Mary, Mother of Priests

Today our office manager Lucille brought in a beautiful statue of our Blessed Mother to be put on display here in the Office of Priestly Vocations, and it reminds me the role of Mary in the life of priests. Mary is often called the Mother of Priests because she gives a man discerning a priestly vocation the example of what it means to say yes to God. We read in the Gospel of Luke Mary's radical yes, her fiat which allowed for the Son of God to enter into the world.

In this same way, a priest says yes to God every time he celebrates the Mass. The Eucharist is the perfect fulfillment of the life of Jesus precisely because the mystery of Christ can be summed up in it. Let me explain. Most of us know that the Eucharist is actualized as a result of Jesus' Passion and Death; it is through that that we have the Eucharist in the first place.

However, at the same time, the priest who says yes to God by offering Mass is bringing Jesus back into the world through the Eucharist, and in this way, the Eucharist points to the Incarnation of the Lord in a very profound way. So in the Eucharist, we remember the death and resurrection of Christ in a very real and profound way, and we also remember his Incarnation, made possible by Mary. Mary is the mother of priests precisely because she was the first to say yes that allowed for the Son of God to enter the world. The priest does this every time he celebrates Mass.

It is also important in the life of priests to be spiritually devoted to our Blessed Mother. By praying the Rosary, praying fervently for her intercession, and striving to love Mary as Christ loves Mary, the priest (and every person in the world) is calling on the best example of holiness (outside of Christ Himself) as a way to imitate her. When we pray the Rosary, we are praying with Mary, and meditating with her on the life of Christ, for the Rosary, though Marian in nature, is clearly a Christocentric prayer, as it meditates on the mysteries of the life of Christ. Mary wasn't merely a distant observer in the Jesus' life, she was a willing and faithful follower, being with Jesus at every great moment and every harsh reality our Lord went through.

She was with him his entire ministry, from the start of his public ministry at the Wedding Feast of Cana to the Passion, where she humbly sat at the foot of the cross, watching her son die. She was there at every moment of His life, and we can't forget that. We too are called to walk with Christ. We are called though, however, to walk with Jesus in different ways. Some are called to sacrifice themselves for their family, and some for the Church as priests. A vocation is truly the self giving of oneself for the sake of love. This is love of God, and love of His Church. Mary's primary vocation was love of God, which she exemplified perfectly with her example of saying "yes" to God.

May we always follow the example of Mary, our Mother, and Mother of all the Priests of the World. Please pray for your parish priest, and please pray for the seminarians. Also, please pray for yourself that you may come to know more fully your vocation. If you are a young man and single, seriously consider the possibility that you may be called to enter seminary and further discern the Catholic priesthood. If you are a young woman, keep your heart open to the movements of the Holy Spirit, that you may further discern your will, and seriously consider the possibility of religious life. Please know of my prayers for every person who reads this blog in their search for holiness. May God bless you.

Mary, Mother of Priests, pray for us.
St. John Vianney, pray for us.
St. Charles Borromeo, pray for us.