Solemnity of Mary,
the Mother of God
(Number 6:22-27; Gal 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21)
In the gospel today, we see three groups of people
receiving the good news of Jesus’ birth.
First, the shepherds, who have heard from the angels that a savior is
born, act on the message. They go to
Bethlehem to see the child who is their Lord and King. They also tell others of what has taken place
to fulfill the angelic call to evangelize.
Hopefully we are responding in the same ways – giving homage to Jesus,
the savior, and telling others of how he has benefitted us.
The second group encountered in the passage is the people
said to be “amazed” at what the shepherds tell them. Unfortunately, these hearers of the good news
fail to respond in a significant way. Rather,
like many witnesses of miracles later in the gospel, they dismiss the good news
as only something “interesting.” These resisters
represent the millions who celebrate Christmas with tinsel and brightly-wrapped
presents but avoid the deeper meaning of the feast.
The third group is really just one person. Mary has already acted decisively on the good
news announced to her also by an angel. The
passage today says that she reflects in her heart on the events taking
place. Thus, Mary becomes the model
Christian in whom the word of God has taken firm root and whose fruit is
abundant. We find people like Mary taking
time daily to reflect on the Word of God and then living out what that Word
teaches.
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