The Nazarene Woman, Peter, Paul, James, Natalie and the others...

A few years ago, as I was on my way to a reception for a new film I was about to make, I had a terrible car accident, in which I went through a NDE. Halfway between life and death, I experienced the immanent love of the Father, through the Sacred Heart of His Son. Needless to say, this divine encounter imprinted a permanent tattoo on my heart. I’ve always been slow to learn—and I still am, because a conversion is something ongoing—but I now thank God that all my plans were upset! Strangely enough, the first thing that the Most High corrected was my idea of Mary, the Nazarene Woman... Although a practicing Catholic, I was "cold" towards the Mother of the Savior: she had done her job and that was it. But the Nazarene Man corrected this false idea!

Many years ago—just over 2,000 years ago actually—when Satan was already the prince of this world (Jn, 12), and when people, as they still are today, were inclined towards being “politically correct,” a young Nazarene girl of about 15 years of age, said "YES" to the greatest love of her life: God Himself! Her God, and our God. She spent the rest of her life doing the same thing—saying "YES" to God nonstop.

The girl was called Mary, the Immaculate, conceived without sin and who always remained so—by her own free will. She was a daughter of Eve, just like us. But she spent her life by loving and repeating her "YES" to her Lord and her God. The Adversary, always the same one, the devil, rained down a shower of temptations on the one full of grace equal in measure to the graces she had received. This had utterly no effect on her, because Mary loved God more than anything else—more than her own self, more than her comfort—just like her most chaste husband Joseph, also a holy man. Joseph was like a courageous knight, not at all like the placid nativity set character we associate him to! As the head of the Holy Family, he displayed so much love towards his spouse, and towards Jesus. He valued the promise made to Israel and to all of us (Lk, 2). "Today in the city of David a Savior is born to you who is Christ, the Lord!"

Jesus the Nazarene once said (Mt, 7): "You can judge a tree by its fruit. A good tree bears good fruit, a bad tree bears bad fruit." Mary's fruit is Jesus, a name that means "God saves." This speaks for itself. But Jesus is also Emmanuel, which means "God with us." May she who desired, more than anyone else, the coming of the Savior, communicate her ardent desire for His glorious return to us today, "so that God's name may be hallowed (sanctified), His kingdom come, and His will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven."

Dear Peter, Paul, James, Natalie and the others, if Mary had not said "YES" to the Lord, we would still be waiting for the Messiah. "Mary, blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus!"

Natalie Saracco, director and writer, author of the book Aux âmes citoyens !* (To Your Souls Citizens!)

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*a play on words of the French anthem "Aux Armes Citoyens!" ("To Your Arms Citizens!")