July Feasts of Mary

Our Lady on Saturday – First Saturday July A READING ABOUT OUR LADY by Bishop Kalistos Ware. In her recognition and acceptance of' her vocation, in her attitude of' receptivity, Mary stands before us supremely as the one who listens obediently in :faith. Faith is the essence of Mary's response at the Annunciation, and faith presupposes listening. When we think of her obedience, it is important to give the word. "obedience' its true and literal sense; both in Latin and in Greek it signifies 'to hear'. 'Let it be done to me according to you word', Mary replies to the angel. The Mother of God listens to God's word. The Gospel reading appointed for most feasts in her honour includes Christ's reply to the woman in the crowd: 'Blessed rather are those who he an the word, off' God and keep it.' This answer from a superficial point of view might seem to belittle the Holy Virgin, in reality indicates what is her true glory. She is blessed not merely by the physical fact of her child-bearing, but also and more fundamentally by the spiritual depth of her inner faith and attentiveness to God's word. Had she not first learnt to hear the word off God in her heart, she could never have born the Word Incarnate in her body. Repeatedly the Gospels insist upon this characteristic of Mary as the one who listens. After the adoration of the shepherds, it is said that ‘Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart' Similar words after her discovery of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple: 'his Mother kept all these things in her heart'. The importance of listening is evident in Mary's own words to the servants at the marriage feast at Cana of Galilee: 'Do whatever he tells, you; listen, wait on God. Once more the relevance- of Mary's example in our present age is easily apparent. Ours is an era in which words' can be multiplied with extraordinary facility -on the radio and television, on tape recorders, photocopiers, and word processors - but we have forgotten the art of" listening. The Mother of' God, the one who listens, by her own example can help us to rediscover the lost dimension of inner space. Byzantine spirituality sees in her the model hesychast, a living icon of what it means to practise hesychia, stillness of heart. The words of the Psalmist - 'Be still, and know that I am God' apply exactly to her.