Full of Grace

There is a famous prayer in which the help of Mary, the mother of Jesus, is enlisted. As chosen ones go, she is one of the most famous in history. Much is made of the life of her son and the events surrounding her, but what is the understated significance of this woman that should resonate in the hearts of all who believe in the truth of her life?

If you read with me on this story of mine of eclectic tales and images woven together for some purpose supposedly intended toward "international (and perhaps internal) tranquility," you will find many mentions of journeys. Travelers make journeys, but so does everyone with any sort of purpose in their hearts. Journeys, I have found, have been the key to unraveling the mysteries of this life. Due to their nature, they rely upon thought, preparation, dedication, and they often encounter hardship. A good journey accomplishes its stated goal, or in many cases unlocks a precious unknown that could not have been imagined. Either way, something valuable is realized, and an outcome has occurred that would not have been possible otherwise.

Mary was chosen as a young girl to be the mother of God's human form. We could debate whether she was chosen because of who she was or was made who she was because she was chosen. I'm not sure it matters, but what does is that she chose to undertake the awesome journey that was asked of her, and she could only do it because she was full of grace; she was uniquely blessed and bestowed with God's favor. In my mind, she was always "full of grace," because she fulfilled her duty selflessly and with a profound elegance that was beautifully admirable.

Perhaps the matter of her choosing does matter. What if we all are uniquely blessed and bestowed with God's favor? What if we all are chosen, and it's just a matter of answering the call with that same profound elegance? Obviously, we are not all tasked with immaculate conception, but we all are faced with making a response that requires specific dignity and courage at some point. No doubt, how well we journey results in how or if we will be hailed.

Under The Influence - America and a Lenten Struggle

In the autobiography of the great American Fredrick Douglass, he painted vivid portraits of, not only slaves, but also some members of the slave-owning families and how the institution of slavery had deeply penetrated and changed lives. He also detailed how knowledge not only changed his life, but the absence of it for others made life noticeably, even if inexcusably horrible, more bearable. Point being, there are a great many influences in history and in life, and they oftentimes play roles that we do not seek and may not expect. 

 To add to that, there are those we may not even recognize. When I was much younger, my mom wanted me to spend less time with a certain friend. Her reason was that she feared he was a bad influence on me. To that I retorted perhaps I was a good influence on him and that he should not be deprived of such. I cannot remember the finale to that exchange, but I will always remember the concept. Truth be told, I’m sure we were both right, only she was doing her duty as a mother, and I mine as a friend. 

In any case, we as individuals like to think that we are in control, if not of the events of the world, then at least of ourselves and - ultimately - who we are; that may not be so. The term “under the influence” generally refers to a state of psychological and/or physiological surrender to a substance such as a drug or alcohol. Depending on the situation, a human is either impaired or accelerated toward or away from certain behaviors while under the influence. Basically, an added variable fundamentally changes human events. 

 If we look beyond the limits of chemicals, we will find that there are also people, events, ideologies, religions, weather, and institutions that also routinely influence our lives. Knowledge, conscience, perceptions, greed, duty, tradition, culture, and even ignorance control the paths of our lives as well. And, then there is love, or so I am told. These are all influences, yes, but to be under the influence there would need to be some kind of voluntary or involuntary surrender of control. Frederick Douglass was under the influence of knowledge. Hamlet was under the influence of revenge. General George Washington was under the influence of revolution. I have a feeling that Hitler was under the influence of several things, among them – intolerance. Martin Luther King, Jr. was under the influence of a dream. Clearly some of these predicaments need not be cured, yet others can be construed as Satan himself. 

Perhaps the only answer lies not only in nourishing the healthy addictions and extracting the malignant ones, but in identifying them and then dedicating to those of supreme value. In the season of Lent, Christians are reminded of when Jesus spent time preparing for His death by denying Himself worldly comforts. In this time He was tempted by the Devil in several ways, but He was revealed to be under the influence of a divine purpose. The purpose of a retreat or a fast is to clear and focus. In denying oneself of worldly and evil things there is liberation. In liberation there is clarity and opportunity to exert greater authority over human events. The problem with being under an influence can be that the human spirit is conquered, and in fact enslaved. In liberation, the human spirit can thrive, conquer, and indeed triumph. As a person, that may be the healthiest state. As a people, just as we have eliminated slavery and moved toward a "dream", we may all need to liberate ourselves to conquer the demons ahead.