Abraham and Mary
Q: Why are Mary and Abraham considered as models of faith?
“We encounter moments where God seems absent, his silence weighs on our hearts and his will doesn't correspond to our own as we would like it to, but the more we open ourselves to God; we receive the gift of faith and put our trust in Him completely, the more He empowers us with His presence to live every situation in peace assured by His loyalty and love.” * Pope Benedict XVI (December 19, 2012)
This happens after opening one's soul to God through faith, just as Abraham did after he was asked to sacrifice his son and as Mary did when she had to watch her son be crucified.
The Virgin Mary has a special place as one that uniquely waited for the fulfillment of the promises of God in faith, accepting Jesus in the flesh in full obedience to the divine will. When the Bible recounts Mary’s meeting with the Archangel Gabriel, she is called "full of grace," a word that also means rejoice in Greek. This joy arises from her communion with God, from being the dwelling of the Holy Spirit. The angel's invitation to Mary is an invitation to a deep joy and announces the end of the sadness that is in the world caused by suffering, death and the darkness of evil, which seems to obscure the light of the divine goodness. It's a greeting that marks the beginning of the Gospel and of the Good News.
St. Luke’s recounting of the story also parallels the trial of Abraham’s faith. As a father of believers who responded to God's call to leave the land in which he lived and his safety to begin the journey to an unknown land, possessing only the divine promise, so too does Mary rely on full trust of the messenger of God's words and becomes a model and mother of all believers.
Faith tells us that the defenseless power of the child wins in the end against the noise of the powers of the
“We encounter moments where God seems absent, his silence weighs on our hearts and his will doesn't correspond to our own as we would like it to, but the more we open ourselves to God; we receive the gift of faith and put our trust in Him completely, the more He empowers us with His presence to live every situation in peace assured by His loyalty and love.” * Pope Benedict XVI (December 19, 2012)
This happens after opening one's soul to God through faith, just as Abraham did after he was asked to sacrifice his son and as Mary did when she had to watch her son be crucified.
The Virgin Mary has a special place as one that uniquely waited for the fulfillment of the promises of God in faith, accepting Jesus in the flesh in full obedience to the divine will. When the Bible recounts Mary’s meeting with the Archangel Gabriel, she is called "full of grace," a word that also means rejoice in Greek. This joy arises from her communion with God, from being the dwelling of the Holy Spirit. The angel's invitation to Mary is an invitation to a deep joy and announces the end of the sadness that is in the world caused by suffering, death and the darkness of evil, which seems to obscure the light of the divine goodness. It's a greeting that marks the beginning of the Gospel and of the Good News.
St. Luke’s recounting of the story also parallels the trial of Abraham’s faith. As a father of believers who responded to God's call to leave the land in which he lived and his safety to begin the journey to an unknown land, possessing only the divine promise, so too does Mary rely on full trust of the messenger of God's words and becomes a model and mother of all believers.
Faith tells us that the defenseless power of the child wins in the end against the noise of the powers of the