IMAGE: Theotokos “Eleusa-Kiska” by Simon Ushakov 1668
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. Lk 2, 16-20
On this feast of Mary, Mother of God, I imagine Mary pondering not only the birth of Jesus and what immediately followed, but also the countless mysteries of her life. This icon conveys closeness and warmth between Mary and her son. Both appear to look beyond what is immediately visible to some deeper reality. Perhaps what they see is Love, God’s desire for intimacy with us. The ability to perceive such grace comes from their relationship.
Jesus, safe in his mother’s arms, learns love and trust and openness to the One who sent him. Mary, whose faith enabled her to recognize the human face of God, continues to grow in faith as her son and his life lead her through experiences she cannot understand. She accepts them, and holds them in her heart that swells with pride and breaks with anguish.
Mary’s “yes” gave the Most Holy One a human body, a heart, a face we can look upon and recognize as one of us. Through her, we have been given a glimpse of God-With-Us in an astoundingly personal way. We, too, are invited to say “yes” to God’s desire to be one with us. Through our relationship with Jesus we too are graced to expereince intimacy with God. We are invited to ponder our lives and to see through them the Love that is the Source of all.
As the New Year begins, may we be graced with Mary’s vision, with her openness to receive God, and with her patience when we, like her, wonder at God’s mystery unfolding from our “yes.” May we trust as she did, even when life holds pain and hurt we cannot understand, that life can bring us to Good that is God. May we be a sign of that hope to others.
© 2011 Mary van Balen
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