2 pilots and their Mother
About 10 years ago, I read a book called A Higher Call. It is about two pilots, an American and a German during WWII, who had a chance encounter on December 20, 1943. The Americans had just completed a successful bombing raid on a German aircraft production facility in Bremen. The B17 of Charles "Charlie" Brown, the American pilot, was badly damaged by German fighters during the airstrike, which rendered him defenseless and an easy flying target. In the air at the time was Luftwaffe pilot Franz Stigler; he saw Brown's plane and was in the perfect position to take it down with a single strike. However, rather than taking the shot he was trained to take — the shot he was expected to take — Stigler protected Brown and his badly damaged bomber by escorting him over German-occupied territory until he reached friendly air space.
After the war, Brown searched for Stigler, the German soldier who saved his life. After 50 years of looking, and with some help from his children, Brown once again shared the same space, this time on the ground, of Franz Stigler. After exchanging their own stories and a bit about who they were as men, they realized that as they flew that day, they both had an often-used, well-worn set of rosary beads in their pockets. Two men caught on either side of a terrible war shared the same Mother who guided each of them to see Christ in the other.
Both Catholics and non-Catholics alike sometimes misunderstand the role Mary plays in our spiritual lives. She was chosen and set apart for a sacred role. We look to Mary not merely as a vehicle for Jesus's entry into this world but as a woman who, as St. Irenaeus said, with her obedience, untied the knot of Eve's disobedience. She gave herself over entirely to God's will; Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.
Jesus came into this world as a King, fulfilling the line of David. Historically, during this time, the mother of the King held the title "Queen Mother." In 1 Kings 2:20, we read of the Queen Mother Bathsheba, bringing a request to King Solomon. He answers by seating her on the throne at his right side and telling her he will not refuse her request. In the second chapter of the Gospel of John, we read about the wedding at Cana, where Mary, the King of King's mother, asks Him to help when the wine runs out. In earnest, Jesus says, My hour has not yet come. Mary's response isn't recorded in Sacred Scripture, but Jesus, as we know, does not refuse her request. She was given an extraordinary role in the Son of Man's life.
We believe that Mary still plays an extraordinary role in the life of the faithful. As Jesus hung on the cross, in a dying declaration, He said to John, who stood at the foot of His blood-soaked cross, John, Behold your mother, and to His mother, Woman, behold your son. This was more than merely an arrangement for His mother to be cared for as she got on in age. Rather, Jesus knew that soon John would be something new — a priest at the dawn of Christianity. He took Mary as his mother, not just on behalf of himself but on behalf of the Church.
Mary's greatest desire is to help us draw closer to her precious Son; her love for Him is overwhelming. Jesus sprang forth within the very walls of her own life. Her belly stretched around the Savior of the world as her body nourished His physical needs. God chose her arms to be the shield and armor by which the Messiah would be cared for and protected. He grew from the milk of her breast and the care of her hands. She kissed His tiny toes and traced the line down His nose, from brow to chin, thousands of times as He slept. She nuzzled His sweet neck and kissed His tiny cheeks with a mother's affection and the adoration of a sinner in need of a Savior. As Jesus learned to walk, she held His hand and kissed His knee every time He fell. She brushed His hair by candlelight and ensured He had enough blankets during the cold nights. She pinched and saved for a yearly birthday sweet cake and prayed on her knees beside Him in the privacy of their small, warm home. In Jesus's 33 years of walking the earth, He chose to spend 30 of those years in the privacy of family life. She knew Him better than any other human who would ever live.
Mary desires no attention; rather, she wants to kneel beside us and pray with us. She wants to walk in the details of our lives and point us to her Son, who is the way, the truth, and the life. She does not desire nor deserve the worship meant for God alone. Instead, just as we ask our earthly mothers, sisters, brothers, and friends to pray for us, we ask her to pray for us — the woman Jesus gave to the Church, her Queen Mother.
As we journey through Lent together, Mary keeps pace with our stride; as she walks alongside her Son to Calvary, so too does she walk with us. We praise God for Mary's yes, the Fruit of her womb, and Motherhood to us all.
Hail Mary, full of grace, Pray for us!
This week, our Pray, Grow, & Serve walks with your children through the third and fourth Stations of the Cross; Christ’s first fall and His encounter with His mother. Get all 14 beautiful Stations of the Cross, here!
