Mary, Full of Grace: Feast of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of La Naval de Manila

(Wikipedia) The Church of Annunciation is the church where the archangel Gabriel is said to have appeared in person to Mary.

T

he angel Gabriel greeted Mary with the word κεχαριτωμένη (kecharitōmenē)—“full of grace,” the one who has been filled with God's grace.

To understand this beautiful name for Mary, I would like to use an image that early Christians associated with her: the image of a mountain.

First point: Mary is like a mountain that receives from above.

Mountains play an important role in the water cycle. When moist air reaches a mountain, the mountain forces it upward. As the air rises, it cools, clouds form, and rain falls. Mountains receive and store this water, which then flows down through rivers and streams, providing fresh water to the communities below.

A mountain does not keep the water it receives. It allows the water to flow outward and give life.

Mary is like that mountain. God poured his grace upon her in a unique way, and she received it completely. But she did not keep God's gift for herself. Through her, the world received Jesus Christ, the source of Living Water.

Perhaps this is what Mary teaches us about being full of grace: grace is not something we possess for ourselves. It is a gift we receive so that others may also receive life.

Second point: Mary's greatness is found in simplicity.

I remember my pilgrimage to the Holy Land in July 2023. Of all the places we visited, one of the most memorable for me was Nazareth. We know Nazareth as the home of Mary and Joseph, the place where Jesus grew up and spent most of his hidden life.

And there, in this rather ordinary town, stands an extraordinary church: the Basilica of the Annunciation, one of the largest churches in the Holy Land. Even in its architecture, Mary seems to be a towering presence.

Perhaps this says something about the place Mary holds in our Catholic faith. We love and honor her. Churches are built in her name, countless images are made of her, and generations of Christians have entrusted themselves to her intercession.

But for all the greatness we associate with Mary, we should never forget: Mary is not God. She is one of us. She is fully human. Her greatness does not come from making herself great. Her greatness comes from what God was able to do in and through her.

We may think of Mary as the highest of mountains, but we should not remain at the top of the mountain.

When you enter the towering Basilica of the Annunciation, you discover something striking. At the heart of this magnificent church is a simple and humble dwelling associated with Mary and the Holy Family. When I first saw it, I could not hold back my tears.

Behind all the grandeur surrounding Mary—the beautiful dresses, jewels, and crowns—is a simple young woman from the humble town of Nazareth. She became a mother. She cared for a child. She did the ordinary things that mothers do every day.

I remember a beautiful insight shared by one of my 30-day retreatants. He said that perhaps Mary's greatness lies in the many little things she did faithfully throughout her life. She too must have awakened in the middle of the night to care for the baby Jesus. She fed him, carried him, cleaned him, and comforted him. She did these ordinary things with her whole heart.

That is greatness at its peak: greatness through simplicity.

Third and final point: Mary always leads us to Jesus.

Through my years as a religious, I have grown to love and cherish Mary more and more. I always look forward to celebrating Mass on Marian feasts. And at every Mass I offer, after the Prayers of the Faithful, I make it a point to pray one Hail Mary.

But sometimes I ask myself: Am I loving the Blessed Virgin Mary too much? Shouldn't this kind of love be reserved for God alone?

Then I remember the words attributed to St Maximilian Kolbe: “Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.”

That gives me great consolation. We do not love Mary instead of Jesus. We love Mary because Jesus loved her. And the more we come to know Mary, the more she leads us to her Son. Her whole life points to the words she spoke at Cana: “Do whatever he tells you.”

And here we return to our mountain. The mountain does not keep the water for itself. Neither does Mary keep grace for herself. Everything she receives from God, she allows to flow outward. And ultimately, the greatest gift she gives us is Jesus.

Perhaps this is what it truly means to be full of grace: to receive everything from God, to live the ordinary things with great love, and to allow what we have received to become a source of life for others.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, through Mary, teach us to receive your grace with humility, to be faithful in little things, and to share your love generously with others. Amen. Fr JM Manzano SJ