Dear Mother Mary

Dear Mother Mary: Part Four
By Father Stanley Plutz SVD

Father Plutz concludes his conversation with Mary, prayerfully imagining her experience of the Resurrection, her role in the early Church and her abiding intercession in heaven.

The Resurrection

What joy, Mother Mary, you experienced when your son appeared to you alive, radiant and glorious! He had risen from the dead.

During the 40 days after the Resurrection when Jesus stayed on earth, he gave you much joy. You rejoiced in your son being alive, in good health, and completely happy. The various appearances to his apostles, the holy women and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus made you rejoice in God’s goodness and mercy for raising him from the dead.

The Ascension

Mother Mary, you accompanied the faithful disciples as Jesus went to Mount Olivet 40 days after he had risen from the dead. All were joyful, yet a cloud of sadness hovered over them. Arriving at a spot of level ground, Jesus stopped. All became silent. Jesus spoke his final words, which were his mission mandate: "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Good News to everyone."

What was that good news? Did it flash into your mind what that good news could be? That Jesus, the Son of God, became man, lived here on earth, suffered, died and rose again to pay the punishment due to sins of people?

Now every person could become a friend of God if he or she repented of sins committed and sought his mercy and forgiveness. Then after finishing the purifying process of Purgatory, he or she would be taken to Heaven.

Then you heard Jesus continue with these words: "Baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit those who believe in me. I will come back in glory some day to gather my faithful ones still on earth. And I will be with you in the meantime by means of the Holy Spirit all the days that this world exists.

"Pray for the coming of the Holy Spirit. He will take my place on earth. And he will give you life, strength and courage in your mission of inviting every person to believe in me as the Son of God and son of Mary. He will welcome all believers into my beloved Church. He will console you when your enemies persecute you and you feel alone."

Back in Jerusalem all the believers gathered around you, Mother Mary, in the upper room, where Jesus had offered his Holy Mass. There, all the disciples of Jesus, led by you, prayed for the coming of the Holy Spirit as Jesus had instructed all of you to do. You prayed, "Come, Holy Spirit!"

You also were present when Peter took up his role as leader of the Church and called a meeting to fill position of 12th apostle. You prayed that the right disciple would be chosen. And you rejoiced at the way the election was conducted with the setting forth of two candidates both having been with the Lord from the baptism administered by John until your Jesus ascended into heaven. Your choice, too, was Matthias, a man without a title but with a strong faith in and ardent love of Jesus. 

Pentecost

After the nine days of the novena, there was a strong wind like a hurricane that shook the building where the upper room was located and where the community of believers had gathered. The Holy Spirit descended from heaven in the form of fiery tongues, which hovered over each of the 120 believers including you, Mother Mary. Then, the Holy Spirit entered each of you.

What love you felt as your spouse embraced and kissed you interiorly. The Holy Spirit strengthened you so that you could be the mother of the infant Church—those 120 persons, consisting of the apostles, holy women and the other disciples present.

You, Blessed Mother, marveled at the transformation of Peter and the other apostles as they went out on the balcony at the gathering of a large crowd of 3,000 people and addressed them. The 12 apostles no longer hid themselves behind locked doors in fear of people. But Peter and the other apostles went out of the assembly room and boldly addressed the crowd proclaiming Jesus to be the promised messiah, the savior, sent by God to redeem people of every race, nation, people and language. They boldly proclaimed that God raised Jesus from the dead and that he was alive.

Mary and John

After Jesus had said to you, his mother, "Behold your son," he said to John, "Behold your mother." And Scripture added that John took you to his home and in particular to the home of his heart.

You, Mary, participated with fervent devotion in the each Holy Mass that John offered. You served as mother not only of John during those years after the Ascension but of all those who believe in Jesus.

This you did for about 15 years. The faithful would come to you, feeling troubled and discouraged but leaving renewed and cheerful. You stayed in Jerusalem with John to whom Jesus had entrusted you as long as he stayed there.

When John went to Ephesus, you went with him. There, where the people honored the goddess Diana, you became the mother of those persons who received the grace of faith in Jesus and led them from the worship of a false goddess to the worship of Jesus. You were no mythical goddess but the most beautiful and influential lady of the whole world.
                     
During those years on earth after the ascension of your son, wherever you were, you spent hours in prayer, communing with your son and pleading for your dear children of the Church. When on occasion you went back to Jerusalem with John, you gathered with some women friends and made the Way of the Cross. You would stop at particular spots and would contemplate with deep appreciation all that Jesus had suffered for the salvation of people.

As years went by, the Church grew in number. The apostles went to many countries and proclaimed Jesus to both Jews and Gentiles. Many persons believed in Jesus and received baptism. The Church grew more organized as Peter and the other apostles settled difficulties between the Jews and the Gentiles. They also took care of the poor, providing for widows in need, and other concerns.

However, not only did the Jewish leaders persecute the Church, but likewise the Roman government tried to force Christians to worship the emperor and their mythical gods. Mother Mary, you prayed for all the persecuted Christians and gloried in the fact that most Christians remained faithful to Jesus and his Church. Many suffered martyrdom for the love of Jesus, who had died for them.

The Assumption

When you reached the age of about 63, Jesus came with the nine choirs of angels and took you to heaven to be with him forever.

Like a ripe red apple on the tree, Mary, you were then at that point of your life, mature with love of God and people. As a person touches the delicious fruit and it comes off the tree into his hand—when Jesus came to fetch you, his mother, you easily went into his gentle loving embrace. He took you body and soul, the complete person, to heaven. For you, the transition from time and space to eternity was easy because you were completely united with Jesus, your son who then was living in heaven.

The Coronation

Escorted by your son and all the choirs of angels, you entered into the presence of God, the heavenly Father, who welcomed you lovingly as his beloved daughter. There, the most Blessed Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—seated you at the right hand of your son and crowned you Queen of Angels and People, Queen of Heaven and Earth. Mother Mary, you are now active in heaven on behalf of your children on earth.


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