A mother teaches

On the first day of the calendar year, the Church turns her attention to Mary, the Mother of God.  The liturgy for this day helps us to spend some time in prayer with Mary, and to learn some valuable lessons that will help us to walk in faith throughout the coming year.

Treasuring and pondering

Today’s gospel passage tells us that when the shepherds found Mary and Joseph and the infant lying in the manger … they made known to them the message that had been told them about this child (Lk 2:17).  Now, had this been any other couple, they may well have refused any visitors that night: Mary was no doubt so tired that it would have been work for her to smile, and Joseph would have been concerned about such straggly visitors knocking at the door, perhaps even worried about what the future would bring, yet they did not turn them away.

Herein lies a lesson for us to ponder as we begin this new calendar year:  when others come knocking at our doors – either to share joyful news or for some other reason – how do we respond?  Even though she herself needed to be cared for in the hours immediately following child birth, Mary teaches us a great lesson today: there is always room for others in the presence of God.  The great privilege that had been accorded to her when God chose her to be the mother of his Son was not something granted because of some degree of privilege, nor was it something that she could keep for herself.  Mary has always welcomed those who come to her.  She welcomes our conversations and shares in our joys and sorrows just as she welcomed the shepherds, like a loving mother or grandmother who listens patiently as children return from school to share the joys and sorrows they have lived during the day.

Mary doesn’t just listen to our prayers, she treasures all these things, pondering them in her heart (Lk 2:19).  Like all mothers, Mary’s heart is like a special treasury, a place where she keeps all our joys, our sorrows, our trials and our questions.  The scriptures only recount very few of her spoken words, yet hers was a wisdom born of prayer, born of trust, and born of a heart that pondered, marveled and loved solely for the sake of loving.  She is our mother, and we are beloved sons and daughters … heirs to the kingdom of God (cf Gal 4:7).

As we begin this new year, let us ask Mary to show us the way to the heart of God.  The year that has passed has had its fill of joys for some of us and trials for others.  Let us entrust all of these to Our Lady, and let us ask her to enlighten our path as we set out on the journey that lies ahead.  Perhaps we will be granted the grace of joy and prosperity in the coming months, and if that is the case, let us ask Mary remind us always to be grateful.  Maybe there will be challenges to be faced, but because she is a loving mother, she will not leave us alone.  In fact, she will always be by our side to share every experience with us.

Knowing that we are not alone makes the path ahead that much brighter.  Secure in the knowledge that Mary is walking beside us and that Joseph is also protecting us as he protected the child Jesus, we can continue our lives of faith, glorifying God for all we have heard and seen (Lk 2:20), but like Joseph and Mary themselves, let us now receive the blessing that God offers to all his beloved children:  May the Lord bless you and keep you! May the Lord let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you!  May the Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace! (Num 6:24-26)