At the school of Marian faith

Here is the reflection I prepared for the celebration of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, which is one of only two holy days of obligation remaining in the calendar for Catholics in Canada (the other one is Christmas Day, December 25).

Ponder these things

Today, the Church gathers to give thanks for the blessings we have received over the past year, and to pray for God’s guidance as we begin another new year.  Saint Paul reminds us today that the reason why we come together in faith is that: When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son … so that we might all receive adoption (Gal 4:4).  Because we have all received the precious gift of adoption, we are all part of the great family of faith.  The first step in creating this family of faith happened when God called Abraham to follow him.  Since that time, He has been calling others to do the same.  In the fullness of time, He sent his angel to a young maiden in Nazareth, and it was her yes, her acceptance of his will that made it possible for Jesus to take on human flesh, to be born in human history, to come and live among us.

Because she said yes, the Church turns to Mary, our Mother at the beginning of this new year and we look to her for guidance.  Why do we turn to Mary?  The answer is simple: when children are seeking answers, it is normal that they should turn to their mother.  Mary is not only our mother, she is also our elder sister in faith.  Like us, she had grown up knowing the story of Moses, and she had heard the blessing that he had been instructed to share with his brother Aaron and with his sons: 

The Lord bless you and keep you; 

the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; 

the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

(Num 6:22-27)

Mary had no doubt pondered the wisdom of these words (and other such words of guidance) on countless occasions, and then one day, she heard the angel’s greeting, addressed to her: Hail, full of grace; the Lord is with you … (Lk 1:28).  Since she had already developed the practice of listening for the inner voice of God, and of pondering the mysterious truths of faith, she greeted this new development in the same way: by pondering it's meaning.

Because she had heard the inner voice of God, she was able to follow her husband Joseph to Bethlehem, and in a stable, surrounded by animals, she gave birth to her son.  Accustomed to seeking the will of God, she treasured the mysterious words that were spoken by the shepherds who came to visit, and pondered them in her heart (cf Lk 2:16), and eight days after the child’s birth, she and Joseph took him to the temple and presented him there.  The child was circumcised according to the Jewish custom, but instead of giving him a name that had already been associated with the house of David, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb (Lk 2:20-21).  Mary shows us the great gift of inner strength that comes from listening to the voice of God.  She models for us by her own life, how we too can learn to listen for his voice, to obey his teachings, to follow in his footsteps.

Being a disciple has never been an easy thing to do because Jesus didn’t call his followers to always conform to the rules and regulations of their time.  Instead, he called them to go beyond the expectations of their society: to look beyond the temptation to follow the crowd and instead to strive every day to be a model of faith, joy and love for those we meet.  The tender love of the virgin mother was her response in faith.  It was because of her capacity to love that she was able to ponder the happenings of life deep within her heart, to consider them not only through human eyes but more importantly in the grand scheme of God’s plan.  This ability to ponder the great mysteries of life made it possible for her to discover the deep abiding joy that is God’s reward for the human response of faith.

As we stand with Mary at the beginning of this new year, let us ask her to help us to learn how to treasure the gift of our faith and to ponder its truths deep within our hearts.