BARNFIELD: Mary said ‘yes’ to Jesus, prays for us to give life to others

In 1973, abortion was legalized. For years, we have prayed for the end of abortion, and here we are, in 2023, living in an abortion-free Texas.

Whenever our group thinks of praying to end abortion, we usually think of praying the Rosary. Every month, the Catholic Organization Of Life (COOL) prays four Mysteries of the Rosary on the sidewalk of Houston’s largest abortion facility. But why pray the Rosary out of all the other countless prayers and chaplets? Why ask Mother Mary to intercede for us when you could go directly to Jesus?

There are many reasons behind our praying the Rosary. At the wedding feast of Cana (Jn 2:1-12), the party goes flat; they have run out of wine. We know this story well. Mary informs Jesus about the dilemma. Jesus makes some surprisingly good wine out of dirty water, impressing even the steward of the feast. This was His first public miracle.

Afterward, He begins His public ministry and goes on to perform other miracles. But it goes deeper than that. Mary, as Jesus’ mother, implores Jesus to do something that He really does not want to do just yet. In doing this miracle, Jesus’ ministry begins. And Jesus, as God, knows that at the end of His public ministry, He will be nailed to a cross. But He cannot turn her down.

Mary was with Jesus for the first 30 years of His life, and therefore, He had a great relationship with her. Being her Son, He has a soft spot for her.

Because of all this, He performed a miracle that would begin His journey to Golgotha. By asking Mary to intercede for us and to go to her Son, our prayers are more likely to be answered. Note that we are not praying to Mary. Rather, we are asking Mary to pray on our behalf.

Okay, so now we know why we ask Mary to intercede for us, but why for the end of abortion? In praying the Rosary, we not only ask Mary to ask for God’s help on our behalf, but we put ourselves in a dependent position, acknowledging that she can talk to God more easily than we can. We are, in a sense, as helpless as babies.

Praying the Rosary shows Our Lady that we follow her as a protecting mother, shielding us from evil and leading us closer to her Son. She is the perfect person to go to for this intention! Not only will she care for us, but she’s willing to aid in the protection of unborn life.

At the Annunciation, another story we know well, Gabriel tells Mary she is to be the mother of God. At this point, Mary could have said, “No, I don’t want this.” But even in her confusion and emotions, she says yes. In her “yes” to life, she becomes the mother of God.

We ask her to pray for those mothers in crisis pregnancies who might also be in confusion so that they may also say yes to life, just like Mary did over 2,000 years ago. †

Braden Barnfield is a member of the COOL Youth.

(Herald file photo)