Promises Made, Promises Kept
The resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us the path to a better life on earth for the sake of our eternal life in heaven. His resurrection fulfills God’s promises and confirms Christ’s teachings and works. Do we believe in those promises or do we allow doubts to steer us from the God-given way?
If we were 100 percent confident, we would follow in Christ’s footsteps and never stray from the promise of heaven’s glory. The reality is, we do stray, which leads us to sin. To alleviate our lingering doubts, let’s turn to the one human being whose complete confidence has never faltered. I refer to Mary, the Mother of God—blessed is she who maintained a firm belief that the Lord’s promises would be fulfilled.
Granted, beginning with her own Immaculate Conception, God prepared Mary to wholeheartedly accept his word. Years later, Mary gave her own promise when she said, “I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). With Mary’s affirmation, the Word became flesh to prepare people for the promise of our Lord’s Second Coming—to draw all who believe into the glory of God’s kingdom.
Fully invested in God’s promises and firmly ensconced in the Trinitarian life, Mary’s faith guided her daily living. By staying true to her faith, Mary possessed the strength and security she needed to persevere when she did not understand events in her life and when she saw her Son die on the cross.
With our heavenly Mother’s intercession, we also can have the grace of God’s strength and security to follow in Christ’s footsteps by way of the Holy Spirit.
Remember, our profession of faith during the celebration of the Mass is a way of life we promise to follow for the sake of our salvation and the salvation of the world. Let us ask Mary to help us cast aside any doubts. Otherwise, living for ourselves with no focus on life everlasting only leads to a dead end.
As Mary has shown us, by choosing our Lord’s pathway to a new life, we are never alone. Confirmed by Christ’s resurrection and ascension into heaven, our Lord is with us always to strengthen and protect us with his divine mercy and to guide us with his Holy Spirit. A promise made is a promise kept.