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There’s Something About Mary...
by
Christopher Cuddy
The 25th of March has always been special to me, for
it was on that day, in the year 1984, that I was
born.
I
was born to a woman of whom I have no recollection.
I have no knowledge of my biological mother beyond
the fact that she was single woman who did not have
the means –or the desire – to take care of a newborn
infant. Thus, through God’s providential grace, I
was adopted by Jim and Debbie Cuddy shortly after I
was born.
Many people ask me if I “miss” my biological mother,
and if I have any desire to track her down so I can
be re-united with my “real mom.” While I’ve never
been annoyed or offended by such questions, I do
find them somewhat perplexing. On the one hand,
it’s understandable that one might expect an adopted
person to have questions about his or her “prior
life.” There are significant differences between my
mother (Debbie) and me. We don’t look alike, and
our talents/interests are quite different.
Furthermore, there are times when I wonder about
similarities I might share with my biological
parents.
On
the other hand, I’m always perplexed when people
refer to my biological mother as my “real mother.”
It’s almost as if they are insinuating that genetic
similarity is necessary for real motherhood! This
always blows my mind. I have never considered Jim
and Debbie Cuddy to be anything but my real
parents. Just because Debbie Cuddy didn’t give
physical birth to me doesn’t mean that she is any
less my mother. She is my mother not because we
share the same DNA structures. She is my mother
because she loves, nurtures, guides, and prays for
me.
Love is more than biology. Love is a spiritual
reality.
Ever since I was received into the Catholic Church,
March 25th has taken on an even greater meaning in
my life. Not only is it my birthday, but it is also
the Feast of the Annunciation. This is very special
to me, because it is during this Feast that the
Church celebrates the angel Gabriel’s announcement
that Mary would be the mother of the Savior of the
world.
Before I converted to Catholicism, I harbored deep
feelings of malice and contempt towards the Church’s
Marian doctrines. I considered the Marian beliefs
to be a collection of un-biblical superstitions at
best; and blatantly idolatrous, anti-Christian
heresies at worst. It was only when I put aside my
preconceived notions of the Catholic Church that I
began to understand – and eventually embrace – Mary
as not only the mother of Jesus, but as my
mother as well.
While I may not be biologically related to Jim and
Debbie Cuddy, they are my real parents. As
stated earlier, our relationship is not based on
similarities (or the lack thereof) in our genetic
makeup. The bond that unites us together as family
is not one of race, but one of love. It is not
scientific or theoretical; it is spiritual and
actual. It is not something that can be
experimented upon in a laboratory, but it can be
experienced in our home.
In
the same way, although Mary may not have given
physical birth to us those many years ago, she is
still our mother. She is our mother because Christ
is our eldest Brother and Lord. And Jesus loved us
so much that He wished to give us everything: His
love, His life, and yes: even His own mother.
This article is the first of a four-part series on
the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the remaining three
articles, we will examine various aspects of the
Church’s teachings about Mary. It is my prayer that
through a deeper understanding of Mary as Model
disciple, Mother of all, and God’s
Masterpiece, that we will come to a deeper love
and devotion of her and her Son.
# # #
Mary has both the means and the desire to care for
us, her spiritual children. She has the means
because our Savior is none other than her Son: Jesus
Christ. She has the desire because she is not only
Jesus’ mother: she is our mother as well, and
she desires nothing more than our union with our
Heavenly Father.
We
are not spiritual orphans. We have a true mother in
the Blessed Virgin.
May we all join the angel Gabriel in saying: “Hail
Mary, full of grace …” |
