The Annals of Saint Anne - Summary
May-June 2026
Editor's desk François-Marie Héraud
Learning from Mary
In this age of immediacy and instant satisfaction, what can Mary teach us? Why should we learn from her?
Christ Himself was the first to learn from Mary, His Mother. Like every child, He spent long moments gazing at her. In her face, He saw a woman, but He also recognized the one whom His Father had chosen as “the Chosen One.” Though divine by nature, He embraced within Himself the deeply human qualities He recognized in Mary.
To learn is first to look. Though this may seem like a simple, ordinary gesture, it is nevertheless essential. To learn is also to be looked upon. Through the gaze that Mary casts upon Him, Jesus comes to know His own humanity, His vulnerability. Through this exchange of glances, a deep communion is formed between them. Mary’s human values take shape within Him. He will bear and uphold them throughout His life—gentleness, humility, a life of silence and prayer, as well as obedience and steadfast faith.
“Do whatever He tells you.”
(John 2:5)
For Mary, Jesus is not only her beloved Son; He is also the fruit of the Angel’s Annunciation, the One for whom she responded “Yes.” Each day, Christ stands as the living fulfillment of Elizabeth’s words to her: “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” (Luke 1:45) Before her eyes, Jesus is God’s plan, to which she offers herself completely. And Mary, like a mirror, reflects back to Him the image of His own holiness.
Indeed, Mary is the closest to Jesus, through her motherhood and through the promise that she made to God, a promise she faithfully carries within herself and meditates upon daily. In this way, Mary becomes a messenger of the Father to her own Son, Jesus, and the guardian of His mission, “His mother treasured all these things in her heart.” (Luke 2:51) No one has known Christ as she has.
What, then, can we learn today from Mary’s gaze? A gaze reveals the heart. When it is filled with kindness, it nurtures, respects, and protects the other person. Such is Mary’s gaze upon Jesus. Whether in Bethlehem at His birth, in Nazareth in the quiet and hidden moments of His life, or at Cana where she dares to say, “Do whatever He tells you.” (John 2:5) Discreetly by His side, she does not withdraw. Quiet and humble, Mary remains steadfast and invites Christ to stand firm wherever He goes, in all circumstances, even to the offering of His life. Tirelessly, she renews her love.
To look upon Mary is to open oneself to discovering the One whom she bore, loved, accompanied, and followed all the way to the Cross. Christ learned from her to “read” hearts, just as she “read” His. To look upon Mary is to enter more deeply into the mystery of faith by drawing near to Christ Jesus.
Mary, teach us to see with your eyes!
United in prayer!
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Charles Duval, C.Ss.R., – Archbishop of Grouard-McLennan
Mary, a Perfect Example
In my family, Saint Joseph was the primary model, especially for us three men: my father, my brother, and myself. We prayed the Rosary, and I knew Mary, the mother of Jesus, but only a little. My mother had a deep devotion to Saint Joseph. She admired his humility, his acceptance of his role as guardian of the Redeemer, and the fact that he lived with “two people who never sinned.” I must admit that, as a child and as a teenager, I did not fully grasp what that really meant.
It was only when I became a Redemptorist, discovering the love that Saint Alphonsus Liguori had for the Blessed Virgin Mary, that I began to understand the place of this great woman in God’s plan of Salvation. Being conceived immaculately does not mean that she was never tempted. She shared in the same human condition, as Adam and Eve before the Fall. I find it difficult to imagine what it would be like to walk with the Lord while always seeking and embracing His Will with perfect faith. Even with the grace of Baptism, God’s Will does not come spontaneously to me. That is precisely what humanity lost through original sin: by choosing to eat the fruit of “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:17), Adam and Eve opened humanity to a kind of knowledge for which we were not rightly disposed to discern.
Mary, unlike Eve, consistently chose to refuse the temptations of the Enemy and thus became for us, alongside Jesus, a living example of what God intended humanity to be from the beginning of creation. “Created in His likeness,” as the Baptismal rite proclaims in the blessing of the water, sin is the “stain that distorts that image.” Mary never allowed that stain to mar and disfigure the beauty of God’s original creation in her.
“Through Mary, God has revealed to us that by living according to His Will, we can be filled with joy and remain close to the One whom our hearts so ardently desire.”
Jesus, though fully God, also became fully man and dwelt among us. His divinity can intimidate us. But Mary was a humble woman chosen by God to bring the Saviour into the world. She is one of us. Through her, God revealed to us how living fully in His will can fill us with deep joy and keep us close to the One whom our hearts so ardently desire.
What can we learn from Mary? Here are a few examples that come to mind instinctively:
If God asks something of us, the best response is always “Yes.” No matter how daunting it may seem, God will guide us, strengthen us, fill us with joy, and bring His plan to fulfillment. (Luke 1:26–38)
God can use every part of our lives, whether it be joyful, painful, or even tragic, God can use it for His greater glory if we entrust it to Him and “ponder it in our hearts.” (Luke 2; John 19:25–28, all while keeping the Resurrection in mind)
When we follow God’s Will, nothing is impossible. (Luke 1:37; John 2:1–11)
Let us trust God at all times. He is faithful and never abandons His children. (Luke 1:46–55)
It is far more important to store up treasure in Heaven than on Earth. (Matthew 6:19–21)
