588. September 24, Our Lady of Ransom

Meditations no. 517 (unofficial computer-aided translation)

Christ gave us his Mother to be our Mother.

The liturgical year is adorned with feasts in honour of Mary. The basis of this cult is the divine Motherhood of our Lady, which is the fount of all the gifts of nature and grace lavished on her by the Blessed Trinity. All these feasts are living testimonies of the love Christians have for their Mother in heaven. But each has its own special emphasis that distinguishes it from all the rest.

This is true of today’s feast, Our Lady of Ransom. Under this invocation, a religious order dedicated to the rescue of Christians enslaved by the Muslims began in the twelfth century. The feast soon spread throughout the whole Church, to beseech our Mother’s powerful intercession to free souls from sin, which is the worst slavery, and to entrust to her the material and spiritual needs of her children.

To us who are children of God in Opus Dei, today’s feast recalls a moment when our Mother’s protection over the Work was manifest with particular clarity, under the invocation of Our Lady of Ransom. It took place in Barcelona in 1946, when our founder was preparing to undertake his first trip to Rome to seek pontifical approval for the Work. Our Father was well aware of the difficulties he faced, since Opus Dei was so new in the life of the Church and there were no suitable canonical channels for it. Before embarking, he went to pray before Our Lady of Ransom, and our Lady heard his trusting filial petition.

The Gospel in today’s Mass recalls the moment when Jesus, in agony on the Cross, entrusted our Lady to the care of St John: When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son! Then he said to the disciple, ’Behold, your mother!’ And from that hour the disciple took her to his own homer John Paul II teaches: The Marian dimension of the life of a disciple of Christ is expressed in a special way precisely through this filial entrusting to the Mother of Christ, which began with the testament of the Redeemer on Golgotha. Entrusting himself to Mary in a filial manner, the Christian, like the Apostle John, ‘welcomes’ the Mother of Christ ‘into his own home’ and brings her into everything that makes up his inner life.

We can recall our Father’s advice: When the feasts of our Lady come round let us not be sparing in our tokens of affection. Let us raise our hearts to her more often, asking her for what we need, thanking her for her love. Though, naturally, if we really want to act as good children, every day is a good day for loving Mary, just as every day is a good day for those who really love one another.

Our Mother Mary is always attentive to our needs.

There was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples. The celebration lasts for several days, and the wine begins to run out without anyone realizing it. Only Mary, with a mother’s discernment, notices what is happening. The mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ And Christ, at his Mother’s request, carries out his first miracle.

The Pope points out that at Cana in Galilee there is shown only one concrete aspect of human need, apparently a small one of little importance (‘They have no wine’). But it has symbolic value: this coming to the aid of human needs means, at the same time, bringing those needs within the radius of Christ’s messianic mission and salvific power. Thus there is a mediation: Mary places herself between her Son and mankind in the reality of their wants, needs and sufferings.

Today’s feast invites us to consider Mary’s role as Intercessor before God. We acknowledge our own neediness and turn trustingly to our Lady, going to her without hesitation, especially when we have no one else to turn to. This may sound like self-interest on our part It is, of course; but then don’t all mothers know that we children tend to be somewhat self-interested, and that we often turn to them only as a last resort? They know this very well, but it doesn’t really worry them. That comes with being a mother, and their disinterested love is able to discern, through our apparent selfishness, our filial affection and our trusting confidence.

I am not suggesting, either for myself or for you, that our devotion to Mary should be limited to times of urgent need I feel, nevertheless, that we should not feel humiliated if this happens to us from time to time. Mothers don’t keep a record of their children’s tokens of affection; nor do they weigh them up or measure them with petty calculations. A tiny sign of affection is as sweet as honey to them, and they give themselves generously in return, bestowing much more than they receive. If good earthly mothers react in this way, just imagine what we can expect from our Holy Mother Mary.

We go to our Lady with the trust and insistence of children.

Mary Most Holy, Mother of all Christians, has a special love for her children in Opus Dei, since we are determined to fulfill God’s Will. Therefore holy Mary has watched over us at difficult moments in our history, and always watches over the Work with special love and concern. Before undertaking his first trip to Rome in 1946, our Father entrusted the path of Opus Dei to her, praying before the image of Our Lady of Ransom at the basilica in Barcelona. And he returned that same year to give thanks for her protection and care.

We should have recourse to the Blessed Virgin for all the needs of the Church and the Work, and for our own personal needs. We entrust our work of proselytism to her and, by the Memorare, the perseverance of all our brothers and sisters. We have recourse to her at every moment, because she is our Mother, and she has showed her affection for us in so many ways.

Our founder gave us a wonderful example of recourse to our Lady. During one of his times of prayer before Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1970, he addressed our Lord: We have come to ask you as a small child who is sure that he will be heard We are asking you like a small child, like a small family, and I want the Work always to be such, even though we may be spread out everywhere: a very united small family. And we are asking you in a demanding way, through your Mother’s intercession, knowing that you will have to listen to us.

Mother, we turn to you. You have to listen to us. We are asking for things that will help us to serve the Church better, to preserve the spirit of the Work better. You can’t fail to hear us! You want everything that your Son desires to be fulfilled, and your Son wants us to become saints, to do Opus Dei. You must listen to us!

Lord, we join our petition to that of the people who are now here, to the priest who is celebrating Mass, to the homage given to your Mother. We all are asking you with a lot of faith, and with the hope that you will heed us, along all the pathways of the earth. Ours is a continual prayer of souls of every state in life, of every race, of every tongue. Their prayer is our prayer. To you, Lord, through your Mother’s intercession, we address our constant petition.

I would like my words to convince you of the need to continue urging our Lord, also when your soul is dry and you find it difficult to dialogue with him. Despite our weaknesses, despite our not knowing what to say, it is enough for us to want to talk to him and he will hear us. And we will attain what we need.