Today is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, mother of Christ and our mother as well! In the Gospel for today, we hear that when the shepherds share with Mary and Joseph the message from the angels, Mary “kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk.2:19). We also hear these words at the finding in the Temple when she doesn’t understand her Son’s reply to her question after He has been missing for three days. This has always been my favorite line from Scripture; I love that Our Lady was always in a state of wonder when she reflected on how God was working in her life! She took the events, the joyful ones and the sorrowful ones, deep into her heart and treasured them – seeing them as gifts from God even when she could not quite understand them. Yet she was still full of awe and trust in His Providence!
At the Annunciation, when the Angel appeared to her, she “pondered what sort of greeting this might be” (Lk. 1:29). Even though she did not understand the words of the Angel, she gave her fiat and allowed His will to be done in her – knowing that His plans for her were good and greater than anything that she had previously had in mind for herself! And this knowledge, along with her faith, was what helped her to persevere through the most sorrowful events of her life.
These words are inspiration to me. They encourage me to look back through my life and see the wonders that Our Lord has done for me – all the gifts that He has given to me! Whenever I take a step back and think about this, especially in difficult moments, I can see the clouds of frustration, discouragement, etc., slowly fade away. Then I am able to share in Mary’s Magnificat, knowing that “the Almighty has done great things for me” and that He has “remembered His promise of Mercy” (Lk. 1:46-55). He is never outdone in generosity and will never fail to provide for all that we need! Mary is our mother, model, and guide; she leads us to her Son and shows us the joy that a life lived with Him brings! Let us run to her as her children and seek her motherly tenderness, knowing that she will never fail to wrap us in her mantle and take us to her Son.
~ Written by Sister Marie Thérèse