What makes her admirable

A few months ago, during a vocation discernment weekend in Barat House, we showed the participants the large fresco of Mater in Digby Stuart College. As we gazed at this quiet, serene girl, lost in God knows what thoughts, I remarked that I have always felt that the title Mater Admirabilis - Admirable Mother - seems too weighty for someone so young and fragile; too heavy a burden for those slender shoulders.

Maybe that's what makes her admirable, said one of the participants, the fact that she was so young and yet said yes to so much.

Yes indeed.

And maybe, too, what makes Mary admirable is the fact that she never set out to be! She was an ordinary young woman who responded to an extraordinary call, not with drama or long speeches, but with great simplicity and just a few words to express what was in her heart. She was content that all generations would call her blessed because God had done great things in her - but she didn't expect to be called admirable.

And today, Mater's feast, I'm at another vocation discernment weekend, this time in Newcastle. May Mary pray for the participants and for all of us, that no matter how young or old, fragile or otherwise we might feel, we too have the grace and strength to say yes to whatever God is asking of us; not because we want to be admirable, but simply because we want to say yes...