Mary: The First Steward
As we complete one year and begin a new one, we have on several occasions considered the role of Mary in the life of our Savior, from the Immaculate Conception through Christmas to Mary, Mother of God. Many of us are familiar with referring to Mary as “the First Disciple,” a title reflected in the eighth chapter of Luke: “And who is my mother . . . but the one who does the will of God.” Mary first did the will of the Father, and only then did she become mother.
Many may think speaking of Mary as the First Steward feels stretched or even forced. After all, we do not see Mary active in the way stewardship is often presented, especially in the “Martha” sense of busyness and visible service as depicted in Luke 10:38-42. And yet, the Blessed Mother is a steward far more in the “Mary” sense of the term, or, as St. Paul expresses it in 1 Cor. 4:1, “Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” It is precisely in this sense that Mary is the first steward, and indeed, the first steward par excellence.
Although it is true that the gospels do not present Mary engaged in a wide array of external works, they do present her as one who pondered the life of Jesus in its entirety. St. Luke tells us explicitly that Mary “kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart,” and “his mother kept all these things in her heart.” This posture of pondering offers grounds for responding to the question other Christians often pose: Why do Catholics hold Mary in such high esteem?
Consider Mary’s relationship to the entire earthly life of her Son. Tradition holds that she was very young when, in the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke, she conceived the Son of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Magnificat shows she was already steeped in the language and hopes of the Hebrew Scriptures. The opening chapters of Matthew’s Gospel tell us she carried Jesus in her womb and witnessed Joseph’s struggle to remain faithful, later enduring exile with Joseph to protect her Son. She gave birth to Jesus in poverty (Lk 2:6-7), welcomed the Magi and received their gifts (Mt 2:11), and presented Jesus in the Temple, hearing Simeon’s prophecy that a sword would pierce her own heart (Lk 2:34–35). Later, the second chapter of Luke tells us that, after anxiously searching for Jesus in Jerusalem, she heard him declare that he must be about his Father’s business. She then returned home with him, where he lived in obedience to her and to St. Joseph.
At the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, the second chapter of John’s Gospel tells of Mary at Cana giving what may be the most succinct instruction in Christian stewardship: “Do whatever he tells you.” She is later shown among those who listened to Jesus preach and teach (Lk 8:19-21). As his life drew to a close, the 19th chapter of John’s Gospel recounts Mary again in a central role as she stood at the foot of the cross as Jesus suffered and died. From the cross, Jesus entrusted her to the beloved disciple, and the disciple to her, establishing her spiritual motherhood over the Church
After the resurrection, the Acts of the Apostles shows Mary present with the apostles in the upper room, persevering in prayer as they awaited the fulfillment of the promise. She was also there when the Holy Spirit descended with the sound of a mighty wind and tongues of fire, transforming fearful disciples into courageous witnesses. In this way, the mother present at the birth of Jesus is also present at the birth of the Church. Sacred Scripture points to the heavenly reward of this first steward. The 12th chapter of Revelation tells of “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of 12 stars.”
For all of these reasons, we can understand Mary’s stewardship as one rooted in contemplation, a stewardship that pondered and guarded the entire life of her Son. Mary was not only the First Disciple. She was the First Steward. She alone witnessed the full arc of Jesus’ earthly life. One might even say that, since Jesus did not physically write the Gospel himself, Mary’s heart became the living parchment upon which the mystery of his life was inscribed. He was her stewardship.
As Mary pondered the life of Jesus, so too, as this new year begins, are we invited to ponder this mystery. Let us, rooted in our Catholic heritage and renewed in fervor, honor Mary not only as the First Disciple, but also as the First Steward.