1 January 2022
Octave Day of Christmas – Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God
For the parents that read these reflections, I am sure you all have experiences of the way children when they are really young have taught you a lesson about tenderness. A child, being as vulnerable as one is at that stage of development, needs a loving, protecting, and watchful parent. While those personality features are latent, the birth of a child and the assumption of responsibility draws them out further. A parent has to learn to play and to communicate with a child. The child draws out of a parent the tenderness necessary for both of them to grow. When I think of this solemnity as we celebrate Mary as the “Mother of God,” I can’t help but think of the ways Jesus must have changed Mary and drew out her tenderness which we readily on in the Church.
The first line of our gospel passage today sticks out to me: “The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.” If the shepherds were looking for Jesus only, they also found his mother caring for him. Wherever Jesus is, Mary is also, tending and caring for her children. She is the disciple that Jesus first shows the way of loving kindness and the ability of mercy to transform the world. Her “Yes” to God was the openness to the salvific plan that would her life and the life of all humanity. It only seems fitting that the disciple who had her heart so transformed by Christ be celebrated as our advocate. Our gospel passage references the capacious heart of Mary. Luke writes, “And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” For a heart that opened itself to God, Mary continues to have a mother’s compassion for all of us who are sisters and brothers of her Son.
As we begin this New Year, we ask for Mary’s prayers that we may become more like her Son. This prayer is one I imagine she prays for herself and for all of us knowing how his love continues to transform her life.