Mary be a Mother to me now

LK 2:16-21

Did you make any New Year’s resolutions this year? For those who made resolutions, how many of you made a resolution regarding your physical health? Each New Year, many of us resolve to get in shape, go to the gym or lose weight. We are used to making resolutions to improve our physical health. Perhaps this year we should consider making a resolution to improve our spiritual health.  On this the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, I suggest that we resolve to improve the relationship we have with Mary.

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Often people have difficulty with the idea that as followers of Jesus we are called to have a special relationship with Mary. Perhaps some of you have had to answer questions like this before, “why do Catholics worship Mary?”, “why pray to Mary when you can go directly to Jesus?”  When it comes to Our Lady, people encounter difficulties in two areas:

1. Catholic beliefs about Mary, such as the Immaculate Conception and Marian titles such as the one we celebrate today, Mary, Mother of God. Some people have difficulties calling Mary this.
2. Catholic devotion to Our Lady. There are those who struggle to see why we should have a special relationship with Mary and why we would pray to her.

These are important concerns that are well-worth addressing. Many non-Catholic Christians and even some Catholics are a little uncomfortable with the way Catholics view Mary.

For this reason, it is important to remind ourselves and others that Mary has no other mission than to lead us closer to Jesus. At Christmas we are reminded of this every time we look at the Nativity scene. There we see Mary presenting her Son to the world. Mary gave birth to Jesus some 2000 ago, bringing Him into the world. As Catholics, we do not believe that her mission ended there, however. Still today, she has a critical role in bringing Jesus more and more into our hearts. There is a very simple test for us to know whether our devotion to Mary is good and true. If our devotion to Mary is a true one, then we will find that over time we are led to a deeper relationship with Jesus.  Throughout history there have been many reported apparitions of Mary, such as in Fatima, Lourdes and Mexico City. At each of these approved apparition sites, Mary’s mission has always been to encourage people to better know and follow her Son Jesus. She is never the center of attention. She is not trying to be a replacement for Jesus. As Catholics we do not worship Our Lady.  Mary’s mission has always been to leads us closer to Jesus.

More than this, when Catholics profess certain beliefs about Mary or give her particular titles in order to defend what we believe about Jesus. This is the case for the Marian title that we celebrate today, Mary, Mother of God. This title for Mary is very ancient. Try to imagine that the year is 431 and you are in Ephesus, which is in modern day Turkey. About 250 bishops have gathered to resolve a very important dispute that strikes to the core of belief about who Jesus is. The leader of one camp is Cyril of Alexandria. He is arguing that Jesus Christ is true God and true Man and that these two natures of Jesus are united in one person. In other words, the baby that Mary gave birth to is true God and true Man. Because of this, it is right and proper to call Mary by the title “Theotokos”, which means, “Mother of God”. Nestorius, on the other hand, does not feel that Mary can be given this title.  Maybe she could be called “Mother of Christ” but not Mother of God. Though Nestorius would say that Jesus was true God and true Man, he would emphasize more the disunity between these two natures of Jesus, rather than the unity. In the end, the Bishops sided with Cyril. The Council of Ephesus in 431 declared solemnly that Mary was indeed Theotokos, Mother of God. Giving Mary this title is a clear way of saying that Jesus is at all times true God and true Man and that these two natures are united. Therefore, giving Mary the title of Mother of God is actually a way of defending what we believe about Jesus.

  

"Am I not here, I who am your mother?" (Jolivaresb)

On a personal level, Mary is one of the greatest gifts that Jesus gave to His followers because in Mary He has given us a Mother.  Perhaps some of you have been to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The Basilica was built close to the site where Mary appeared to a poor indigenous man named Juan Diego in the year 1531. Above the main entrance to the Basilica is a very visible phrase, written in large letters for all to see: ¿No estoy aquí que soy tu Madre?, “Am I not here, I who am your Mother”. These words are part of a famous conversation that Our Lady had one day with Juan Diego. Mary had already appeared to Juan Diego and had made arrangements to meet him again. Before the meeting, however, his uncle, Juan Bernardino, fell ill.  Juan Diego was anxious to care for his uncle, so he made the decision to skip his appointment with Mary avoided the spot where they were to meet. Not surprisingly, Mary found him anyway. When she caught up with him, she asked him why he was so worried. After all, she said “am I not here, I who am your Mother”. These words are put at the front of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe to remind each one of us that Mary is our mother. She is always near us. She always cares for us. We should feel confident going to her whenever we need help. When Jesus was giving us Mary to be our mother, He gave us the greatest of gifts.

Making resolutions at New Year’s is, I think, a good thing. It shows that we have hope for a better future and want to take steps to make this a reality. I can think of few resolutions that should give us as much hope as resolving to develop a deeper relationship with Mary this year. We can do this in different ways such as praying the rosary, reading a book about Mary or just remembering to ask Mary for help when we need it by saying something like, “Mary, mother of Jesus, be a mother to me now.” Close to 2000 years ago she gave birth to Jesus, true God and true Man. Today give her permission to allow Jesus to become more alive in your heart. 

Can't choose your family!

SIR3:2-6, 12-14 ; COL 3:12-17 ; MT 2:13-15, 19-23

Whenever I hear these readings from today, I have flashbacks to when I was a child sitting in the pews during the feast of Holy Family. When the readings said that children should honor, respect and obey their parents, my dad would elbow me a little bit and my mom would lean over and say “now listen carefully”. When the readings spoke about how a husband and wife should behave towards each other, spouses around the Church would look at each other, perhaps each thinking that the other should be paying closer attention.  Since Christmas is such a special time for families, it is very fitting that we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family right after Christmas. It gives us the opportunity to reflect on the fundamental role family plays in our life as Christians.

Family is of vital importance in helping us to fulfill our ultimate vocation. Family has a fundamental role in helping each of us become what God wants us to be. But, what is our ultimate vocation anyway? What are all people in the world called to be whether they are the Pope, a religious sister, a married person, a priest or a single individual? Blessed John Paul II explained it this way:

“God created man in his own image and likeness (cf. Gen 1:26, 27): calling him to existence through love, he called him at the same time for love. God is love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8) and in himself he lives a mystery of personal loving communion. Creating the human race in his own image and continually keeping it in being, God inscribed in the humanity of man and woman the vocation, and thus the capacity and responsibility, of love and communion (Gaudium et spes, 12). Love is therefore the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being” (FC, 11).

Our ultimate vocation is to become more loving and more capable of living in community. This is something that we must learn, it will not happen automatically. Family is not just a group of people who happen to be related, whether they like it or not. Family is a school in which we learn how to be a better human being. We learn to love, to make sacrifices, to be patient, humble and to put others ahead of ourselves. Family plays a central role in helping us to fulfill our ultimate vocation.

As we all know from experience, family life poses its share of difficulties and challenges.  Though it has many joys, living in a family at times is often tough. We may think that the greatest pressures for a family come from the outside. For example, we see in the Gospel today that the Holy family was threatened by Herod and were forced to flee. Today, many families suffer similar challenges that are outside their control: war, poverty, excessive busyness due to work or school or an illness in the family. Are these the external pressures the greatest risk to a family? It would seem not. Many families pass through such difficulties and come out stronger in the end. The greatest challenges facing families often come from within. Members of a family usually have different personalities and temperaments. As the saying goes, “you can choose your friends, but you cannot choose your family”. Disagreements, arguments, misunderstandings and hurt feelings are a daily, if not hourly occurrence. Families can be torn apart when there is unwillingness to forgive, enter into meaningful conversation and put other people’s needs in front of one’s own. Family life is full of such difficulties.

It is precisely these challenges, however, that help form us to become more loving. In particular the interpersonal conflicts among members of a family can help transform them for the better. I once heard a very helpful analogy for how this work.  Family life can be compared to a “rock-tumbler”.  A rock tumbler is a small, hollow, machine that you put small stones into.  Each stone has its own jagged edges.  After the stones have been placed in the machine and your turn it on, it begins to spin.  As the machine turns over and over, the rocks tumble inside, hitting each other and grinding one against the other and the sides of the machine.  Slowly but surely, the jagged edges of the stones rub one another smooth.  After some time each stone becomes polished and beautiful.  In this analogy, we are the stones.  Just as the stones have their rough edges, each of us have our own weaknesses and idiosyncrasies, for example, impatience, pride, or laziness.  As we live together, we have confrontations and frustrate one another.  We smash into each other like the stones inside the rock-tumbler.  Overtime we begin to see that the weaknesses and idiosyncrasies of those we live with are opportunities for growth.  With God’s grace, family life can make us more patient, sympathetic towards others and capable of cooperation.  Like the stones inside the rock-tumbler, we become more polished – our weaknesses become smoothed.  Through the interpersonal struggles of community life, God is forming us to become more loving.

In order to grow, we must respond generously to the challenges that come with living in a family.  God can only form us if we cooperate generously.  In the “rock-tumbler” analogy, the stones will become polished overtime whether they want to or not.  This is not the case with us! Just because we are given opportunities to grow, doesn’t mean we make use of them. Often we pin the blame on others. We can think “if only my husband/wife/child would change then everything would be fine”. Perhaps the best thing to do, however, is to look at ourselves. How can we respond more generously to the challenges of family life? The first and second reading from today give some ways we can do this: showing honor, respect and obedience to one another. Here are three areas in which can be generous in responding to the challenges of family life:

1. Generosity with our time. Since everyone is so busy its takes a conscious choice for family members to spend time just being together in each other’s company.
2. Generosity in communication. This includes being open and honest with others about what we are feeling and going through in life as well as listening and trying to understand where other people are coming from.
3. Generosity in making compromises. We often must put the needs of others ahead of our own if a family is to work well.

In order for God to use family life as a means to transform us, He requires our generous response.

We have all probably seen those road signs that say, “caution, work in progress”. When we see this, we are meant to slow down and be patient. Perhaps, every member of a family should wear such a “work in progress” sign. Family life, together with its many challenges, is meant to transform us.  Today we can reflect on our personal situation and ask if there is one area in which we can be more generous. Perhaps we can choose to spend more time with our family, even if it means cutting back in other areas. Maybe we need to work on one particular relationship by listening more and being slower to judge. Perhaps we can be more flexible in putting the needs of others ahead of our own. Whatever it is, let us respond generously. Family life is not easy. It is however a wonderful school. Let us learn our lessons well.

Be the Light of Christ to others

Jn 1: 1- 18

I have a confession to make.  When I was a child I was a little afraid of the dark. Ok, I was afraid of the dark a lot. During this time, what saved me from a night of fear and allowed me to sleep was a little night light. Somehow this light made everything better. You may laugh, but I am sure I was not the only one! There is something very ingrained in the human consciousness about the dichotomy between light and darkness. There is something unnerving about darkness. It is somehow a reminder of death and evil. On the other hand light brings to mind life and goodness.  In the gospel we have heard this morning, St. John makes use of this contrast between light and darkness to teach us an important lesson about what the birth of Jesus Christ means for the world.

Because of sin, darkness entered the world. When we break ourselves off from God and do things to hurt our brothers and sisters, darkness is created on several levels.

1. First, there is a darkness that separates us from God. We become cut-off from Him, the source of all life and love. We also lose sight of who God really is, we can forget that He is a loving Father and become afraid of Him instead.
2. Second, sin brings a darkness that separates us from one another. We become jealous, envious, greedy and hurtful to each other. We can lose sight of what it truly means to be a human being and how we should act.
3. Thirdly, sin brings darkness into our heart. We can feel great sadness. It can seem as though there is no joy, peace or hope in our soul.

At different times in our life we have all probably felt this darkness on all three levels. If our story ended here, things would seem very bleak indeed. Because of sin, darkness has entered the world.

Jesus was born so that He might bring light to the world. Christ came to overcome the darkness that sin created. If you look at Churches that were built long ago, you will find that they were traditionally built facing east. There is a very important reason for this. East is the direction from which the sun rises each morning when it comes to scatter the darkness and bring light and warmth to the earth. For early Christians, Jesus was often compared to the rising sun and so they wanted to build Churches facing the east. When Jesus was born, it was very much like a sunrise. He scattered the darkness caused by sin.

1. Jesus came to reunite us with God. Because Jesus is truly God, He also reveals to us fully who God is, that He is a Father who loves and cares for us.
2. Jesus also came to restore our broken relationships with each other. Because Jesus is also truly man, He shows us what it means to live best as a human being and how we should behave to one another.
3. Jesus also came to scatter the darkness in our hearts. When we live close to Christ, He fills our hearts with joy, happiness and peace.

Jesus came into the world to be a light that scatters the darkness caused by sin.

As Christians we are meant to bring the light of Christ to those around us. Blessed Mother Teresa is well known for her work with the poor. Since her death, her personal writings have been made available to the public so that we can all learn better from her life. From these writings we learnt that before entering the slums of Calcutta, Mother Teresa received a very personal call from Jesus. In prayer, Mother Teresa heard the voice of Jesus speaking to her. Jesus said this to her: “Come be my light”, “carry me to the dark holes of the poor”. During her life, Mother Teresa came to understand that the poor lived in great darkness. This darkness was not just their material poverty, but also their loneliness and their feeling that they had been cast away by the rest of society. She realized that she was meant to bring the light of Christ to them. This meant more than giving the poor food and shelter. Through her actions, which could be as simple as a smile, listening to someone or saying a kind word, she tried to bring the love of Jesus to the poor. Daily we too encounter people who live in darkness. Perhaps they do not live in material poverty, but we all know people who are spiritually poor. These are people who are lonely, sad and feel unloved. Like Mother Teresa, through our kind actions we are called to be the light of Christ to these people.

The closer that we stay to Jesus, the brighter His light will burn in us. Most of you have probably seen those glow-in-the-dark stars that you can stick to the walls or ceiling of a room. Perhaps some of you even have them in your room. In order for the stars to glow in the dark, you need to keep them exposed to some light source, like an electric bulb or even the sun. Interestingly, the longer you keep the stars exposed to the light source, the brighter and longer the stars will glow when you turn off the lights. In our spiritual life, we are like these glow-in-the-dark stars and Jesus is the light source. The more that we stay in His presence, the brighter we will shine with His light.  If we spend little time with Jesus, then we cannot expect to glow brightly at all. There are many ways that we can spend time being exposed to Jesus. Some examples are prayer, going to Mass, reading the Scriptures and receiving the Sacrament of for example, by praying, going to Mass, reading the scriptures, and receiving the sacrament of reconciliation. The more we are in the presence of Jesus, the brighter we will radiate His light to others.

Because of the birth of Jesus we need no longer live in fear of the darkness caused by sin. He is the true light, the light that darkness cannot overcome. He reveals to us the Father and how we should live as human being. Sadly many around us still live in darkness. Today try to think of someone who is close to you who may live in loneliness, sadness or a lack of hope. This Christmas morning, commit yourself to doing some very concrete action by which you can bring them the light of Jesus Christ. In this way they too can experience the joy of Christmas.