O. L. Mercy Church, Lowell &
Saint Henry Church, Harrietsville
My dear friends in Christ,
it is my pleasure to wish each of you a very Happy New Year,
and a blessed Feast Day of Mary, the Mother of God!
It is good to be with you all…
as we celebrate this holy feast of our Blessed Mother Mary.
Today we call Mary "The Mother of God"…and rightly so…
for in Mary’s womb, the Son of God took on human nature…
and by the power of the Holy Spirit was born as a man.
The Son of God became Mary’s son…and our brother…
like us in all things except sin…
and in a marvelous exchange of grace…
opened the path for us to become children of God.
[PAUSE]
One of the lessons I have learned since my ordination as a Deacon…
is that much of life cannot be understood unless it is lived.
All of my seminary classes over the past seven years
could not have prepared me for what it really means
to be a minister in the Church.
For the first time in my seminary journey, I have been assigned to a parish
for more than a few weeks in the summer…
and for the first time the people are really becoming a part of my life.
I have experienced what it means to walk together in faith…
as a parish family…
through the joys and sorrows of people’s lives.
In particular, I have experienced sharing in the life of a young family…
as they journeyed through a most precious time in their lives…
the birth of a child.
We supported the mother, and prayed with her, in her time of expectation…
and we rejoiced with her when she first brought her baby girl to Mass.
We welcomed her little one into our parish family…
as together we celebrated her motherhood.
[PAUSE]
As a Church, through the Liturgy, we journey with Mary
as she carries the Lord within her womb…
and brings forth the infant savior.
We celebrate her motherhood.
On March 25th each year…we celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation…
the moment of Jesus’ conception…
when the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary
that she would conceive and bear a son…
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Angel tells Mary that her cousin Elizabeth is also with child.
Mary’s immediate response is to go in haste to visit Elizabeth,
bearing Christ…her son…and the Son of God…within her.
It was Elizabeth who first recognized Mary as the Mother of God…
for when Mary arrived to visit her…
she cried out…
"How is it that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?"
She called Mary "The Mother of my Lord."
John the Baptist leapt for joy in Elizabeth’s womb…
for even then he rejoiced at the coming of the Messiah…
the unborn baby Jesus whom Mary carried in her womb.
The Savior was in their midst already.
The unfolding of God’s plan for our salvation
begins with the stirring of John in his mother’s womb.
During the Season of Advent,
we wait with Mary…
as she…along with all of Israel…longs for the promised Messiah…
and as she waits with joyful anticipation for her son to be born.
Her son is our Savior.
Her love and obedience to God…
her motherhood…
make the plan of God to redeem the world a reality.
Eight days ago we celebrated with great joy the birth of Jesus.
And today, we celebrate the holiest of all mothers.
The Scriptures tell us that Joseph and Mary…like dutiful parents…
took Jesus to the Temple for his circumcision…
according to Jewish custom and ritual.
The Scriptures also tell us that…
as Jesus was born…
as the shepherds came and went…
as angels appeared…
as wise men came to adore Jesus…
through all this Mary pondered all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.
How her heart must have burst forth with amazement at the wonders of God’s love!
How she must have truly been filled with love for her son and her God!
[PAUSE]
So, it is our great joy as a Church…
in the celebrations of the liturgical cycle…
to walk along with Mary in her journey of faith as the Mother of God!
[PAUSE]
Mary is our Mother, too.
And so her journey is our journey as well.
In Greek, Mary is called the Theotokos…literally… "the God-bearer."
As disciples of Mary’s son…and as sons of so noble a mother…
we, too, are called by God to be "God-bearers"…
to carry Christ within us always in our own lives…
and to bring Him forth in our thoughts, words, and deeds…
so that the world may come to know the love and truth of God
that is revealed to us in Jesus Christ.
By His birth as a man…
the Son of God has opened for us the path to become adopted sons of God…
to that we may call God "Our Father."
Our high calling as Christians…and as adopted sons…
is to allow the Savior to be made manifest to others…
in everything we say and do.
We, too, must make Jesus incarnate in our own lives.
How blessed we are to have been called to such a grace-filled vocation!
And even more blessed are we…
that we have Mary for our mother…
and so we are not alone in our journey of faith.
Mary is always at our side…
a loyal companion in triumph
and a ready help in distress.
As we begin this New Year, may we resolve to cling to Mary…
may her loving care lead us ever closer to Christ…
and give us the courage to carry Him with us in tender love…
each moment of our lives!
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