Jan. 1 - Divine Motherhood of Mary

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today’s “Feast of the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God” is really a beautiful and important one for Catholics at this time, especially. Do we truly realize as Catholics, the awsomeness of Mary’s vocation, as well as our own call to holiness? Mary was called to become Mother of God Incarnate! The Word was made Flesh within her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In the Gospel for this feast we hear these words:

And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart. (Lk 2: 19)

Mary listened to what was told to the shepherds by an angel. Indeed Mary continued to listen to God’s Word as spoken through her Son. In the same chapter of Luke’s Gospel, we hear:

…After three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what He said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced [in] wisdom and age and favor before God and man." (Lk 2: 46 - 52)

Like Mary and Joseph, we often do not understand His Words – but do we “keep these things in our hearts”? Do we ponder and reflect prayerfully on what Jesus has said and done? If we are to be faithful to our call into the Body of Christ at Baptism we need to grow in Christ to be more like our Mother that she may help us to grow to the fullness of our vocation to holiness:

…until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, so that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming. Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, to the extent of the full stature of Christ… (Eph 4: 14 - 15)

No wonder Jesus said from His Cross to John and to us:

Behold Your Mother (Jn 19:27)

We have a powerful Mother – Her Son is Divine! She remains human but is unsurpassed in her Love for God and for us. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us now and at the hour of our death! Amen.

O Jesus, living in Mary, come and live in your servants…

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear All,

I hope it is ok simply adding to this post – since no one else has replied. I want to keep honoring Mary our Mother, during this holy season of the Church Year, and continue growing in grace through the year following Jesus with Mary.

This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Epiphany – “The Lord’s Revelation”. How beautifully the Gospel (Mt 2:1-12) describes of the Visit of the Magi and their finding the Christ Child. The verse that blesses me in a special way is:

“…on entering the house they saw the Child with Mary His Mother.” (Mt 2:11)

So many seem not to “see” Jesus “with Mary His Mother”

Today is the First Friday of 2019, and tomorrow is First Saturday. Both are days of Reparation for all who do not “see” or love the Lord and His Mother Whom He gave to us from His Cross. I hope many more of us will seek to adore Him as the Magi did when they first “saw Him With His Mother”.

Those words from Mt. 2:11 are significant because the Lord inspired the writers of Scripture to speak His Truth. God wants us to “see” in faith : Jesus with His Mother. Mary was the first to offer Him Reparation as she stood beneath the Cross and offered her heart with His to the Father. In His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Jesus asked for Reparation on First Fridays. Jesus’ words to St. Margaret Mary and to us :

“Behold this Heart which has so loved men, that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself in order to testify to its love. In return, I have received from the greater part only ingratitude, by their irreverence and their sacrilege, and by the coldness and contempt they have for Me in this sacrament of Love.”

God willing, I’ll write more on First Saturday devotion to the Immaculate Heart tomorrow because the love of Jesus for Mary is so important for us. Their union is unique and so beautiful that God wants us to see (Behold) in Mary His Mother, our Mother and Model. He wants us to grow in our union with Him, ‘seeing’ Him in faith now, until we see Him God willing, with His Mother in heaven.