The Presence of Mary Changes Things

When the Israelite people longed for the coming of the Messiah and the blessings that He would bring, they perhaps lost heart because of their many troubles: from the attack of various enemies, to the breakup of the Kingdom of David; from the exile to Babylon; and from the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem, to the occupation of their country by the Romans. Some, like the Zealots, thought that they needed to take matters into their own hands, militarily, in order to usher in Messiah.

Man’s ways are not God’s ways. God chose a humble and unknown maiden of Nazareth, to be His associate to usher in the reign of the Messiah. The angel told Joseph: “It is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew concluded: All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and the shall name him Emmanuel, which means, “God is with us.”

Those who have the spirit of God instinctively look to humble Mary in their times of need and distress. Mary in her own hymn of praise, the Magnificat, proclaimed: He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly. St. Louis de Montfort, profound teacher of the wonderful gifts of Mary, said, quote:

Mary’s power over the evil spirits will especially shine forth in the latter times, when Satan will lie in wait for her heel, that is, for her humble servants and her poor children whom she will rouse to fight against him. In the eyes of the world they will be little and poor and, like the heel, lowly in the eyes of all, down-trodden and crushed as is the heel by the other parts of the body. But in compensation for this they will be rich in God’s graces, which will be abundantly bestowed on them by Mary. They will be great and exalted before God in holiness. They will be superior to all creatures by their great zeal and so strongly will they be supported by divine assistance that, in union with Mary, they will crush the head of Satan with their heel, that is, their humility, and bring victory to Jesus Christ.

When the Aztec nation was filled with – what can only be described as demonic – with their multitude of human sacrifices – . . . . when Mary entered into this troubled situation at Tepeyac, things changed and millions became followers of Jesus Christ and found life and peace in Him.

When Christianity in Europe was threatened in the Gulf of Corinth at Lepanto on October 7, 1571 – Pope St. Pius V called on the Faithful to invoke the help of Mary – and the greatly outnumbered Christian fleet won a miraculous victory that protected Christian Europe. When Mary entered in, things changed.

We are a people who look to the future, with hope. For to those who love God, we know that all things work for good. God calls, and then He justifies and then He glorifies. The end of the story is glory. We are not promised an easy life without troubles. But we are promised that the end of the story for those who persevere in the love of God, is glory. And we are not without heavenly helpers in the vale of tears, foremost among them being humble Mary. Let us happily choose to a part of her humble heel, invoking her in our personal times of temptation or trial – and in our Nation’s present need. Mary, the Immaculate Conception, is the patroness of the United States of America, and so we confidently invoke her as our Protectress and Advocate. For whenever Mary enters into the troubled situations of our lives . . . . things change!

– Fr. Joseph Mary