2021 Writing Contest Honorable Mention, Level B
Trusting in My Immaculate Mother by Donovan G.
I knew the devil was attacking me again and that he was just in my head, but I was still terrified. Still worried. Still depressed. I had lain awake for hours with anxiety rattling the windows of my mind. That is, until I began to ask his most hated foe for aid: Mary, the Blessed Mother of Jesus, my Lord. “She shall strike your head while you strike at her heel” (Genesis 3:15). The devil exploits every weak point of my brain and twists it to his own advantage. He whispers lies in the dark and pulls me into the depths of despair. When praying to my spiritual mother, the devil flees to cower in the shadows of death and decay. Mary pulls me out of the drowning web spun by the master of lies and relieves my doubts, fears, and worries. In trusting Mary, I combat the devil’s evil plan to claim my soul, and I rest in the hope of salvation. Through her strong protection, unrelenting guidance, and holy intercession, Mary is the person whom I trust most to untangle me from the grip of sin and escort me back to her son’s invitation to new life.
As mentioned in the prayer the Memorare, mother Mary protects us: “Remember, oh most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known, that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided.” When my brother cracked his head open, and we had to get him to the ER, we implored Mary to protect him and heal him. And now almost four years later, he is as spritely as ever. However, her protection is more than just physical protection; she protects spiritually as well. When the devil begins his evil work tempting, taunting, and attacking me, I can always trust that Mary will be there to guard my soul. When I am tempted, Mary comes to warn me and tells me through my conscience that what I am being tempted to do is wrong. In this, she delivers me from the devil’s schemes. Mary, our mother, is truly a stoic protector.
Mary’s love offers more than just protection; she is also my spiritual accompaniment and counselor. Her pathfinding skills aid me when I am in doubt, guide me through dark, trying times, and lead me closer to her son, Jesus. She shows me which way to turn when I am tantalized by temptation. I have terrible anxiety at night, and when my own parents can only ameliorate my fear for a short amount of time, I turn to my mother Mary. I gaze at the ceiling and pray the Hail Mary, begging Mary to hearken to my calls and shield me from the serpent of evil. Prayer reminds me that I must have extreme trust in Mary to pray to her even when all else fails. I trust her to save me from the choking grip of anxiety and turn to Jesus. When I am doubtful and uncertain, she is unwavering. Mary empties her maternal care out onto me. She gives me the fortitude to face my icy fears and melt them in the fire of her son’s love. She expels my angst and escorts me into her mantle of security. In Mary I find peace springing forth and covering me in a wave of trust. Mary’s spiritual respite is a verdant garden of safety, with flowers of peace sprouting everywhere. When the devil exacerbates my foibles, mother Mary rescues me and guides me to Jesus’s radiance
Mary is not only my mother but Jesus’s mother as well. She is the closest creature to Jesus in spirit and in body. For this reason I can always ask Mary for her intercession in my everyday problems. When I am in need of Jesus, I petition His mother to plead with Him on my behalf. Praying for intercession puts my complete trust in Mary, which I cannot do with anyone else but God Himself. Complete trust requires a certain level of expectation from whomever I am putting my trust in. I can place immense trust in anyone, but not complete trust; I can only give complete trust to someone who will never fail me once. No matter how much I trust in someone, he or she will always disappoint me at some point. By completely trusting Mary I know my petitions are in steadfast and secure hands. Mary brings all of my troubles and worries to her son,
Jesus. Knowing both Jesus and mother Mary are guarding me and watching over me is a freeing relief from anxiety, fear, and any danger physically or spiritually. When I need help with my hotheadedness, I ask Mary to bless me and soothe my anger through her son, Jesus. Mary is without sin, and when I sin, I am ready to put my complete trust in the only person besides Jesus who is sinless.
Trust is not something I give easily. For one to be trusted, he should prove himself trustworthy. However, Mary does not have to do that. The imperfections of humanity have never touched the Immaculate Mother. In her I can extinguish all worries, doubts, fears, and anxieties, and know that I can trust in her. Even though I do put my ultimate faith in God Himself, He gave me Mary as my mother and as the mother to all humanity. “Son, behold your mother” (John 19:27). Sometimes I need a motherly advocate to comfort me, and Mary does just that. Trusting in Mary, who is sinless, establishes a barrier of protection from temptation and physical danger, as well as from evils not of this earth. The devil’s greatest enemy is my greatest ally. She thwarts the devil’s probing attacks and encircles me in her immaculate robes of security. Mary will always be to me my sinless mother, in whom my trust can rest with unfailing confidence.
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