In the Litany of Our Lady, there is a particular title that we give to the Mother of God. Among numerous other titles, this one is: Mother of Hope. We know that every Marian title in the litany has its traditional, biblical, or liturgical origin, perspective, or dimension. So, what is the basis of this title of Mary, Mother of Hope? Hope in Mary is actually deeply ingrained in our faith. It is part of our liturgical tradition as Maronites and Catholics.
In a way, Mary’s narrative resembles Abraham’s. Mary believed in God’s will, despite the lack of comprehension and the inability of all human logic to understand what was revealed to her in the Annunciation. She believed despite the absence of hope and totally surrendered to God’s will. With her submission, she became the Mother of Hope. Wherever she is, Jesus is. She never points to herself, but to her Son, the Son of God.
To understand this more deeply, we can reflect on five biblical instances that show how much hope Mary can bring us in our daily lives.
The first instance is the Annunciation (Lk 1:26-38). Right from the first moment we hear about Mary in Scripture, she is associated with her Son. She didn’t know how things were going to evolve. Nevertheless, she said yes, in total surrender to the will of God.
The divine fruit of this surrender is the birth of the New Eve. This is the key to our first hope. Because of the New Eve, the New Adam was born and salvation was made possible.
The second instance from Scripture is the birth of our Lord in Bethlehem (Lk 2:7-20; Matt 2:1-12). The birth of the Lord in a cold, dirty stable is a story of extreme humility, selflessness, and obedience. There is no greater humility for the Maker of All than to dwell in a manger.
In a reflection by one of our Syriac Fathers, St Ephrem, we read: “The Master of all entered her (Mary) and came out a human being. The Lord entered her and became a servant. The Word entered her and became silent within her. The thunder entered her and its voice was stilled. The Shepherd of all entered her and became a lamb from her.”
The divine fruit of this humility was the Incarnation of the Son of God, the birth of the New Adam, the One who will become the Bread of Life and the food for our souls in the Eucharist.
The third instance is the Wedding Feast of Cana in Galilee (Jn 2:1-12). “The mother of Jesus was there” (Jn 2:1). When we invite her to our homes, she will be there. She saw a need and took the initiative to address it.
She was so sure that her Son would never decline any petition she made to him. Right after she told him about the issue, she turned to the servants and said to them: “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5). Mary is not only “the servant of the Lord” as she described herself before the angel, but she is also the helper of all her children.
The divine fruit of Mary’s care and service is her ongoing intercession for us with her Son. This intercession has just one condition: “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5).
The fourth instance is found in the Gospel of John: “He said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother’” (Jn 19:26-27). The intercessory role of Mary in our lives was bolstered at the foot of the Cross.
The divine fruit here is that Mary is not only our intercessor, but she became our mother. Mary’s motherhood for us was always in God’s plan.
Finally, the fifth instance is the Pentecost (Acts 1-2). She was always praying with the Apostles in the Upper Room, as we learn from the Acts of the Apostles. In our Maronite tradition, we depict Mary in icons with the apostles and disciples, as if gathered around her when the Holy Spirit descended on them.
The divine fruit of the Pentecost is the birth of the Church, the mystical Body of Christ. Mary’s role was as essential at Pentecost as it was at the Incarnation in Nazareth and her Son’s glorification on Calvary.
Blessed Patriarch Estephan Douaihy writes: “Just as her Son became the mediator and intercessor for us with the Father, for the sake of the body that he wore from us and promised us that whatever we ask of the Father in his name is given to us, in the same way, she is the mediator between us and the Eternal Word who took his nature from her…”
For all these reasons and more, Mary is, and will always be, the Mother of Hope for all humanity.
