"To ransom those under the law . . . "

God sent his Son born of a woman to ransom those under the law. To ransom them, and to ransom us--to deliver them and to deliver us--to make them whole and to make us whole. There was no other way. Jesus Christ is the Way, and the path that He chose was His Blessed Mother.

By her cooperation in the plan of salvation, she contributed to our salvation. Salvation itself is a gift from God, but from Mary's beautiful self-sacrifice and wonderful motherhood, came the human vessel needed for redemption.

Mary was under no compunction to say yes. Nothing required her to accept this divine burden. She was free at any time to say No to this divine plan. But she did not. Through her 'yes' that resounds through all time the payment of ransom to sin was made possible. Through her cooperation and participation in the divine plan, she helped to save us all, herself included, for she needed the gift of Her Son as did all poor humans.

Mary's compassion resounds through the ages. For Jesus Christ is incarnate Love. He is Love itself, born of love, and raised in love. He is perfect, pure, and holy compassion, looking with great sorrow at the sinfulness of all of His brothers and sisters. For that is what we are, by Divine Adoption, and by the second large "Yes," that is commonly overlooked. On the cross Jesus gave us all to His mother to call her Mother, and she silently said "Yes," once again.

Our Mother, His Mother, the image from which all motherhood derives its reality, Holy Mary, mother of God and my mother, pray for me and for all your wayward children and bring us back into the favor of our Father and His Son, incarnate love, our redemption and our Brother.

- JuandelaCruz, T.O.Carm (sriddle415@yahoo.com)