MOTHER OF GOD

THE DORMITION sculpture of Mary reveals a splendid example of art in the service of divine truth. Each wrinkle on her face and hands reveals a year gone by, a season lived, and wisdom gained through tragedy and joy....It was not Mary's youth and face which secured for her the immortal love of the Christian Church--it was her extraordinary interior beauty: her faith in God's providence, her inexhaustible hope in the fulfillment of the divine promises, and her unpretentious outpouring of sacrificial love for God, the Church and humankind. Mary exalted the Lord and experienced never-ending joy in God her Saviour. So completely transparent was her righteous submission that her soul absorbed the surpassing portion of God's radiant mercy reserved for those who obey him in every generation.

FROM MARY, Christ receives his human nature. Mary's <em>yes</em> to the Holy Spirit is the Churchs assent to the mighty wind and tongues of fire at Pentecost. The Church honors Mary's maternity as an enduring affirmation that makes possible our celebration of Christs Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. With Mary as exemplar and intercessor, the Bride of Christ delights in the presence of the Holy Spirit in her innermost sacramental being. Through Joseph's credible witness, the world is alerted to the good news that God dwells in the midst of his chosen people  (Heb. <em>Emmanuel</em>: God is with us). God's prophetic word bears fruit by miracle and proclamation. "The harvest has come!"

MARY'S ASSENT to the will of God is a sign of the Holy Spirit's entrance into the community of faith and into the individual lives of its members. God can reverse the sterility and barrenness of our spiritual lives. God overcomes our human incapacity. The Lord triumphs over all evil, all heartache, all sorrows:  "For with God nothing will be impossible." The Christian man would do well to perceive his soul as a tent for the Spirit, a consecrated temple for the Lord:  "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If any one destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and that temple you are."

A MOTHER turns to her son, himself a guest, confident that he can deal with a provocative situation. Jesus orders six large stone jars to be filled to the brim with water:  "Now draw some out and take it to the steward of the feast." The chief steward tastes not water but the select wine....And the hour of Jesus' ministry--"O woman, what have you to do with me?"--begins with the first of his many signs. These telling images in John's gospel reveal a common thread: human expectations have been overturned to manifest the glory of Christ....The Church gathered in celebration approaches Mary to say, <em>Apart from Christ, we can do nothing</em>. Contemplating her son, our Blessed Mother answers, "Do whatever he tells you." Thus, the birth of the Church and the salvation of men and women everywhere is assured.

GOD'S CHRISTMAS miracle creates in us a sense of wonder. But awe must yield to heartfelt astonishment that so many people--Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the magi and the gentile world--intuitively grasped the invisible mysteries of salvation and consented  (Heb. <em>amen</em>)  to play a humble part in God's salvation story. Beyond doubt, God is supremely pleased when a human being responds to his provident plan with a loving, grateful affirmation of faith....Unlike the orchard in springtime, the hour of the Church's dazzling and indomitable fragility is recapitulated in every generation and in every Christian heart. Let it be said, therefore, that every Christian is obliged to understand that his personal and essential yes makes the Christmas story possible.

LIBERATE US, O Lord, from the Prince of Evil and all his pestilential works! Free us from fear! Free us from indifference to the world's suffering! All humanity born of Eve may find in Mary, spouse of Joseph of the House of David, a mother's love. She whom the Holy Spirit visited conceived in her womb; she shares her motherhood with the Church. O Child of God, are you sorrowing? Entrust yourself to our Blessed Mother's love. O Child of God, are you suffering? Stand with Mary at the foot of the cross. O Child, have you lost all hope? Mary, apostle of the Spirit, will lead you to her Son. Prayer is the universal language of all who believe. Imitate Mary's discipleship, and glorify the Lord. Have you need of a mother's intercession? Surrender to God, kneel before him in prayer, and she will join you!

TO SAY <em>Thy will be done</em> is more than a hope. It is to say that God's will <em>will</em> be done. The son of Mary, the carpenter's boy, the simple holy man seated on the donkey, the Prince of Light who rides the steed are all one. <em>Christ is born on the day we believe, but he will never die on the day we cease to believe</em>. Out of the old arises the new:  "For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, thou hast broken as on the day of (battle)." You have nothing to fear. Examine yourselves, therefore, and discern the proof of God's graces and blessings in your lives. You have every reason to offer praise and gratitude to God. I give you the joy of your salvation and the prophetic promises fulfilled in this high holy day of Christmas!