Daughters of St. Paul Discover Hope With Us Mary's Secret for Saying YES in the Dark

Discover Hope With Us Mary's Secret for Saying YES in the Dark

In Vigil With the World this Good Friday Together with the world we mourn for our suffering brothers and sisters in Brussels, those who have lost loved ones and those who live in fear. On this Good Friday we stand in spirit with Mary at the silent vigils where candles and flowers honor those who have lost their lives, but also beside any of you who are feeling a heightened anxiety or are overwhelmed by the tragic events that too often fill the newspapers. Mary is the Mother who carries all sorrows, not just her own. She had so great a heart that she most certainly felt even the pain of a mother toward the soldiers who crucified her son. She knows the sorrows that threaten to drown the spirits of those who are in Brussels, those who have lost loved ones, and even whatever may be in our own hearts. For whether we are confused, lost, in pain, angry, steadfast in faith, we are all in union with one another, for any act of terrorism affects us all.  Mary prays to her son for mercy and salvation for all, for hers is a mother's heart. Mary shows us how to stand with courage, for mothers are the ones who show us how to do this. Let us take refuge in this heart of our mother as Sr. Marie Paul encourages us below. A Blessed Triduum, Sr. Kathryn James, FSP

Hello Friend,

A good and gifted young man studying in Paris struggled with a terrible temptation to despair, to giving up all hope. As a devout Catholic, this young man was earnestly seeking to do God’s will in his life, so he was deeply troubled by the darkest of thoughts: that God had rejected him. Finally, in a desperate visit to a nearby church, he prayed the Memorare at a side altar dedicated to Mary, begging her that if God had really rejected him and that he was going to go to hell where he would hate God for all eternity, that she would grant him the grace to love God for as long as he lived on earth. Immediately, his temptation disappeared and his soul was filled with peace.  This young man was Saint Francis de Sales. Turning to Mary when we are in our darkest moments makes sense because she trusted God completely, renewing her “yes” to him, even in her darkest moments. This year Good Friday falls on March 25, the date on which we usually celebrate the Annunciation. Pope St. John Paul II saw these two events of Mary’s life—the Annunciation and Good Friday—as profoundly linked to each other, because at each, Mary gave God her unconditional “yes.” Perhaps the date of this year’s Good Friday is an invitation to live these days—Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday—in the company of Mary. At the Annunciation—when a teenaged Mary said “yes” to the Archangel Gabriel’s invitation to become the Mother of the Son of God—Mary gave up all security for the future, trusting entirely in God’s loving will for her and for the world. As a young Jewish maiden, a mysterious pregnancy put her engagement to Joseph, her reputation in the community, her standing in her family, and her very life at risk. Mary literally placed everything—her future, her entire life—in God’s hands. Her faith in God is astonishing. How she said “yes” is equally astonishing: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to Your Word.” With “Behold” or “Here I am,” Mary said “yes” in a way that that echoes the response of Abraham, Moses, Samuel. She was ready to surrender to the will of God.  By calling herself a “handmaid” who belongs to the Lord, Mary was practical and proactive in her assent to God’s invitation. As a young woman, Mary knew that motherhood was giving her life and her heart to her child; motherhood was a life of service and she embraced it radically. In addition, with her knowledge of the Scriptures, Mary knew that being the mother of the Messiah would require unique sacrifices, leaps of faith in the dark, and participating in his sorrows as the “man of suffering.” And she still said yes.  With “Be it done unto me according to Your Word,” the young maiden entrusted all the results back to God: the response of Joseph and the people of her village, the unknown future, the direction her life would take, etc.

Perhaps one of Mary’s secrets is her trust that, whenever she said “yes” to God in the dark, it would always lead to new life—the new life that her Son came to give.

With just these two lines, Mary’s response was the perfect yes: a blend of active cooperation and full surrender to God. Her “yes” at the Annunciation foreshadowed her even greater “yes” on Calvary, as she watched her Son die before her very eyes.  Under the Cross, Mary again gave back to God her life and her future, but she also gave her Son back to God, an excruciating suffering for any mother, but how much more so for the heart that loved with the greatest mother’s love of all time? In addition, Mary knew that her Son, who loved her with the greatest love any son could ever have, was completely innocent of any wrong-doing. Mary was silent at the foot of the cross because no words could have possibly expressed the suffering, the evil, the greatest human tragedy of Calvary. Yet, Mary’s suffering on Calvary was just as proactive as it was at the Annunciation. We know that because Mary didn’t hide or run, but stayed with Jesus to the end. And we know this also because Jesus entrusted to his Mother the beloved disciple and through him, all of the people that Jesus’ precious blood would save. We know from these words of Jesus—“Mother, behold your son”—and the fact that Mary didn’t protest, that at the foot of the Cross Mary’s yes was complete as she wordlessly offered herself in union with her Son’s sacrifice.  Mary’s first “yes” at the Annunciation resulted in the Incarnation: the new human life of the Son of God.  In Mary’s second “yes” on Calvary, she participated in Jesus’ life-giving sacrifice, a sacrifice that would bring new life to the Church through the ages.  Mary trusted—in that darkest of moments—that God would bring life out of the death of his Son. In this second “yes,” Mary participated in a profound way in the new life that God brings through Jesus—she became the Mother of the Church.  Perhaps one of Mary’s secrets is her trust that, whenever she said “yes” to God in the dark, it would always lead to new life—the new life that her Son came to give.  When we are going through our Good Fridays, on the bleak days of darkness and suffering, let us ask Mary to accompany us, to shield us from the darkness of discouragement and despair with her mantle, and to help us to say “yes” to God. Let us ask her for the gift to trust that God will bring new life through every “yes” we give, to trust that every “yes” given to God will lead to Easter joy. by Sr. Marie Paul Curley, FSP

As we celebrate the Divine Mercy that has saved us, this app can lead you in a journey of trust in this mercy still active in today's world, even as it is rocked with terrorism and fear. Find a journey to faith in God's merciful love for you, your loved ones, and the world. Sometimes we need words to pray....  Sometimes we need someone to help us understand God's ways....  Sometimes we need a Month with Mercy.