Homily
for January 1, 2008
Liturgical Year A- Cycle II
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
By Fr. Andrew Moyo Topic:
A loving and caring Mother
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“When
the fullness of time came, God sent his son, born of a
woman…..so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
This woman, as we all know, is Mary.
She is Mother of God,
because she gave birth to Jesus, the eternally begotten Son of God. She
is the
Mother of the Church. She is also our Mother. Mary became our Mother
when she
gave birth to our Savior Jesus, Christ. At the foot of the cross, Jesus
explicitly gives us his mother: Son this is your mother!
Today’s Gospel, pictures Mary
reflecting on the events
surrounding the birth of her son. In the
midst of the swirl of activity, in a stable with oxen, a donkey, and
shepherds,
Luke gives us the image of Mary which is calm and reflective. “And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting
on them in her heart.” Mary also
treasured in her heart the unexpected behavior of Jesus in Jerusalem:
“And he went down to Jerusalem and
was obedient to them, and his mother kept all these things in her
heart.” Because of her ability to treasure and keep
things in her heart, Mary was able to discover and see the will of God,
in all
that was happening around her. How do we
respond to the events surrounding us?
With anger, nervousness or with haste? As the new year begins,
let us not miss the
opportunity like Mary, to reflect on the
events that surround us. If we give ourselves time to reflect in what
we do or say,
we will be able to make better decisions and we’ll also be able to see
the hand
of God in the events surrounding us. I consider today’s feast as a feast of
all Christian
mothers! So happy feast to you all! When we talk about this feast, we
talk
about our own mothers too. Let me talk a little bit about my
mother. One time after experiencing my first snow
here in Los Alamos, I called my mother, I told her about
the lovely snow. She was so amazed! Then next thing she asked was, “Do you have
a coat?” I told her she should not be
worried for the pastor Fr John and the people here are taking good care
of
me. The point I am trying to bring about
is that mothers care. An uncaring mother is a contradiction. Mary our Mother, is a loving and
caring mother. We see this
care from the way she cared for the baby Jesus. “She gave birth to her
first
born son and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes!”
Why did Luke include this detail about swaddling
clothes? Who cares about what Jesus was putting on? The Bible is
not a fashion magazine. Luke included this detail about swaddling
clothes to show the love and care of Mary.
Swaddling clothes are very important for babies: this has been
scientifically proven: "Now we have
scientific evidence to support the age-old belief that swaddled infants
sleep
better than unswaddled infants," Gerard said. "It helps babies stay
asleep and so may help parents keep their babies sleeping in the safer
back
position.” (2 Dec 2002
Contact: D.D.WilliamsWashingtonUniversitySchool
of Medicine.) See how much she
loved and cared for Jesus. When the boy
Jesus got lost in the temple, Mary was also concerned. They went back
to the
temple and when they found him, she asked, like any concerned mother; “Son why
have you treated us like so. Behold your father and I have been looking
for you
anxiously!” She was anxious! A loving
and caring mother is always anxious about the children. She did not say: “Oh
you know my son is God! He will find his way home miraculously.”
She was
anxious and concerned! Mary our Mother loves and cares for her
children! The
care that she lavished on her son, the early church, she gives to us
from
heaven. And she never turns anyone away who seeks her protection. As
kids, we used to recite with mother every
night this prayer:
"Remember, O
most loving Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled
to your
protection, implored your help or sought your intercession was left
unaided.Inspired with confidence we
turn to you, O virgin of virgins our mother.To you do we come, before you we stand, sinful and sorrowful.O Mother of the Word Incarnate, do not turn
away from us, but in your mercy hear and answer us.Amen"
Let us pray for a
deeper attachment to our mother in this New Year.