August 15, 2014
Mary looked over at John writing at his
table and smiled.
He had always looked so young and the
years had not aged him very much.
She could understand why Jesus had such
a special place in his heart for John, with his gentle ways and his easy love
for people.
She gathered her cloak around her
against the cold and closed her eyes as she thought about the many years of her
life.
So much of it was beyond understanding
and yet she believed it and accepted it.
Her son, Jesus, had been a wonder in her
life.
She had not always understood all of
what he did but she knew he had a special role on earth.
Their hearts had been bound together in
faith and an unbreakable love.
She had watched him leave home, teach,
heal and challenge the authorities.
Her heart had been pierced with such
sorrow when he was arrested and tortured and finally put to death.
Her faith in the Father had carried her
through those days, and the incredible joy-filled days that came after.
"Imma?" John, said using the
most intimate form of "mother."
He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"You are so quiet these days."
She smiled at him with affection.
"Dearest John, my life has been
long and I have so much to be grateful for.
These years together have been so
full."
It was true. In the weeks after he had
risen, Jesus had spoken to them of a new order, a new way of life.
She had resisted the urge to cling to
him and not let him go again.
She had to trust.
"I will be with you always,"
he had said.
In her heart, she knew it was true and
once again opened her life fully to God's will.
She watched with joy as he was taken up
into the clouds.
In the years that had followed, his
message and life had given hope and meaning to a growing number of followers.
She had spoken to so many of the
disciples and followers in those times.
Jesus was in her life, too, in a vivid
and very real way.
She felt his presence with her as she
grew tired.
She spoke to him from her heart
constantly, just as she did when he was on earth. She felt a strong connection
that was as unexplainable as it was real.
She closed her eyes again in thought.
"Imma," came the familiar,
loving voice. "Blessed are you among women.
" She knew it was different.
She was not in John's house but with
Jesus, standing in a place that filled her with a different kind of joy.
"My son," she said softly as
they embraced.
She felt his cheek firmly against hers.
She did not know how or why.
There were no questions and no answers
for this.
He had promised her she would be with
him and the Father.
She touched her body in wonder and knew
she had been drawn to a different place by power not her own.
It was her same body and yet different,
more vibrant.
"You said 'Yes' to the Father's
request, Imma," Jesus said to her.
"Your life was prepared in a
special way and you followed it with such faith. Y
ou made my work possible."
As she had so many times before, she
paused and opened her heart in prayer. "The Almighty has done great things
for me. Holy is his Name."
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