Mary's Son Chris Padgett

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Artist Reflection

If someone were to ask me what event in my life changed the direction and impact of my apostolate, I would have to say that it was consecrating my family and ministry to Our Lady.

Having resisted any Marian devotion for most of my Christian life, for me to consider her as a conduit of greater Christological dedication would have been ridiculous. I resisted this concept for many years. In all honesty, the paradox of consecration and devotion to Mary, leading one into a deeper intimacy with Christ her Son is actually true. It changed my whole approach to life and ministry.

A couple of years ago we moved from south west Florida to the eastern edge of Ohio. It was a move which enabled me to finish my master’s degree in theology, and tap into a strong home-school community, which my wife was doing with our children at the time. Life on the road was a reality for us which required our children’s education to have a sense of mobility. It was soon into our move up to Ohio that we met Brother Matt, a Marian of the Immaculate Conception, who encouraged us as a family and me as a father, to deepen our devotion to Mary. I remember saying that I felt our appreciation of Mary was heading in the right direction, but that I was certainly open and excited about growth in that area of spirituality. In my scholastic pursuits I realized that my academic director was a renowned Mariologist and the class I was slated to take was centered on Mary in the modern world. It seemed that all roads were leading me to consider the reality of the Blessed Mother in my life and ministry.

The course unfolded, and I remember feeling uncomfortable. I consciously asked myself why I was bothered by a specific line of thinking or teaching, and in the pressing out of my fears I realized that I had some issues regarding Mary that needed to be addressed. If I really devoted myself to her would I be committing idolatry? Was devotion to Mary something Christ encouraged? It was a powerful time in my life, as I tried to deal with the resistance I encountered internally to Catholic teaching in the area of the Blessed Mother. As I pursued Scriptural and Magisterial teachings the Marian role became more than just a doctrine, but a hope for me. It is hard to explain to many who struggle with teachings on Mary, but for me, something began to change internally as I studied the Scriptures and teachings of the Church in this area. I realized that I needed this Woman in my life. I acknowledged that if she was selected out of all time to mother God in the flesh, than certainly she was one to be mimicked and imitated. What I concluded was that if Jesus loved her in a limitless way, how could I not. How could I reject this one whom He depended upon as an infant? How could I turn from this Mother who spoke his name with such intimate affection? How could I resist her story in my life? I found myself desiring to be like her, and wanting to love Jesus as she did. I longed to begin again in my journey of following Christ, with her as my guide.

It has been a few years now, and the paradox is still odd to many, yet true nonetheless; devotion to Mary only increases adoration to our Lord. Consecration to Mary will simply bring us into a deeper intimacy with Jesus. Is this comprehensible for our Protestant brethren who struggle with Marian teaching? No, but its truth can be evaluated in lives filled with love for Christ and others.

The song Mary's Son is a call to me and those who wonder about the role of Mary in their spirituality. "If she's good enough for Jesus than she’s good enough for me," and "if she’s good enough for Jesus, why is she not good for me?" My conclusion is that there is no reason for negating the influence of the Blessed mother in our lives. She has much to teach us in our pursuit of Christ, we have only to listen.

I wanted in the song to reflect the struggle those in Jesus’ time felt with regards to his mission. We too have a calling on our lives and are at odds with our society around us. How could we, in our weaknesses and oddities really make an impact of eternal significance? By the grace of Jesus Christ we are able to reach more than we could have imagined. It is this Christological grace which enables us to be love to a world so unloving and unloved. Mary wants to teach us how to love Christ and others with greater fruit.

This song, and the last few years of my life have been a conscious effort of extending my apostolate into her loving hands. She is leading us into a deeper intimacy with her Son. Certainly Mary is longing to pour the graces of her Son into our lives and ministries, and so in our own family we desire to follow the lead of Jesus in loving and honoring her as Blessed among women. The song is very personal for me, it is a call for us all to open ourselves to her leading, which is always into the presence of Jesus her Son.

-- Chris Padgett