away. Then the scout took his most prized possession; he led his horse to God, and placed the reins in God’s hands. God waived the scout away. The scout extended his arms toward God and dropped to his knees. God looked at the scout and smiled. The warrior realized he could not negotiate a relationship with God on his terms. He must surrender all.
Mary made a total surrender to God. She held nothing back. She did not negotiate. All she was and had she handed over to God to do as he pleased. Surrender brought her freedom, and surrender can bring freedom to us as well.
— Joseph Abel, PhD
WHAT DO YOU CLING TO? How can you surrender it to God today?
Prayer: Mary, your life shows us the way of surrender. May we follow that path and come to true freedom.
March 9
“And he called to him the multitude with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.’” — Mark 8:34-35
To those of us who want to follow Christ, the challenge is clear. Denying ourselves and taking up our crosses is an act of surrender. We surrender our desire for security, affection, and, most of all, control. We surrender those ego drivers we think are so important. Mary did this from the outset. She surrendered in perfect trust to God’s will for her.
When our crosses seem more than we can bear, we can turn to Mother Mary, who can help us find the courage to surrender our lives to God. When we surrender our crosses, we gain the strength to carry them, and a better perspective on bearing the trials in our lives.
— John Holmes
WHAT CROSS ARE YOU CARRYING at the moment? Ask Mary’s help in placing this matter into the hands of our loving Lord.
Prayer: Holy Mother, thank you for your example of trusting in the Lord. Help me to surrender all that I have in the hopes of gaining eternal life.
March 10
“How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God.” — Mark 10:23
How much value do we place on objects? Do we cling to the things of this world, giving them power over ourselves, or our relationships with family and friends? This Gospel passage challenges us to think of everything relative to eternal life. This is what our Blessed Mother did. Because she kept everything in proper perspective, she was able to surrender everything about her earthly life for the sake of what was eternal.
When Mother Mary fled to Elizabeth, with Jesus conceived in her womb, she surrendered everything, even that which was not material possessions, for the love of God. Mary surrendered her fear of being judged, her safety, her reputation, and her attachment to her community. She surrendered her will to the will of God.
— Dr. Barb Jarvis Pauls
WHAT DO YOU VALUE most in life? How important is your relationship with the Lord? Are you willing to surrender your pride, your prejudices, and your possessions as you carry on your mission in the world?
Prayer: Mother Mary, pray for us to be generous and self-giving, surrendering our giftedness for the greater good of all who need us.
March 11
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, / and do not rely on your own insight.” — Proverbs 3:5
Is there a greater example of trusting in the Lord than Mary, a young girl from Nazareth? Although we are people of faith, we often feel we know what’s best for us. We pray for a certain outcome and even get upset if our prayers are not answered to our liking.
Mary’s life invites us to keep the prayer of surrender at the forefront of our hearts. Mary did not stand before the angel Gabriel and say, “I’m not sure how this is going to work.” Mary simply surrendered her free will and trusted that God would make her path straight. God put his plan of salvation into Mary’s hands, and Mary put her whole life into the hands of God.
— Lauren Nelson
CALL TO MIND a particular situation or event that you have not yet totally surrendered over to the Lord. Ask Mary to help you trust that God will make your path straight as he did hers.
Prayer: Mary, help me to surrender my life over to the Lord as you did. Be with me as I walk the path that God sets forth before me.
March 12
“When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’” — John 2:3
Mary is an inspiration for all of us, especially when we run out of wine. When life is difficult and we are depleted, we can learn from Mary’s unwavering faith in Jesus. This is not always easy, because we like to be in control. We like to tell God what to do. We bring God our prayers and petitions, but most often we also give him a suggestion about how things should work out.
At the wedding feast at Cana, Mary simply stated the problem; she didn’t tell Jesus how he should solve it. Our Blessed Mother shows us how to place our complete trust in God, to live with the reality that the Lord knows what is best and that we can — and should — trust him. This calls us to cultivate a spirit of surrender, a willingness to let go of our own agendas and place our entire lives into the hands of our God, who fashioned us from the beginning.
— Dr. Mary Amore
GIVE ONE SITUATION in your life totally over to God. What can you do to avoid taking it back again?
Prayer: Mary, help me to have your faith. Teach me to trust in the Lord every moment of every day.
March 13
“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” — Luke 1:38
From a worldly perspective, surrender can seem a lot like weakness. Whenever someone is giving up, we tend to see it as a failure. But surrendering to God is a completely different experience. It is anything but weakness and failure.
We see that Mary’s visit with the angel Gabriel begins with fear and concern. But because Mary had already resolved to be the handmaid of the Lord, she surrenders to God’s will. What comes from this surrender is nothing short of miraculous.
Surrendering to God is not an act of weakness. In fact, it is one of the most courageous things we can do. The world’s message is to depend on ourselves; but God’s continual message is to fear not and trust him. When we surrender our lives to the Lord, we can fully live in God’s peace and joy. Our lives are transformed when we surrender to God.
— Suzette Horyza
THINK OF SOMETHING you once surrendered to God. What did God do with what you entrusted to him?
Prayer: Mary, teach me how to surrender the things in my life, especially those I cannot change; help me to follow in your footsteps by doing the will of God.
March 14
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; / in him my heart trusts.” — Psalms 28:7
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