“My Soul Doth Magnify The Lord!”

By Rev. Carol Cobb

“The name Mary which means ‘lady of light’ shows that God has filled me with wisdom and light like a shiny star, to light up heaven and earth.” — Mother Mary

Picture this: My mother-in-law Mary Cobb was about five years old when her mother called her into her bedroom with her two other sisters to let them know she was going to heaven. Mary’s Dad was waiting in the other room with Mary’s aunts. Mary‘s mother passed on several days later. Mary‘s dad could not handle the loss of his wife and knowing that he now was responsible for raising three young children; Mary’s dad disappeared.

Mary has married and now has five children. My husband Bernard was one of those five children. Mary, Bernard’s mother, divorced her husband and he abandons her and the five children. Mary shows no animosity towards her father or her husband. One day there is a knock on her back door and Mary recognizes that it is her father! With all the joy of her heart she welcomes him into her home. He is now homeless and needs a roof over his head. Mary gives him her bedroom and is so grateful that her father has come home.

Mary shows her children through her example what unconditional love truly is. My husband Bernard received this example of love and when his father decided to reappear in his life Bernard was able to forgive his dad “like a blink of an eye.” My husband enjoyed the opportunity to get to know his grandfather as well as building a relationship with his father. I feel in my heart that my mother-in-law Mary really earned the name Mary. Her soul truly magnified the Lord!

The story gets even better! The woman who eventually married Mary’s former husband was dying. This is the woman that Mary‘s husband abandoned their family for. Mary of course heard that this lady Dorothy was about to make her transition, and Mary goes to the hospital to pay her respects to her knowing that she had a very short time to live.

“My Soul Doth Magnify The Lord!”

Mary’s example has lived in my heart and I feel that if Mary can do it we all can forgive, as Kuan Yin says “to forgive is to forget!” Let’s all take my mother-in-law’s example and apply it in our own life and maybe share it with someone else who is burdened in some other way.

A friend of mine shared with me one time that when she was unable to love someone or forgive someone she says to God “Please love them through me because I am not able to love them right now!”

God will help us to interact with people

I have tried this and I am just in awe of how God will help us to interact with people that we are having a difficult time with. We just need to surrender our ego and allow God to work through us! I leave you with this opportunity to call to Mother Mary and give the rosary as often as you are able, because I believe Mother Mary has the power to move this whole universe with her little finger!

A friend of mine who I have been counseling for many years just shared with me that her youngest son has not talked to her in five years because her and her husband divorced and this young man was very hurt! She started to say the rosary and by the grace of God her son surprised her and came over to her house and told her how much he loves her and how he wants to reestablish his relationship with her!

The call compels the answer! Our job is to pray and God’s job is to figure out how to answer that prayer!