Rev. Fr. Peter IBIMILUYI

INTRODUCTION

Each one of us have our different stories to tell as it concerns life and faith. We might have had certain experiences where we tell ourselves that the Christian faith is not profitable and in fact, needless to serve God, with many cases of insecurity in our communities, we wonder what God is doing and how to continue to trust in this same God who allows this evil to prevail. We ask: Who else will be our hope in this world, where the future is bleak and life is made all the more difficult? The truth is that there are so many evils and challenges that confront us as people of faith. Economic, security, family, cultural and moral factors pose great threat to our belief in the power of God to save.

The state has failed us, religion has not done better, life has taken its deadly tow on us, no water, no electricity, no good roads, no health center, no food, no security, indeed, there is less hope for the future. We ask, to whom shall we look up to, when the one who manages to encourage us has himself giving up the struggle, the one who tells us life is worth living yesterday has today taken his own life (suicide). Who will reignite our hope once more in religion, we ask. Who is that one person who can serve for us a pillar of strength on this very important and tiring pilgrimage, she is Mary, the Mother of God. The one who herself walked a very long journey with God but sailed through simply because she submitted trustingly and completely.

MARY IN THE CHURCH

The gospel of Luke gives us extensive description of the person of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is described in this gospel as a pure Virgin who was full of grace (Lk. 1:28), humble (Lk. 1:38), dutiful, loyal, trusting, obedient (Lk. 2:22-24), a compassionate intercessor (Jn. 2:3-5), courageous in suffering (Jn. 19:25-27), She was a servant of God, as she said of herself “I am the handmaid of the Lord”.

The Church since her conception and manifestation on the day of Pentecost has always had Mary with her. From the moment Jesus, on the cross handed over Mary to John in Jn. 19:26, She has constantly accompanied the Church on her missionary journey to the kingdom of God. Little wonder, she was present with the apostles at the upper room, praying and awaiting the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1:14). The unique place of Mary as an eternal companion of the Church has long been established from early Church history and from the writings of the Church.

The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council in Lumen Gentium no. 53 gave a detailed description of the place of Mary in the Church: “Redeemed by reason of the merits of her Son and united to Him by a close and indissoluble tie, she is endowed with the high office and dignity of being the Mother of the Son of God, by which account she is also the beloved daughter of the Father and the temple of the Holy Spirit. Because of this gift of sublime grace, she far surpasses all creatures, both in heaven and on earth. At the same time, however, because she belongs to the offspring of Adam she is one with all those who are to be saved. She is ‘the mother of the members of Christ… having cooperated by charity that the faithful might be born in the Church, who are members of that Head.’ Wherefore she is hailed as a pre-eminent and singular member of the Church, and as its type and excellent exemplar in faith and charity. The Catholic Church, taught by the Holy Spirit, honors her with filial affection and piety as a most loved mother.” She is therefore the mother of all those who call Christ their Lord and Savior.

PILGRIMS OF HOPE

We shall therefore be looking at the theme "Journeying with Mary our Mother as Pilgrims of Hope". The penny Catechism in its opening question and answer already alluded to the fact that the human person is on a journey, a journey to eternal life when it asks: Why did God make you? And answers: "God made me, to know him, to love him, to serve him and to be happy with Him in the next.” In other words, man was put in the world, that he may use his whole life to know, love and serve the Lord and that all of these may assist him to earn a place of lasting bliss with Him in heaven. This perfectly shows the movement of man to a final rest.

We are all pilgrims, walking towards our final home. This is a truth established by Jesus our Master during His earthly ministry through His words and parables. The Christian hope is not materialistic but eschatological, we hope in something incorruptible, the glories of heaven where the greatest reward is bestowed on us, and this belief forms the basis with which we accept all that comes our way as children of God. With the Blessed virgin, now in heaven, the Church sees her as the image and beginning of what the Church hopes to be in the world to come. Little wonder, she becomes a perfect companion on our journey back to the Father in heaven as she is a sign of certain hope and comfort to the pilgrim people of God.

CCC 1817 says "Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ's promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.” Going further 1818 says that "The virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man; it takes up the hopes that inspire men's activities and purifies them so as to order them to the kingdom of heaven; it keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment; it opens up his heart in expectation of eternal beatitude. Buoyed up by hope, he is preserved from selfishness and led to the happiness that flows from charity. As the word of God puts it "Hope is the sure and steadfast anchor of the soul" (Heb. 6:19-20. It is also the weapon that protects us in the struggle of salvation. In the words of St. Teresa of Avila "Hope, O my soul, hope. You know neither the day nor the hour. Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly, even though your impatience makes doubtful what is certain, and turns a very short time into a long one. Dream that the more you struggle, the more you prove the love that you bear your God, and the more you will rejoice one day with your Beloved, in a happiness and rapture that can never end."

The truth remains that many today, are frustrated and fed up with religion. Christians go to Church simply as a social obligation to fulfil. The crave for material and immediate gain make no preaching about heavenly gain credible and genuine. The impatience in the world today makes it difficult to speak about joys of the gospel and the benefits therein serving God in spirit and in truth. Our hope these days is not in the beauty of heaven but the here and now. The consequent effect of this mentality is the many evils in our world today, man's inhumanity to man is on the increase.

As the late Pope Francis noted in his message for the 2025 World Mission Sunday, “the present world shows serious symptoms of human crisis: a widespread sense of bewilderment, loneliness and indifference to the needs of the elderly, and a reluctance to make an effort to assist our neighbors in need. In the most technologically advanced nations, “proximity” is disappearing: we are all interconnected, but not related. Obsession with efficiency and an attachment to material things and ambitions are making us self-centered and incapable of altruism.” This is the sad reality of all of us pilgrims and this makes our final home/goal vague and almost impossible to reach.

As the Church fathers note in CCC 272 “Faith in God the Father Almighty can be put to the test by the experience of evil and suffering. God can sometimes seem to be absent and incapable of stopping evil. But in the most mysterious way God the Father has revealed his almighty power in the voluntary humiliation and Resurrection of his Son, by which he conquered evil. Christ crucified is thus “the power of God and the wisdom of God…” The Church identifies that it is only with faith that one can embrace the mysterious ways of God’s almighty power. “The Virgin Mary is the supreme model of this faith, for she believed that “nothing will be impossible with God,” and was able to magnify the Lord: “For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”

JOURNEYING WITH MARY

From the foregoing, we see how the picture of our Blessed Mother becomes for us a perfect guide and encouragement.

The earthly journey of the Blessed Virgin Mary mirrors perfectly the journey of each and everyone of us, with its joys and sorrows, the ups and downs, the beautiful and the ugly, moments of strength and moments of weakness, faithfulness and sinfulness. As a matter of fact, Mary's experience of divine purpose or assignment is one which came with great confusion, sorrows and agony. From the very first time the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her, she had to figure out what it is that the Lord desired of her (cf. Lk. 1:28-38). She had to contend with the reality of carrying a pregnancy when she was only betrothed and not married (Mt. 1:18). The experience of Jesus's birth, the shame of putting to bed in a manger (Lk. 2:6-7), the presentation in the Temple with the sword of Simeon's prophecy piercing through her soul (Lk. 2:34-35), to the flight to Egypt (Mt. 2:13-15) and the ultimate which is the witnessing of the crucifixion and death of her son. All of these experiences matched up with her heroic fortitude and resignation to God's will serve for us a body of encouragement and strength as pilgrims of hope. The blessed Mother made her own the words of the scriptures which says that “In the world you will have many tribulations but be of good cheers for I have conquered the world.” Jn. 16:33

Mary, the Mother of God, exemplifies hope, trust, and faith, guiding us to face life's challenges with confidence and love. “In a wholly singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope and burning charity in the Saviour’s work of restoring supernatural life to souls. For this reason, she is a mother to us in the order of grace. This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfilment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven, she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation… Therefore, the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix, Pope Francis added, Mother of Hope.” (cf. CCC 968-9)

Trust in God's Promises: Mary's life demonstrates unwavering trust in God's promises, even when circumstances seemed impossible. Her response to the angel Gabriel, "Let it be done to me according to your word," showcases her faith and trust.

Unwavering Faith: Mary remained faithful, even in the darkest moments, like the crucifixion of Jesus. Her presence at the foot of the cross shows her unwavering commitment to her son and God's plan.

Motherly Guidance: Mary guides us, comforts us, and points us to Jesus, our true hope. She intercedes for us, strengthening our hope and leading us closer to Jesus. If we will truly walk and serve Jesus, then Mary must be our eternal companion.

Mary’s Meditative Spirit: “Mary treasured all these things in her heart” Lk. 2:9. We must learn to ask what the Lord is saying to us in our situation rather than argue or protest.

CONCLUSION

While encouraging the laity in their efforts to fulfil the will of the Father in union with Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, the council Fathers present the model of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the following words “the perfect model of this apostolic spiritual life is the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Apostles. While on earth, her life was like that of any other, filled with labors and the cares of the home; always, however, she remained intimately united to her Son and cooperated in an entirely unique way in the Saviour’s work. And now, assumed into heaven, “her motherly love keeps her attentive to her Son’s brothers, still on pilgrimage amid the dangers and difficulties of life, until they arrive at the happiness of the Fatherland. Everyone should have a genuine devotion to her and entrust his life to her motherly care.” (cf. Apostolicam actuositatem no. 4)

The stack reality remains that faith dwindles in the midst of the present day experiences in Nigeria as everything that can test our faith are visibly seen every day. We are left to ask if God is still addressing issues from Nigeria. Mary understands what it means to trek the rough road of life. She walked the hard road, suffered, cried, and still said “Let it be done unto me.” This is why she is a perfect travelling companion for us pilgrims. When everything fails, Mary never fails, she is our Mother of Hope. When life threatens us and our faith is troubled, Mary holds our hand. As we journey with her, let us stop complaining like the Isrealites in the desert. Let us walk with faith, sing small, smile more, and trust like Mary that God never sleeps nor slumbers.