There’s no more vulnerable moment in a woman’s life than an eyebrow wax.  Childbirth ranks a close second.  But really.  Hot wax.  Sensitive skin around the eyes.  Bright lights.  It’s enough to make a girl sweat.

It’s enough to make me sweat, anyway.

Mary, House of Gold

I know you’re probably wondering what eyebrow waxes have to do with Mary, but hear me out.  A few days before the CWBN Mid Atlantic Conference, I dragged myself to a new salon for a haircut.  Somewhere in between the shampoo and rinse, I found myself talked into an eyebrow wax – one of those things you give up when finances get tight.  So there I was, prone on a cushy massage table, at the mercy of a woman I had just met.

Of course we ended up talking about faith (what – you don’t talk to random strangers about personal stuff?) and she revealed that she had once been Catholic. “I left,” she said, “because I never got a satisfying answer for the questions that I asked.  But my heart feels right now.  All the answers I need are in Scripture.”

I closed my eyes.  I pictured the Tabernacle.  And then I heard words coming out of my mouth.

“Don’t you miss the Sacraments?”

In my rosary that morning, I had asked Mary to bring me closer to her son.  She chose that moment to yank me forward into his light.  Mary used this instance of vulnerability to remind me of the magnificence of my Catholic faith, one which I so often take for granted.

I had grown up around the sacraments.  I had never contemplated life without them.

Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant.  She is the first Tabernacle.  She is the House of Gold in which our Lord and savior lives.

She brings us to him, where he is waiting.  We must only stand up and go.

Family activities

• Go to Adoration
• Visit the tabernacle after mass
• Learn about the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament

Family Prayer

Blessed Virgin, you brought Christ to us in your holy womb.  Pray for us, that we may make our own homes holy places for the Lord.  Amen.

This post is part of the 31 Days of Devotion to Our Blessed Mother.  To read more in the series, click here.