Brothers and sisters in Christ, peace be with you. On this Saturday, as we pause and reflect in the quiet of the weekend, the Church gently turns our hearts to the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Mother. Saturday has always been a special day for Mary, a day of quiet faith and loving remembrance. And today, as we listen to the Scriptures during Holy Mass, we can see how Mary’s life and example shine through in the journey of God’s people and through the mission of her Son, Jesus.
In our first reading, we hear the story of the Israelites fleeing Egypt. After 430 years of slavery, they finally walk into freedom. But it wasn’t easy. They had to leave in haste, with no time to prepare, trusting only in the promise of God. It was a night of vigil, a night of waiting and watching for the Lord to act. Mary, too, was a woman of vigil. She waited for the promises of God to be fulfilled in her life, and she remained faithful even in the darkest of nights — especially the night of the cross, when all seemed lost. She stood there in silence and sorrow, but also in faith. Like the Israelites, she believed that God would deliver, that mercy endures forever.
The Psalm today repeats that beautiful phrase over and over: “His mercy endures forever.” It’s a song of gratitude for everything God has done. And who sang that song more purely than Mary? When she visited Elizabeth, she sang the Magnificat, praising God for His mercy “from generation to generation.” Mary’s whole life was a song of trust and thanksgiving, even when things didn’t make sense, even when her heart was pierced. She teaches us to remember God’s mercy, even when we’re tired or hurting, even when we can’t see the full picture.
Then in the Gospel, we see Jesus quietly healing, serving, bringing about God’s justice with gentleness. He doesn’t cry out or make a show. He doesn’t break the bruised reed or put out the smoldering wick. This is the way of Jesus — and it’s also the way of Mary. She didn’t seek attention or power. She simply said yes to God and then lived that yes each day with quiet strength. She followed her Son, not by leading the crowd but by staying close to Him in prayer and presence.
Mary was genuine in her desire to serve and love God. There were no proclaimed motives that countered the actual ones. She still and will always love God for who he is, and not for merely what he can give, because she has always known that all things come from him in the first place. He is in a continual act of giving – forever generous, clement, and good.
Our Blessed Mother shows us how to trust God in the waiting, how to keep hope alive in the hard moments, and how to walk humbly and gently in the world. She teaches us to love without needing recognition, to stay faithful when others walk away, and to rejoice in the mercy of God that never ends.
So today, let’s spend some quiet time with Mary. Ask her to walk with you in your struggles, to teach you how to say yes to God in the small things, and to remind you that even when the road is long — like it was for the Israelites — God is still leading. And His mercy, like her love, endures forever. Hail Mary, full of grace… + Amen.
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