We open the New Year with this celebration of Mary, Mother of God. When we address Mary as Mother of God, we acknowledge that she conceived and gave birth to the Son of God in his human nature.
The source of Mary’s greatness is her relationship to Jesus as his Mother. Everything she has is hers because of Jesus. Mary does not stand alone. She is with Jesus, always with Jesus, always for Jesus. Even later, when she was no longer physically with him, she remained with him by following his example of complete obedience to the Father and joining him in the fulfillment of that will.
In today’s Gospel, the shepherds find Mary with Jesus and she is described as keeping “all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” In these details we see what we have to imitate in Mary if we are to be people of peace. To be with Jesus, to be for Jesus, such was the life of Mary. In this she is our model to be imitated.
This is the Marian dimension of our lives: to be with Jesus in everything like Mary. To be with Jesus in our thoughts, having the mind of Jesus; to be with our affections, loving with the heart of Jesus; to be with Jesus in our desires, seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; to be with Jesus in life and in death, sharing with him like Mary the mystery of Christmas; but also sharing with him the paschal mystery. Like Mary, we must learn to ponder things in our hearts. We have to reflect on God’s loving plan for us
and whether our lives are going God’s way.
Mary had a heart. When we use the logic of the heart, we reach out to others. The mind is cold and deliberate. The heart is warm and giving. Today, let us ask not what we can get, rather, what we can give. Let us imitate Mary and learn to ponder these things in our hearts.
