Heart of it all

Mary, the Holy Mother of God   1 January 2018

First reading

Numbers 6:22-27

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
“Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them,

‘The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.
So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.'”

                

Second reading

Galatians 4:4-7

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

Gospel

Luke 2:16-21

So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Reflection

by Grace B. Madriñan

“And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” – Luke 2:19

Mary,  being a human herself,  may have been overwhelmed by all the events in her life.  These things do not happen to any 14-year old girl. Within a year,  she becomes pregnant,  a wife and now a mother of the Messiah. She trusted -- even though she did not fully understand.  She neither complains nor go bragging about her being a mother of the Savior. She kept calm, prayed and took everything to heart.  She did not go making assumptions or interfered with God’s plans.

Her humility is something to emulate.  At her joyous or even at her agonizing moments (later in life), she remained calm, accepting of the Father’s will.  Despite being “blessed among all women”, she lived a normal life, doing normal things a mother or a wife would.  I prayed I could be like her, or have even a fraction of her serenity and humility.  

But Mary is no ordinary woman, and I am far from being like her. My actions were completely the opposite of what Mary would do.  The moment I heard the sad news from our community heads, that one of our Feasts will be discontinued, I got disappointed.  I withdraw at my corner, full of pride, I refused to communicate.  All servants were encouraged to serve at a sister Feast, I declined. My emotions got the best of me.  (The Feast is a regular praise and worship of the Light of Jesus community)

In my mind, I know I wanted to accept the decision of our community heads and move on. I wanted to be like Mary, who is a model of obedience despite any circumstances. It was only after two good weeks of discernment that I was finally able to calm my storm.  I realized that the reason for my distress was  I got drained with all the tasks I have to do for the community. And yet, our Feast still ended up being closed down leaving our efforts futile.

Today, I am trying to do what Mary would have done. From three ministries, I have requested to reduce it to one. I plan to dedicate most of the time to listening by being just a regular attendee again rather than being part of the operational ministries. I admit that I have busied myself with too much work before that the most essential part was drowned out of the picture.  Now I have to go back to the heart of it all, to be at Jesus’ feet falling in love with His Words again. 

Prayer

Dear Father, there are a lot of things happening around us which are often unforeseen. This New Year, may we be able to imitate our Mother’s humility and calmness despite chaos and not to be overwhelmed by fleeting emotions. May we be able to discern God’s message in every situation and obey with trust and confidence in His will. Amen.

No Other Woman

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Jan 1
First reading Numbers 6:22-27 The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘Say this to Aaron and his sons: “This is how you are to bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord uncover his face to you and bring you peace.” This is how they are to call down my name on the sons of Israel, and I will bless them.’

Psalm                                                                            Psalm 66:2-3,5,6,8 

Second reading                                                          Galatians 4:4-7 When the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons. The proof that you are sons is that God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts: the Spirit that cries, ‘Abba, Father’, and it is this that makes you a son, you are not a slave any more; and if God has made you son, then he has made you heir.
Gospel                                                                         Luke 2:16-21 The shepherds hurried away to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds had to say. As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; it was exactly as they had been told.   When the eighth day came and the child was to be circumcised, they gave him the name Jesus, the name the angel had given him before his conception.
Reflection by Grace Madrinan

Today is the last day of the long streak of holidays.  What have we achieved? Aside from attending every other get-together and reunions there is, what have we accomplished? I myself  is guilty of having been busy for the past two weeks.  Too  busy that I almost miss the point of what the celebrations are all about.

Today is the solemnity of Mary as the Holy Mother of God. In a few days time, we have open all gifts, put away the Christmas decorations and go back to our usual routines. But one truth remains, we are forever changed by His coming into the world. Salvation starts with the birth of the Savior. And all of this would not have been possible if not for Mary who said “Yes” to God, who carried Jesus for nine months in her womb, who nursed and protected the Child from those who wanted to harm Him.

What best way to start the new year than to remember this truth that we have been so loved by God that He is willing to be among us. There are no shortcuts.  He could have just sent His Spirit among some chosen people and yet He chose to send His Son. He could have chosen any other woman but He chose the perfect Mother who is Mary. Everything is conceived in His “Grand Plan”.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for sending us Your Son to be one with us and thank You for choosing Mary to be His Mother.  May we treasure this gift even past this season and extend the generosity to our neighbors all throughout the year. Amen.