Rev. José Mario O. Mandía
jmom.honlam.org
We have seen several models of prayer in the Old Testament. Let us now turn to the New Testament. One of the first models we find is the Blessed Virgin Mary, who teaches us some important lessons on prayer. Let us take three examples.
ANNUNCIATION – When the angel appeared to Mary and announced to her God’s proposal, she asked, “How shall this be, since I have no husband?” (Luke 1:34). Our Lady does not doubt what the archangel Gabriel announced, but she asks how it was going to happen.
With her question, Our Lady shows us that if she were to obey, she had to know how she was to do it, what her role required of her. She teaches us that obedience is free, and freedom requires knowledge of what one is doing.
Once the angel had explained that it will be through the power of the Holy Spirit (cf. Luke 1:35), Mary promptly replies, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” — “Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum” (Luke 1:38). No hesitation, no ifs, no buts. “From now on, my future is in God’s hands. From now on, I will let him call the shots.”
The CCC (no. 2617) remarks, “She whom the Almighty made ‘full of grace’ responds by offering her whole being: ‘Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be [done] to me according to your word’ (Luke 1:38) ‘Fiat’: this is Christian prayer: to be wholly God’s, because he is wholly ours.” It is the prayer that our Lady renewed everyday for the rest of her life. It was the prayer that made her feel blessed (cf. Luke 1:48).
We, on the other hand, are not always that ready to accept and embrace what God asks of us. We insist on our way. This is why we find it so hard to attain peace and joy.
VISITATION – When Mary visited Elizabeth, her cousin declared, “And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:43). By divine inspiration, she acknowledged that Mary was indeed the Mother of God! Mary does not attribute this honor to herself but to God’s kindness and mercy. “And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” (Luke 1:46-49).
Our Lady teaches us humility in prayer. Humility is knowing how to face and accept the truth about ourselves: the truth that on one hand we are nothing, and on the other, that we have been loved “with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3).
CANA – “When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine’” (John 2:3). Brief but effective. Because it contains the elements of an ideal prayer.
“They have no wine.” Our Lady simply states the problem. She does not tell Jesus what the solution should be. Her prayer is a humble prayer. Her prayer is a simple prayer. Her prayer is full of faith. Her prayer is full of hope.
She knows and believes that Jesus is God, that God is all-wise, all-good and all-powerful, so she does not dictate the way the problem should be solved. God knows best. That’s so unlike the way we pray, when we tell God what we want Him to do, when we give Him specific instructions on how to manage our affairs.
Full of confidence in Jesus’ wisdom, goodness and power, Mary instructs the servants: “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). In a matter of minutes, the wedding guests are enjoying the finest wine they have ever tasted. God truly does things “sooner, more and better” (Saint Josemaría).
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