JANUARY 1, 2009
Luke 2:16-21: Feast of Mary the Mother of God.


Luke 2:16-21
The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them. When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

My Reflections:
Today we celebrate the great feast of Mary the Mother of God, this is also a holiday of obligation here in the Philippines.

Amidst the joy of the people around her the Blessed Mother just kept silent and she deeply reflected on the miracle that has unfolded before her. I think one of the things being reflected by the Blessed Mother was her being chosen as the Mother of God. Maybe she was asking herself: “Why was I given this great honor to become the mother of the Messiah?” Perhaps this is also what is in our minds;among the many women during her time why Mary and not the others?

God works in mysterious ways; He does things by His will.

Sometimes this also happens to us, for example in our career pathing. We wonder why we are in a certain arena of life when we did not even consider being in this field, not even in our wildest dreams. But God has put us in our vocations for a reason and we need to do right and make a big difference in the lives of others.

Upon deep reflections the Blessed Mother realized her enormous responsibilities she lived and imbibed it with all her heart. Thus, she raised Jesus to become a Man for others.

We may be in different field of endeavors working in the vineyard of the Lord. However like the Blessed Mother we too are called to realize our enormous responsibilities, to live and imbibe it all humility and with all our hearts.