Happy New Year 2020! May this year be a blessing to all.
On this Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, the readings speak clearly of God’s deep desire to bless us. He even instructed Moses very specifically about how he and Aaron were to bless the Israelites (Numbers 6:22-27):
The LORD bless and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly, and give you peace!
Who does not want to be blessed by God?!
In this Christmas season, we marvel at this love of God, who humbly drew near in the form of a child. God, ever faithful, infinite in love and mercy chose to take on our human condition; to become one of us that he might save us! A blessing indeed!
St. Paul sums up this great work of God in the following way (Galatians 4:4-7):
When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. As proof that you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out “Abba, Father!”
As if not enough for God to take on our human nature in order to save us, he goes even farther in his plan of blessing. Ransomed from sin, freed for fullness of life and life eternal, God allows that we might now live as adopted children, but not in a human fashion, but by divine initiative. God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out “Abba, Father!” Christ not only took up a body, but now through his spirit has taken up his dwelling within us!
Some find these words of St. Paul difficult. Why does he not say we have received adoption as sons and daughters? The reason is simple. This is a theological statement. We have adoption as sons, because the Son of God has been sent to dwell in our hearts. When the Father gazes upon us, it is his Son he sees within us. It is by this great blessing of Jesus that we inherit eternal life, not by any merit of our own. Thus, as Jesus taught us, we call God “Our Father.”
If indeed we have a Father in God, then we also have a Mother in Mary!
Today, we celebrate Mary as the Mother of God. It is from Mary that Jesus took flesh – our humanity. We all know what it is like to look at a child or person and see their likeness to their parents. Especially if you are from a small town, or a parish community, you may not know the name of someone, but you can tell they are a member of a specific family. Thus, Jesus was known as a Nazorean, (Matthew 2:23) as the son of Mary.
Mary by God’s grace is the Mother of Jesus, thus the Mother of God. As the Mother of God, she is Mother of the Church, and through our adoption in Christ, she is also Mother of you and me.
Mary walked with Jesus. She fed him, dressed him as a child, taught him by her own example trust in God and obedience to God’s will. Mary accompanied Jesus through his life, stood by him at the foot of his cross, was witness to his resurrection, was present at Pentecost, and was with the Apostles during the early days of the Church’s beginning.
Because Mary is also our Mother, she is just as surely present to and with us!
She walks with us, she holds our hands, she brings Jesus to earth, she brings Jesus to us, and she brings us to Jesus.
When we gaze upon the face of Jesus, we see the face of God, and the face of Mary.
We see Jesus as our Savior, God as our Father, and Mary as our Mother.
This nearness of God, in the persons of Jesus and Mary is indeed a source of ongoing blessing from God. We are invited in this new year to enter more deeply into this intimate with God. We are encouraged to engage in conversation with the Lord and our Mother about the events of our life and our world. We are encouraged to deeper faith in Jesus and trust in God.
Mostly, Jesus and his Mother invite us to greater obedience to the designs of God, the blessing of God, the will of God for each of us and for our church and world. As we are blessed during these holy days of Christmas, may we always be a blessing in return to others.
The LORD bless and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly, and give you peace!
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