Saint Mary

C.S. Lewis once wrote that the Incarnation of God in Jesus of Nazareth was God's idea of guerrilla warfare, an invasion of what Lewis called, "enemy occupied territory.  Now for the good part.  According to Lewis, Jesus is recruiting us to join him in a campaign of "sabotage."

There is a truth to Lewis's statement, understood correctly.  How can anyone look at the selfishness, greed, lust, and violence around us and on our TVs and not wonder if we're living in enemy occupied territory?  But taken too far, there's a trap in that kind of thinking.  We end up defining ourselves by our enemies, who always seem more powerful than us, always one step ahead of us in their conspiracies.  And so we rant, and conspire with those who share our fear to gain power over our enemies, and so become our enemies.

So when God decided to invade this occupied territory, God did not employ overwhelming force, or firepower.  Shock and awe were not God's tactics.  Instead, God sent the angel Gabriel to a Jewish girl of 14 or 15, and asked her to be the first soldier in this guerrilla war of sabotage.  And she said yes, which is why we remember Saint Mary on this day, August 15th.

And so she remained, a quiet foot soldier.  She volunteered enthusiastically for this invasion on behalf of the poor and victimized (Luke 1:46-55).  She cherished what Jesus said to her in her heart (Luke 2:51).  She occasionally nagged her Son into doing the right thing (John 2:3).  Once she tried to pull an "intervention" on him (Mark 3:31-34).  She kept faith with him, even when he appeared to have lost (John 20:25-27).  And like a good guerrilla, she retreated into the background as Jesus' movement became more conventional, with established leaders and organization (Acts 1:14-16).  

Finally, if you believe as I and others do, God pulled off the ultimate sabotage, taking her body into that timeless heavenly dimension where there is no decay.  That is the official teaching of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches, who celebrate her Assumption (RC), or Dormition (Orthodox) on this day.  We Episcopalians are content honor Saint Mary’s life in general, and make up our own minds about her earthly end.

But on this feast day of Saint Mary, the Virgin Mother of The Son of God, I honor the adolescent girl, powerless in the eyes of the world, who agreed to commence this war of sabotage, not with the means of human power and manipulation, but with truth, prayer, and love.  Hail Mary, full of grace; The Lord is with you.  Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit if your womb, Jesus.  Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.  Amen.

Image: detail from "The Annunciation" by John Collier