Strange

I know that The Blessed Virgin was unafraid.She was at peace – because the Prince of Peace was ONE with her…

The painting of Wedding of Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph in church Kostel Svatého Havla (by unknown Baroque artist)

This is the day upon which we reflect on the Birth of Christ – God the Son – into the world…

And I have been reflecting on that, because it was the birth of Christ that facilitated the Birth of the Church… Pope Saint John Paul II wrote in his text, “Mary: God’s Yes to Man” at page 94, “And so, in the redemptive economy of grace, brought about through the action of the Holy Spirit, there is a unique correspondence between the moment of the Incarnation of the Word and the moment of the birth of the Church. The person who links these two moments is Mary: Mary at Nazareth and Mary in the Upper Room at Jerusalem. In both cases her discreet yet essential presence indicates the path of ‘birth from the Holy Spirit’. Thus, she who is present in the mystery of Christ as Mother becomes – by the will of the Son and the power of the Holy Spirit – present in the mystery of the Church. In the Church too she continues to be a maternal presence, as is shown by the words spoken from the Cross: ‘Woman, behold your son!’; ‘Behold your mother.’”

And I have been reflecting on the beauty of that Saint’s words as I reflect on the words of another Saint, Saint John Fisher, who said, “Is it not a wonderful thing, that He that is the Lord and author of all liberty, would thus be bound with ropes and nailed hand and foot unto the Cross?”

Because it occurs to me that this situation of the Blessed Virgin’s acceptance of the Will of God – her perfect submission to the Holy Will of God – is nothing short of STRANGE. You see, when the Blessed Virgin conceived Christ, she did so in total trust of God. She did not worry about the next step. And when I stop and think about that, I am struck dumb…

You see, the Blessed Virgin conceived a Child in a manner that no woman had ever conceived a child before or ever would again. That meant that surely she could have felt afraid. I mean, just stop and think about it for a moment. How would she know how that Child would be born? Would she die giving birth to God Himself. After all, she understood nothing of what was happening – but she trusted GOD with EVERYTHING…

And today – as we commemorate the Birth of Christ – I try to imagine how the Blessed Virgin felt waiting for that Birth… And I know that she was unafraid. She was at peace – because the Prince of Peace was ONE with her…

And I know this from her actions… She spoke to Saint Joseph. How frightening would that have been! He could have been angry or vindictive or afraid or nasty. But she trusted that God would protect her and spoke to him and then waited for him to decide what he wished to do. And she waited submissively. She did not pester or annoy him with questions. She did not try to pressure him into an answer. She left him alone and he slept and then later he decided…

And she went about her affairs. She visited Elizabeth and helped her – irrespective of the strangeness of her situation. She did not cower at home afraid of hard work – she sought it out.

And she did so with an open heart.

And today – as I celebrate the Birth of my Blessed Lord – I have to stop and thank His mother… For she submitted to the strangeness of God and in this way she became the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church and the Queen of Heaven.

And when I reflect on such trust in the face of such strangeness, I cannot help by wonder. For the Blessed Virgin is the perfect child of God. And I pray for the Grace to become just a tiny bit more like her…

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.