Since I was a youngster, I love the song, one of the Beatles’ bests: “Let It Be.”
“When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me speaking words of wisdom, let it be. And in my hour of darkness, she is standing right in front of me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be. Let it be … whisper words of wisdom, let it be.”
Although I didn’t have any idea about who Mother Mary was at that time, I thought the words of wisdom “let it be” were pretty good. And now I believe “let it be” may well express who Mary is especially as we think of her YES to the angel Gabriel’s annunciation: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word.” This yes made the savior of the world conceived and brought about the unfailing hope to us.
From the beginning of my faith, I have been accustomed with Mary, especially the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. First of all, this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary holds the same patroness of the Korean Catholic Church like the United States. Secondly, the first bishop of the archdiocese of Deagu, South Korea where I come from took a vow before the Immaculate Conception when he first came to Korea. The bishop was French and there was nothing when the diocese was established in 1911. Since he loved the Immaculate Conception, he promised her to dedicate the best place in the diocese in the name of the Immaculate Conception if she helped him build a diocesan structure and a seminary. This was fulfilled in a couple of years and now we have a beautiful grotto next to the bishop’s house like the Lourdes’ in France. Every day the place is adorned by the faithful and the Immaculate Conception enjoys the first patroness of the archdiocese of Daegu. The United States is blessed as well by the Blessed Virgin Mary because Mary is the patroness of America under two titles: the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The Blessed Virgin Mary is also the mother of all priests. She took a position to take care of her son priests like Jesus Christ. Pope John Paul 2 was the one who prayed everyday to the mother. His favorite prayer he cited everyday was this: “I belong to you entirely. And all that I possess is yours. I take you into everything that is mine. Give me your heart, Mary!” When he was elected pope, Totus Tuus was his motto which means “Totally Yours” found in the first two words of his favorite prayer. And he made his coat of arm as a pope, putting a capital M in it which stands for Mary.