MARY, MOST HOLY MOTHER OF GOD
Sunday 1 January 2023
Lk 2:16-21
“So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb”.
(Lk 2:16-21)
Even though she is not mentioned by the angels, Mary is the one whom the shepherds see first. She is the Mother par excellence, the one who had the privilege of carrying in her womb for nine months, and bringing to light, the divine newborn child. The grace given to her is so great. Later, when a woman from the crowd blesses the womb that had carried him and the bosom that had nourished him, Jesus himself responds, affirming the real cause of blessing: “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!” In other words, Mary is great because she welcomed the Word of God in her heart before she welcomed him in her womb! As a disciple and mother, she teaches us the secret: read the Word of God (in fact, without reading there is no awareness of the Lord’s promise to us/you), meditate on it, relate it to the reality of life and… put it in to practice.
Our Mother doesn’t say to us “look at me”, but “follow my example”. It’s only in doing this that you will be (joyfully) blessed!
Fr. Giuseppe
