Prior to my acceptance into Diaconate formation in 2000, I along with other candidates was asked to submit a paper on our spiritual journey. My submission included three women who influenced me to believe in God and become a follower: My mom, dad’s mom and my wife. Each one of them in their own way reminded me of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Mother of God.
Mom was a non-practicing Lutheran who believed in integrity by making sure attitude was about morality and honesty in one’s relationships. When I erred in judgment that hurt someone, it was my duty to admit what I had done, apologize, ask forgiveness and pay for any damages that might have been caused by my bad behavior.
Grandma was a daily Mass goer along with praying the rosary. She taught me about the importance of having a relationship with God and the Catholic Church. She would take me to Sunday Mass and explain who was doing what and how to practice one’s faith.
One of the most important things I learned from my wife is to always look at life from someone else’s perspective. Until you do that, you will have difficulty in understanding why people make the decisions they do. In other words, like Pope Francis said, “Who am I to judge”?
As we look at the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, today, we can’t help but be in awe and wonder how this girl in her early teens was able to accept God’s calling to be the mother of Jesus, the Son of God; our Savior. Her response to the Archangel Gabriel: “Let it be done to me according to your will," at the Annunciation, not knowing how all that was being asked of her would be accomplished, is a tribute to her undying faith and as an example to us who believe.
Like my mom, grandma and wife, she too practiced integrity, was faithful to God and her responsibilities and listened to those who believed in relationships of love and peace. Mary as the Holy Mother of God is a model of holiness and Christian life for us through faith, hope and prayer. Just as Mary pondered all the things she heard and experienced in her heart, we too need to follow her lead by praying for peace in our own hearts, families, Church and world as we celebrate every January 1 World Day of Peace established by Pope Paul VI in 1967.
As much as Mary is the mother of both a human and divine Jesus, she also is our mother in that she represents the best of humanity to be called by God to bear God’s Son and our Savior. It is for these reasons that we need to embrace Mary as our mother because of her fulfillment as daughter to God the Father, mother to Jesus His Son and spouse of the Holy Spirit who graced her and all who believe. These attributes and her being born without sin gives us good cause to honor Mary by turning to her to intercede with God on our behalf towards His forgiveness of our sins.
Let us take this week to ponder, as did Mary, how we can be more active in our faith. Maybe God is calling us to reach out to others who do not have the means to feed themselves, to those who lack shelter or to bring peace and healing to those with relationship problems. Whatever the situation, let us look at all that God has given us and consider how we can pay it back in Mary’s name. She is our heavenly mother and deserves at least our recognition of all she did in her life to bring hope, peace and love to all she encountered.
Reading 1: Numbers 6: 22-27
Reading 2: Galatians 4: 4-7
Gospel: Luke 2: 16-21
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