Mary, Mother of God (2013-01-01)

[__01]   This feast day – January 1 – is the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.

Mary’s life is a model for our own. That is, whether we are at home, at school, in River Dell or Oradell or across the river in New York, we are called to make Jesus present in the world.

For this mission, Mary is selected, elected. And, we might say, inaugurated by God.

[__02]        God has transferred, shared his power of creation – and redemption -- with the Blessed Virgin Mary.

And, God shares his power of creation with mothers and fathers today who welcome and bring up children today.

This is a transfer of power – to the Blessed Virgin Mary – and to every mother, father, teacher, guardian of a young person or of a family.

[__03]      In the ceremony of inauguration, we we acknowledge the transfer of power, the peaceful transfer of power.

For the Blessed Virgin Mary, the “inauguration” happened in private, away from photographers and film crews. This was, however, news.

 

It was an early headline of first Good News in the Gospel, the Annunciation.  We would not know if Mary raises her right hand.  We only know that she ACCEPTS THE NOMINATION, she says YES, “let it be done to me according to your word.”

In this inauguration – through this annunciation, power is shared with Mary, our Blessed Mother.

[__04]        The ceremony of inauguration – or the oath of office – is typical of late December and early January. These inaugurations attract attention, news, reporters….

 

• Friday December 28 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn - 1,159 police officers took the oath, making a promise to serve the people of New York, in the NYPD.

• Sunday January 20 in Washington DC, the president will be inaugurated.

• And, today in River Edge, at town hall, a new council members are being sworn in, inaugurated.

  [__05]       What Mary realizes is that this transfer of power doesn’t happen all at once.

 

This is different from the Washington-style inauguration where the former president is ushered out of town quickly on a Marine helicopter and the new president selects a cabinet of advisers.

 

In our sacramental journey, in our faith journey, we are always being re-elected … re-selected by God.

That is, we are always being called closer to God’s ways which we may not understand at the beginning.

 [__06]      Is there someone in my life how is difficult to love? To care for?

Toward such a person, we may want to conserve all of our energy so that we can run away from them, avoid them, or take revenge  - perhaps in a subtle way – against them.

That is, we don’t want to share power. We want to seize power.

[__07]        Mary herself continues to learn, to observe all of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. The visits of the shepherds, the star in the sky.

Mary gives us a model to follow on New Year’s Day – or any new day – and also model for the new year’s resolution that we are called to pray, keep all these things in our hearts, to ponder these things.

To ponder/consider –

• The person who is difficult to love
• The decision which is difficult to make

We are also called to consider how God’s power is inaugurated in you and in me.

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