By Philip Kosloski
In the midst of the storms of life, we can look to the Blessed Virgin Mary, who can give us hope in times of darkness.
Life can be difficult at times, especially if we are dealing with a personal physical illness or the loss of a loved one.
Furthermore, the clouds of darkness can be particularly thick when our mental health is going through a trial.
In times like these we can have little hope for the future, not knowing if our life will ever be happy.
The good news is that we can look to Mary during these difficult times, turning to her to increase our hope.
Mary, Star of Hope
Pope Benedict XVI suggests turning to Mary in his encyclical on hope, Spe salvi. He first makes the analogy of how life is like a journey at sea:
Human life is a journey. Towards what destination? How do we find the way? Life is like a voyage on the sea of history, often dark and stormy, a voyage in which we watch for the stars that indicate the route.
He then explains that in this voyage, we should look for those stars that can give us hope along the way:
The true stars of our life are the people who have lived good lives. They are lights of hope. Certainly, Jesus Christ is the true light, the sun that has risen above all the shadows of history. But to reach him we also need lights close by—people who shine with his light and so guide us along our way. Who more than Mary could be a star of hope for us?
Pope Benedict XVI further illustrates why Mary is that Star of Hope:
With her “yes” she opened the door of our world to God himself; she became the living Ark of the Covenant, in whom God took flesh, became one of us, and pitched his tent among us (cf. Jn 1:14)…[Holy Mary] Through you, through your “yes”, the hope of the ages became reality, entering this world and its history. You bowed low before the greatness of this task and gave your consent: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38).
Mary can bring us hope in our darkest moments.
If we ever feel like we our lost at sea, we can turn to Mary, and implore her intercession to give us hope in what is to come.
