“I AM NO LONGER ACCEPTING THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE. I AM CHANGING THE THINGS I CANNOT ACCEPT.”

– ANGELA DAVIS

One of the aspects of Frederic Ozanam’s personal spirituality with his devotion to Mary. Frederic died on September 8th, the Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was he who persuaded members of the Society to place it under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin, shortly after its founding. It was also decided to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception with special devotion through Frederic’s insistence. One of the longstanding traditions of the Society has been the recitation of the “Hail Mary” at the conclusion of meetings. The Hail Mary was added to the prayers of the weekly meetings of the Society during the lifetime of Frederic Ozanam, and some sources suggest that he was the driving force behind its inclusion.

One of the oldest Christian greetings for Mary was proclaimed when Mary’s relative Elizabeth called her “Mother of my Lord.” It is a simple and profound statement. Elizabeth’s expression of joy and truth mirrors our calling. We are drawn to Mary because she draws us closer to her son, Jesus. Everything Mary does and say is to invite us into a deeper relationship with Jesus. She is not interested in being worshipped or being in the centre. She seeks to direct us to Jesus. She has much to teach us.

This is clearest in her great acclamation, the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55). Mary’s powerful words are of liberation and justice. She is a prophet who is passionate and dedicated to uprooting unjust structures and traditions, and deeply trusting of God to honour God’s ancestral promises of mercy, justice, and equity. The rich are left empty, the powerful torn down from their lofty places of power and privilege, and those people who are proud are humbled. It is people who are hungry who are provided with fullness, the neglected and forgotten who are exalted and those who have been disenfranchised and displaced will be remembered. It is a powerful vision of a society marked by radical right relationships and is brought into fullness through the gift of Jesus in her life.

It is a vision that continues to find resonance in the works and aspirations of the Society today. As Vincentians, we also cry out for justice in solidarity with our companions who are often on the margins of our communities. Advocacy is a key aspect of the Vincentian vocation. In addition, we are called to see the realities of social justice from the perspective of those we visit, where injustice is a real and difficult part of life.

For centuries, Mary has been praised because she believed in the saving power of God. She is the Mother of God because of her faith and her love of Jesus Christ. The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, celebrates Mary’s faith and trust in God alone. We are invited to imitate her faith. A faith full of courage and full of passion. A faith that invites us closer to her son, Jesus, and to work towards the Kingdom of God where justice prevails.

From: Firewood for the soul, vol. 2, A Reflexion Book for the Whole Vincentian Family
St. Vincent de Paul Society, Queensland, Australia.
Text by: Samantha Hill and James Hodge.