Carlo Carretto was an Italian priest and writer who served as the president of Catholic Action. He joined the Little Brothers of the Gospel of Charles de Foucauld and spent ten years in solitude in Algeria. This book is the product of his reflections during that time. In its pages, we find a tender conversation between the author and Mother Mary, where she responds to the intimate questions posed by Carretto. The essence of their dialogue can be summarized in the sentence: “Yes, it was easier to concieve him (Jesus) in the body than to accept him in faith!”.
To grasp this concept, we must let go of the image of Mary depicted as queen on the altar and instead see her as “our sister,” a “simple, humble, poor girl,” unknown to anyone in a secluded place, yet “fortunate enough to speak with angels.”
Imagine being told that you will give birth to a special child, the Son of the Most High. Put yourself in Mary’s place during the announciation. Consider the fear and the potential persecution she might have faced, with the possibility of having Joseph accusing her in front of the Pharisees, leading to her being stoned. Who would have believed that she is carrying the Messiah? Don’t you think the tempter tried to sow doubts in her heart about her divine pregnancy?
But Mary did not heed the tempter. With the divine grace bestowed upon her, she submitted and echoed Gabriel the Archangel’s words: ” Nothing is impossible for God” (Luke 1:37). She cared for, taught, and believed in Jesus. After enduring the seven sorrows, she was rewarded by the Holy Trinity with the Assumption, with the crowning as the Queen of heaven and earth, and with being called Our Lady. This echoes the words of St Elisabeth upon meeting her: “Yes, blessed are you who believed” (Luke 1:45).
Carl Zahra
SDC Candidate
