a Model Disciple in Luke's Gospel

My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior,
For he hath regarded in the lowliness of his handmaiden:
For behold, from henceforth all generations
shall call me blessed
(Luke 1:46b-48, KJV)

How can this be?
How do you take an ordinary teenager and make her the mother of a savior? Once more, how do you choose a woman unwed with hopes of a future husband and announce that she is 'with child' thus throwing her whole life into turmoil? She has no apparent wealth, power or connections. Nothing here indicates possible success.  All points lead to impossible.

"The Magnificat"
'Mary's song of praise to God, a response to the extraordinary events that overtook what was once an ordinary life',  shows us two things. It shows us a woman who understands the larger story.  How else could one bring into perspective such a happening unless there was a sense of becoming part of something much, much bigger. The impossible may then become possible.  It also shows us our reflection in the mirror. How are we different from Mary? In short-not  much. We are ordinary yet God chooses us also. How shall we take on the christian life that God calls us to? By understanding how God works within us and then how we bring his work to the world.

It's all in the choosing...
 Mary's story is indeed magnificent. And she responds to God's choice in her with a spirit that shall rejoice in Him. And so the relationship begins. So, though discipleship is clearly a choice to follow,
it is also the beginning of a relationship. God is with us and working within us all along the journey.

During this Lenten Season we'll work on this journey as we study Mary's story through the Gospel of Luke. (primarily but not exclusively) In hopes of understanding more fully all that Mary endures, rejoices, fears and reveals as the mother of Jesus and a  disciple of God.

Next Up: You have Found Favor, The Mystery of Grace
Tomorrow, Sunday March 16, 9:00 a.m., Library
beginning with this session, summaries  of each weeks study can be found on the St. Thomas Faith Formation Website at http://stthomasfaithformation.weebly.com/index.html