“A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” (RV 12:1)
Love best describes who Mary is. She is the Mother of God – she is the Mother of Love. Mary is filled with love because she is filled with God. There is no room in her for anything else other than God’s grace, other than God’s love, other than God. She becomes that which fills her; she becomes the essence of love, she becomes full of grace. Mary shows us how to humbly receive God’s gracious gift. She allows God’s love to overshadow her. She allows God’s love to enter into the depths of her body and soul. She allows God’s love to fill the core of her heart and being. Mary is totally and completely open and available to God. She is totally and completely receptive and vulnerable to God’s love. Mary simply loves God and God simply loves Mary. God is pleased to dwell in Mary and Mary is pleased to dwell in God. This is a real and profound love. We experience this profound love in Mass when we remain totally and completely open and available to God’s grace, when we become totally receptive and vulnerable to God’s love. In the Mass, Jesus makes God’s profound love visible to us through his Word and in his Eucharist. God invites us to permit the Power of the Holy Spirit to overshadow us, to penetrate our inmost soul, to touch our holy innocence, to welcome God into the depths of our being. Jesus invites us to love God and to simply be loved by him. To permit God to dwell in us and us to dwell in God. Like Mary, we should rejoice in the precious gift that has be given to us; the gift of God’s all-consuming love. This is the love that became visible to us in the Nativity. This is the love that has ministered to us. This is the love that heals us. This is the love that forgives us. This is the love that was rejected for us. This is the love that died for us. This is the love that opened up the gates of Heaven to us. This is the love that has been poured into our hearts and is nourished and fed in Mass. Does your soul proclaim the greatness of the Lord? Does your spirit rejoice in God our Savior? Have you welcomed Christ into your heart, into your life, into your home, into your ministry, into your family? Will you go in haste to share the Good News with your family, your friends, your faith community, your coworkers, the world? Father, bless you for our journey of love. Blessed are you for the gift of your love – Jesus. And blessed are you for the bearer of your gift – Mary. May the love of God our Father and Mary our Mother and Christ our Brother remain in our hearts for ever.