Lonely? She Is There
In our novena prayers, we continually call on Mary to help us in our temptations and when we sin. However, Mary not only gives us the grace to overcome our temptations, but she can also save us from the loneliness that comes after we sin. She is there for us, no matter how much we go astray. We are not alone. She wants us to know that we are children of God. Jesus’ promise, “I will not leave you orphans,” finds its fulfillment in Mary.
I never thought about loneliness being a consequence of my sin. I am certainly conscious of the guilt I feel when I have done something wrong, or worse, the shame, like when I have become angry in a destructive manner. But the more I thought about it, the more I could recall specific sins I committed, where one of my feelings was loneliness. The sins committed put me in a frame of mind that created a breach in my relationship—and separated me from others. I suddenly felt isolated and alone in my sin and felt somehow I didn’t belong. In truth, I was lonely.
How exactly does Mary help to dispel our loneliness? In speaking of the saints in general, the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that what they can do for us is amazing. They are attentive to our feelings, and when we cry out to them, they apply the merits of their holy lives to our petitions. I remember Fr. Peter Cameron, the former editor of The Magnificat, once gave a simple example that can help us understand how this works. Remember the days when people collected Green Stamps? They were bonuses given to you by the supermarket when you bought your groceries. You collected them in booklets, and when you had enough, you redeemed them for merchandise of all sorts.
Mary does something similar for us. She applies her holy merits to our prayers so that when God receives our prayers and petitions, he doesn’t question or object to what may be lacking in us. Instead, God rejoices in the magnitude of Mary’s love, who has pooled her prayer with ours. This wonderful exchange between Mary and God profits us. Through her intercession, God gives us what we need and expels the curse of loneliness, a fate that otherwise would be our lot.
By the way, the name of the place where you turned in your Green Stamps was called the Redemption Center. In your prayer time, imagine Mary alongside the Redeemer at a heavenly redemption center, a place where your spiritual benefits will be bountiful.