The Catholic Church in the mythical Lake Woebegon is named Our Lady of Perpetual Responsibility. After the initial chuckle the name does have a certain resonance. Adam and Eve tried to evade their responsibility, blaming each other and the snake. When the angel appeared to Mary she accepted responsibility for the role God has assigned to her. The tradition of the Church is that she was able to do so since from the first moment of her existence God prepared her role as mother of Jesus. But her story is not simply for our admiration, it is also for our imitation. St. Paul says, God chose us in Jesus “before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him.” Like Mary we too are chosen to live according to God’s will.
