Easter and the "Newness" of life with Jesus and Mary

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

If any of you pray the Liturgy of the Hours, Morning Prayer, you may have been especially blessed this morning, as I was, by the reading from Romans. It spoke to me again of the “Newness” of Life, received in Baptism, and the perfect renewal of Baptism in Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary, which some of us made on March 25, Good Friday last week.

God’s Word given to us in Paul’s Letter to the Romans, instructs us; perhaps even convicts us:

…How can we who died to sin yet live in it? Or are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life. For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection…(Romans 6: 2-5)

Mary, our Mother was ever-faithful to her Son on this earth and now reigns with Him in the glory of heaven, but she also “reigned” with Him as He sat upon the throne of glory on His Cross, crowned with thorns. She believed, as Abraham did, hoping beyond hope, in God’s Word and His Power to do as He promised.

Mary continually grew in grace because her “yes” was always repeated with love in all her thoughts, words and actions. Her spirit, and our spirit as we are called to be in Christ, is spoken of by St. Louis de Montfort:

…“Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God,” says St. Paul. Those who are led by the spirit of Mary are children of Mary, and, consequently children of God, as we have already shown. Among the many servants of Mary only those who are truly and faithfully devoted to her are led by her spirit.

I have said that the spirit of Mary is the spirit of God because she was never led by her own spirit, but always by the spirit of God, who made himself master of her to such an extent that he became her very spirit. That is why St. Ambrose says, “May the soul of Mary be in each one of us to glorify the Lord. May the spirit of Mary be in each one of us to rejoice in God.”… ( True Devotion, paragraph 258)

Is your life, is my life different - from the world? Is your spirit or mine like Mary’s spirit, i.e. do we now seek His Will by the power of the Holy Spirit, that we might choose God rather than our selfish desires? How “new” is your spirit or mine after celebrating the renewal of our Baptism this Easter Sunday? and/or after Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary? Are you or I seeking to live in Christ more fervently and with a newness of spirit or are we simply going about doing “business as usual”?

The words written by St. Paul and St. Louis de Montfort can either instruct or convict us. By God’s Grace may they turn us toward Mary to see the “newness” to which we are called, ALL are called to holiness. May the Words of Jesus ring in our hearts: “Behold Your Mother”. May we obey lovingly as St. John did and take Mary, our Mother, into our lives in ever “new” ways, by the power of the Holy Spirit.