To cultivate Mary’s spirit is to cultivate a sense of service: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord.” Singing the Magnificat frees us from all self-concern: I am fully available for service.

Stabat Mater
O our Mother, fount of love,
touch my spirit from above;
Help us love as you have done.

We know quite well what Jesus was saying, but somehow, we forget. He was showing us that loving is inseparable from service, and that we must not stand on our dignity but must humble ourselves and do menial, earthy, bodily tasks for our brothers and sisters.

Stabat Mater
Can the human heart refrain?
From partaking in her pain,
In that Mother’s pain untold?

In His life and parables, Jesus offers us an image of God that constantly demands that we allow our myths to be shattered and that we give up notions that would try to limit God’s freedom. He shows us a compassionate God who became one of us, and suffered with the poor and oppressed.

Stabat Mater
Is there one who would not weep,
Whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ’s dear Mother to behold?