A sociological idea from max Weber and Platonic idea in the Republic has been employed to encourage us to pray asking mother Mary to intercede for us.
“Verstehen” is the sociological method proposed by Max Weber to study society or man. This is a German word which means to understand or put yourself in someone’s shoes before you describe the situation or propose a solution to the situation.
This method, friends, has perfectly been employed by Mary and that makes her a good person to intercede for us. She has been in our shoes and understands us perfectly. Therefore this month we are admonished to just inform her.
Since the time Mary was included in the salvific history, she has had a feel of what it means for someone to be in need.
This is because she has experienced gruesome moments before. These can be realized in these moments of her life.
Already, after the annunciation, she has to go through myriad of difficulties, starting from the reaction of her husband and the people around her concerning her pregnancy (Matt. 1:18-19). On top of this, she has to give birth to Jesus in the manger(Lk. 2: 7); that which no woman wills.
We can all imagine how obnoxious the situation was for her. As if that was not enough, at the presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ, Simeon revealed to her the pains or danger that awaited her Saying “a sword will pierce through your heart” (Lk 2:35) and it came to the realization in the paschal journey of Christ.
In the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ, Mary was an intimate participant.
She suffered with her son, this is evident in the 4th station of the cross.
All these come to prove the fact that she has suffered before and she knows what we, her children, mean when we cry in our suffering to her for intercession.
It must be established that what she went through is even more horrific as compared to some or all of the situations we go through. And so we must understand that Mary has been in our shoes before.
Maybe one may say that she was full of grace and that helped her in the journey of suffering. But it must be said that we are also full of grace. Mary received Jesus which is the communion and was called full of grace. It is in the same way that when we receive communion which is Jesus we become full of grace. As Mary was loved, it is in the same way that we have been loved and called children of God (Jn. 3:1-2).
However, Mary was able to hold on to her faith. And as she had a share in his suffering, she had been crowned queen of heaven and earth as her share in the resurrection. Now, she intercedes on our behalf. That is her work. Like Plato in the Republic, everyone should perform that one work which one can do better. This is exactly what Mary is doing.
In the early times of Jesus, she interceded for the people at the feast(2nd mystery of light)(Jn 2:1-12). This is evidence of her capabilities as a mother. And so why worry, when there is someone who understands our troubles and has felt it before? Just inform her.
By: Alfred Dadson
