The Mother of Fair Love

NOW that we are in the month of love, it might be a good

idea to revisit one of the titles of Mary, our Lady. She is also

referred to as the Mother of Fair Love, and thus, a good teacher and a

sure guide in our business of loving.

            I suppose that Marian title has basis on some passages in

the Book of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) where they say: “I am the mother

of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope. In me

is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life

and of virtue. Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled

with my fruits.” (24,24-26)

   

            These words, while written in the Old Testament, are

applied to Mary, the Mother of Christ, since they find echo or sound

similar to what Christ said of himself: “I am the way and the truth

and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn 14,6)

  

            I imagine that the similarity highlights the total

identification of Mary with her son, who is the son of God and our

redeemer, giving us the reassuring idea that it is possible for a

human being to be totally identified with Christ. That possibility and

ideal should not be regarded by us as something unreachable.

  

            In other words, the similarity is meant to assure us that,

no matter how impossible it may sound, we too can be totally

identified with Christ who actually is the pattern of our humanity and

the savior of our damaged humanity. We have to learn to feel at home

with that truth of our faith.

  

            The similarity is also meant to tell us that it is in love

as lived by both Christ and Mary when we can be in the truth, the way

and the authentic life meant for us. In other words, it is this love

that summarizes and integrates the qualities of truth, way and life

that are meant for us.

  

            It stands to reason then that in order to love the way

Christ and Mary loved, one great help that we can avail of is to have

this devotion to our Lady under this title of Mother of Fair Love. She

will teach us how to love the way she loved and continues to love God

and us.

  

            In fact, Our Lady, in that passage of the Book of Sirach,

precisely told us to “come over to me…and be filled with my fruits.”

We are given a very accessible way of developing the love that is

proper to us.

  

            And in these times of so many forms of fake love, I

believe this is what is most needed. We have to go to Mary, Our Mother

of Fair Love, so that we would know how to love in all aspects,

levels, situations, circumstances, etc. of our life.

  

            She will be the one to help us animate all our activities

and concern with the genuine love of God and neighbor. We know very

well that we can get easily confused and lost with regard to our duty

of loving while we go about our daily affairs. Our loving, without

her, can easily get entangled in the emotional, sentimental and

worldly values alone that have no other alternative but to lead us to

trouble sooner or later.

  

            We can pray thus, “Our Mother of Fair Love, receive our

hearts and teach us the genuine love of God and neighbor. Your love is

the key to open our hearts that have been hurt. You lovingly nourish

the soil of our emotional and irrational life for the spiritual and

religious values to take root. Your spiritual force with its uniting

and assimilating effect of love can transform our hearts unlike

anything else. Amen.”