We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
It is good to reflect on the Birth of Mary, the Mother of God. Nine months ago, in the middle of Advent, we celebrated her conception; now we delight in her nativity.
These feasts keep us close to the humanity of Jesus, and to our own human nature. He really lived in our world, not very long ago, in a place not very far away, in a culture not terribly different from our own. They knew love and laughter, crime and punishment, war, oppression and foreign occupation. They knew economic hardship and corporate corruption. They tried to protect their children and care for their elderly in a hostile cultural and economic environment.
Some historians believe the young mother Mary remembered when Roman soldiers swept through her village, searching for insurrectionists. She was only a girl at the time. The government raids punished everyone for hiding and supporting "terrorists" by burning homes and slaughtering animals.
The older woman would be horrified but not surprised that her son was executed despite his innocence. An occupying army does what it has to do to subdue the populace. They need make no distinction between the innocent and the guilty; the subduing effect on rebellion is the same.
Mary shines in her time and in our own like a light in darkness, like a star over Bethlehem. She is:
Mary the dawn, Christ the perfect Day.
Mary the gate, Christ the heavenly Way.
Mary the gate, Christ the heavenly Way.
Mary the root, Christ the mystic Vine.
Mary the grape, Christ the sacred Wine.
Mary the grape, Christ the sacred Wine.
Mary the wheat, Christ the living Bread.
Mary the rosebush, Christ the Rose blood red.
Mary the rosebush, Christ the Rose blood red.
Mary the font, Christ the cleansing Flood.
Mary the chalice, Christ the saving Blood.
Mary the chalice, Christ the saving Blood.
Mary the temple, Christ the temple’s Lord.
Mary the shrine, Christ the God adored.
Mary the shrine, Christ the God adored.
Mary the beacon, Christ the haven’s Rest.
Mary the mirror, Christ the Vision blest.
Mary the mirror, Christ the Vision blest.
Mary the mother, Christ the mother’s Son.
By all things blest while endless ages run.
By all things blest while endless ages run.
It is good to celebrate the birth of our Mother.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.