One of the things that stands out to me when I read this Gospel is the obedience of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. Not obedience under their terms but under God’s terms. There was such a loving trust of God that He worked all for their goodness. I have often read over the text with pretty glossy eyes thinking that the lives of Mary and Joseph were easy lives and there were no real challenges, but, in fact, there were extreme challenges.
Take, for one example, losing Jesus when He was twelve years old. For four days. How terrifying to lose your child for that long. I have lost a niece or nephew for a few minutes and it is a horrifying experience, I can’t imagine what a mother and father would go through losing a child for four days. Yet, they still did not sin. Having people think you had conceived out of wedlock would not have been an easy thing to accept for Mary who was probably known for her pure conduct. They were uprooted, pursued, had to leave the country and live in a foreign land to protect the child, far away from relatives and friends. Far away from the temple. Everything Joseph did well he wasn’t allowed to do in order to provide for his beloved wife and child. In their lives, they were tested beyond imagination yet they did not sin. Amazing the power of grace. Even the circumcising of Jesus could have been a real trial because of the hatred of the king. I am sure Simeon’s words raised a lot of questions. Everything in Scripture that is mentioned about them seems like it hurt a bit or a lot.
When we think of Mary, the Mother of God, it seems like everything was taken from her and she gave it to God, she trusted God. She pondered all these things in her heart and profited by them. And she is our mother. She went through great trials to become our mother. There is no sacrifice she didn’t make to be our mother. She is the perfect new Eve who deeply loves her children, who delights in our good works and weeps over our transgressions. Isn’t it beautiful that God’s mother and our mother are the same? God has not deprived us. We cannot say my mother is better than yours because we have one perfect one, full of love for us.
In this new year, let us give ourselves to our Mother. She is here to help us become saints. It is not an accident that the great modern saints such as Mother Teresa, St John Paul II, Maximilian Kolbe, all had great devotion to Our Lady and entrusted their lives to her. To become a saint means to live your life in the fullest manner and to do the most possible good you could do. I encourage you in this new year to fully dedicate your lives to Mary through one of the many ways you can consecrate yourself. I personally recommend the Morning Glory way. It is powerful and has beautiful meditations.