"Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
During Advent, when the rum-sodden E.A.Poe suffered his bleak December and each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor,we welcome our Blessed Savior and his Blessed Mother with an Elizabethan ecstasy. The joy of our welcome exceeds all bounds. We could not expect to be so happy in a million years.
This festival is, of course, ancient. Several neopagan religions like Wicca and Odinism, would remind us that people of the northern Hemisphere have observed the winter solstice with religious rituals for tens of thousands of years. The holiday springs from the Earth itself and the human being, this self-conscious creature formed from the mud of Earth, must celebrate with song, dance, food and great festivity.
I met a fellow recently, a self-described Odinist, who insisted "Christmas has nothing to do with Christmas!" But then I know of others who insist we should "Put Christ back into Christmas!" To which I say, "Put the Mass back into Christmas!"
However, the neopagans are partly right; Christmas has become a pagan feast for many. To restore it, we must honor the Infant's Mother. The woman and her infant are inseparable, as every civilized nation knows.
The Church honors her presence with several feast days during the Advent Season, including the Immaculate Conception (December 8), Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12) and Mary the Mother of God (January 1.) Perhaps as important, she appears in every Christmas creche, and in many Christmas cards. A baby without a mother is dying; we cannot honor Jesus unless he is held in his mother's arms.
The early Church knew that and Saint Luke insisted upon it. The holy woman Elizabeth welcomed Mary with amazed delight. She asks what visionaries have often asked when Mary appeared in Mexico City, Lourdes, Knock and Fatima, "Who am I that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?"
Neopagans, Muslims, Jews and some Protestant sects remind Catholics of the great privilege we enjoy. We know the Mother of God! Like Joseph we have taken her to our homes; like Elizabeth, we have rejoiced upon seeing her; like John the Baptist we have danced for joy at her coming; and like the Beloved Disciple John, we have beheld our mother. We celebrate the winter solstice with a faith, hope, love and joy granted to few.
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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.