My relationship and understanding of Mary, the Mother of God wasn’t always great. (And I was even named after her!) I understood that I needed to respect her in a Fourth Commandment type way, but besides that, I wasn’t really sure where she fit into my life.
As one might expect, it was in the middle of my own journey to motherhood that I began to understand and lean on her for intercession. As a woman who had suffered multiple miscarriages with no living children, I was skeptical of any pregnancy coming to term, even with the help of medical interventions I had not had in prior pregnancies.
Because of my history of losses, I had quite a few ultrasounds, many more than are standard for normal risk pregnancies. Before every ultrasound, I felt like I was in a state of emergency since I didn’t know if my children were alive or not. I’d heard of Mother Teresa’s “Flying Novena” that could be used when there wasn’t time for a full nine-day novena. The main prayer in this novena is the Memorare. I decided to try it, because I felt I had my entire world to lose.
Before every ultrasound, I would pray nine Memorares asking that my twins be alive within me, and a tenth thanking Mary for caring for me. And today, I have two three-year-old boys running around. I know, had it been a different outcome, she still would have been there comforting me. But I think the experience of loss, and then the birth of my twins, helped me to understand her maternal love and intercession for all of us.
We celebrate Mary’s Assumption today, the only person besides Jesus to rise to Heaven body and soul. As we reflect on her place with the Lord, let us always count on her maternal love and care for us. “Behold, your Mother.”
Mi relación y comprensión de María, la Madre de Dios, no siempre fue excelente. (¡Y hasta me pusieron su nombre!) Entendí que necesitaba respetarla según el Cuarto Mandamiento, pero además de eso, no estaba muy segura de dónde encajaba ella en mi vida.
No es gran sorpresa que fue en medio de mi propio camino hacia la maternidad que comencé a comprenderla y a apoyarme en ella para que intercediera. Como mujer que había sufrido múltiples abortos espontáneos y sin hijos vivos, era escéptica respecto de que cualquier embarazo llegara a término, incluso con la ayuda de intervenciones médicas que no había tenido durante los embarazos anteriores.
Debido a mi historial de pérdidas, me hice bastantes ecografías, muchas más de lo normal para embarazos de bajo riesgo. Antes de cada ultrasonido me sentía como en estado de emergencia ya que no sabía si mis hijos estaban vivos o no. Había oído hablar de la “Novena Voladora” de la Madre Teresa que podía usarse cuando no había tiempo para una novena completa de nueve días. La oración principal de esta novena es el Memorare. Decidí intentarlo porque sentí que podría perder todo mi mundo.
Antes de cada ecografía rezaba nueve Memorares pidiendo que mis gemelos estuvieran vivos dentro de mí y un décimo agradeciendo a María por cuidar de mí. Y hoy tengo dos niños de tres años corriendo por todos lados. Entiendo que si hubiera sido un resultado diferente, ella todavía habría estado allí para consolarme. Pero creo que la experiencia de la pérdida y luego el nacimiento de mis gemelos me ayudaron a comprender su amor maternal y su intercesión por todos nosotros.
Celebramos hoy la Asunción de María, la única persona además de Jesús que subió al Cielo en cuerpo y alma. Al reflexionar sobre su lugar al costado del Señor, contemos siempre con su amor maternal y su cuidado por nosotros. “He aquí tu Madre”.
Mary Thissen is a St. Louis native living in East Central Illinois with her husband and children. She is blessed with twin boys Earthside and four children now living in Heaven. When she is not working as a healthcare data analyst or caring for her boys, she enjoys studying and writing about the Catholic faith and ministering to women who are suffering through miscarriage or infertility. You can connect with Mary on Instagram @waitingonmiracles.
Feature Image Credit: Josh Applegate, unsplash.com/photos/man-in-white-robe-statue-io5vL8ymYNw
Emily Jaminet is a Catholic author, speaker, radio personality, wife, and mother of seven children. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mental health and human services from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is the co-founder of 
Dr. Alexis Dallara-Marsh is a board-certified neurologist who practices in Bergen County, NJ. She is a wife to her best friend, Akeem, and a mother of two little ones on Earth and two others in heaven above.
Tami Urcia grew up in Western Michigan, a middle child in a large Catholic family. She spent early young adulthood as a missionary in Mexico, studying theology and philosophy, then worked and traveled extensively before finishing her Bachelor’s Degree in Western Kentucky. She loves tackling projects, finding fun ways to keep her little ones occupied, quiet conversation with the hubby and finding unique ways to love. She works full time at Diocesan, is a guest blogger on 
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