Woman of hope, Mary prepares hearts for the return of Christ Jesus

The virtue of hope requires memory; without memory, there is no hope. To hope, it is essential to remember. For if God acted as a savior in the past, he will again save men today and tomorrow. (...)

A Jewish woman, and the first Christian, the Virgin Mary, kept in her mind the words and events of the life of her Son Jesus; she hoped for his Resurrection on Holy Saturday. This is why the Church likes to honor the Virgin Mary on Saturdays, remembering the painful passage from Good Friday to Easter Sunday.

Woman of hope, the Virgin Mary prepares Christian hearts for the return of Christ Jesus. Like all mothers, Mary oversees the preparation of the gathering of her children. Through her intercession, the Virgin Mary prepares the Church for the happy gathering, by praying for us now, until the end of time when the Lord Jesus will celebrate the total liberation of humanity, becoming all things to all those who believe in him.

Two biblical symbols manifest hope: the manna that fell every morning during the forty years of crossing the desert to the Promised Land, and the ship's anchor that secures the ship in the midst of storms.

The Lord’s prayer shines like the prayer of Advent. It is a prayer of hope and of desire for God: "Thy kingdom come; thy will be done. Give us this day our daily bread."

Let us entrust our worries to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, so that we may move forward in hope, nourished by the daily manna, fastened to Christ by the anchor of hope, remembering that "no one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided."

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you.

Brother Manuel Rivero. O.P. Doctor of Theology

Translated and adapted from: zenit.org