This article is part of the Marian Mondays Series, a weekly reflection on the mysteries of the rosary by Jonathan Conrad, owner and founder of The Catholic Woodworker.
A couple weeks ago I went to see Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning and absolutely loved it. If you’re not familiar with this movie franchise, Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt, a government operative who takes on dangerous missions and saves the world in the process. Each movie is packed with high-stakes action with Ethan skydiving, motorcycling off cliffs, and climbing buildings to get the job done.
These insane moves make for fun movies and the adrenaline really kicks up a notch when you realize that Tom Cruise does all of his own stunts. At one point in this latest movie, he hangs on the wing of a flying bi-plane and then leaps in mid-air from one plane to another. It’s totally crazy, and the whole movie I found myself wondering, “how is this guy not dead?” 😂
As impressive as Cruise’s stunts are, though, after the movie I found myself thinking about the one big difference between this story and our world: that Ethan can’t save us, and neither can we. We don’t need to—because we already have a savior in Jesus. And as Christians, we’re called to center our lives around Him and to put Him first above all else.
I was recently reminded of this truth in an extremely humbling way when I was selected to be part of a one-on-one business coaching program. In my first session with my mentor, he asked me to share my 10-year vision for The Catholic Woodworker. I went through my long list and was feeling really good about myself when my mentor stopped me and said, “Jonathan, you didn’t mention God once.”
His comment really stopped me in my tracks. Of course, God is the reason why I do everything in this business, but that doesn’t change the fact that I didn’t mention Him during this conversation. Since then, I’ve had to grapple with the reality that, even though I strive to put God first in my actions, decisions, and interactions, I don’t always do it perfectly. There are times when I lose sight of Him.
My mentor’s charitable correction gave me the opportunity to be humbled, and I was immediately reminded of Mary in the first Joyful Mystery, the Annunciation. Because unlike us sinners, Mary never loses sight of God. He is her #1 priority and she surrenders to His will for her life, trusting in Him completely.
As an imperfect person, I need Mary. I need her model of humility to show me how to put God first, and I need her help trying again when I fail.
Our Mother, the Mediatrix of Grace, may not jump between bi-planes but she wants to help us grow in holiness in this life so that we can make the leap into union with God in the next. Because if we don’t learn how to be humble and seek Jesus in all things, everything else will be a waste. If we lose sight of Him, all that we toil for her on Earth will be for naught.
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