Entrustment to Mary = Defining Myself as a Christian

I have been unemployed for three weeks now and have gone through a whirlwind of emotions. When I want to start second guessing my resignation I remind myself that I had begged my Lord and His Blessed Mother to not let me make a mistake and to be quite obvious [like my car not starting] if I should not turn in the resignation letter. All had gone smoothly that day, as well as the following final two weeks.

What I have come to realize is I want to be a “Somebody”, and I think I can only be one if I am employed. For 15 years I had defined myself as a secretary/bookkeeper for my parish. I took pride in that title and the work I did. I liked how the parishioners relied on me for matters concerning the Church. I felt that since my job was working for the Church, I was then extra “special” in the eyes of God and the world. Now that I have stripped that title from myself I feel I have lost a sense of who I am.

Visiting with my niece we discussed how most people define themselves by what they do for a career or the job they hold. She had heard someone share the answer to the question: "What do you do?" as "I am trying to follow Christ the best I can."

This response really struck a chord with me. For now being unemployed, I cannot answer that question with some fancy work title. But in reality, I can give the same answer that person did and be grateful that God has blessed me with the grace of being a Christian and for the graces He has given me to live out that calling. When I think about it, I realize there is no other title worth holding - for a worldly job will eventually end, but my Christianity will continue for eternity. So it makes sense to make living my spiritual life the highest priority. And the only way I can do this is to keep entrusting myself to the Blessed Mother, allowing her to guide me on a path that follows her Son and His example which will help me be the best Christian I can be.

We prefer to think "I am somebody." And yet this greatness that we presume to have and with which we constantly fill our hearts, is only a mirage and illusion. All of the illusory supports that we seek in ourselves, in others, in objects, in money, and in success feed this mirage. God wants to burn all of this away in the fire of His love, because He loves this handful of dirt so much that He wants to permeate it with Himself - He, the Creator of the universe.

S.C. Biela, God Alone Suffices, 3rd. ed. (Ft. Collins, CO: IAMF, 2011), 148.