Mary, Mother To The Divorced

Everyone needs their mother! This is a natural understanding every human being has, regardless of race, creed, color or state in life. It is illustrated in the way we celebrate Mother's Day every year, and in how orphans and adopted children seek out their birth mothers; even soldiers who die in combat have been heard taking their last breaths, remembering their moms. When things go wrong, we most long for the consolation of our mothers because moms know how to make everything better.

So it only stands to reason that when you're trying to survive an agonizing divorce and take up the daunting exercise of rebuilding your life afterward, you want the help and compassion your mother knows how to give you. And this is why Our Blessed Mother, Mary, is there for us. She waits for us to come to her and ask her for help.

Even the popular music group, the Beatles, who were not particularly Catholic, offered the world this sentiment in their unforgettable song, Let It Be:

When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me speaking words of wisdom, let it be. And in my hour of darkness, she is standing right in front of me speaking words of wisdom, let it be. – Lennon/McCartney

Mary is our heavenly mother, filled with the love and compassion you need. Mary's impressive spirit of prayer and union with God can be a guide for you as you wander through the desert of divorce. In imitating Mary, you can find meaning in your suffering.

But there's another piece of wisdom that goes largely unnoticed and is right there in the title of that song: simply, let it be. Are you able to give God that kind of permission to work in your life?

How often when we pray, we are asking God to change something about our circumstances and make it the way we want it to be. It's only natural to want to be alleviated of our pain and suffering, but maybe our prayer should instead be, “Your will be done, Lord, let it be.”

This can be the hardest prayer of all at times. It's hard to let go of what we want and just let God work in our lives. This, too, is when Mary can be of help to us. Her life is a beautiful prayer of acceptance. I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to thy word (Luke 1: 38).

When Christ was near death on the cross, He specifically gave His mother to us and wants us to come to her in our hour of need:

When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son! (John 19:26).

Mary is always there for us, desiring our happiness and showing us the way to her Son. She comes to us in our hour of need to console us as any mother would, and always brings a sense of peace and calm.

I encourage you to take some time and reflect on your current circumstances and ask your Mother in heaven to obtain for you the grace to say, “Your will be done, Lord, let it be.”

As always, I look forward to receiving your comments and questions at asklisa@catholicmatch.com. Always remember I am praying for you.