THERE wouldn’t Christmas without Mary. There wouldn’t be Christmas without her fiat—her absolute “yes” to be the Mother of God so that Jesus, the Son of God, would be born to bring salvation to the whole humankind and the world.
It was in in God’s plan that His Son Jesus would be born from the womb of Mary as Prophet Micah in this Sunday’s First Reading (MI 5:1-4A) foretold: ‘Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, and the rest of his kindred shall return to the children of Israel.” It’s the same prophecy that Isaiah announced to the people of Israel: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.” (IS 7:14)
True Christians can’t deny Mary’s significant role in the history of salvation. Therefore, she deserves our praise and honor for being the Mother of our Savior, Jesus Christ. And so, it makes us sad to hear fellow Christians not recognizing and appreciating her major part in our redemption and contribution to our faith. To give her our highest honor as the Mother of God should be a task of every Christian believer!
Mary even continued to fulfill her role as the Mother of God after Jesus’ Resurrection and after she died.
In one of the Marian shrines I visited last summer I came to know and appreciated the story of Our Lady of the Pillar, the earliest Marian apparition that the Catholic Church has recognized. According to tradition, Mary, who was still alive and living in Jerusalem, appeared to the Apostle James the Greater as he was praying by the banks of the Ebro in Zaragoza, Spain in 40 AD. A troop of angels carried her from Jerusalem to Spain through a throne of bright clouds on which she sat to encourage the Apostle James to continue her Son’s work in spreading the Gospel to the Hispanic region of Zaragosa. She asked him to build a shrine on the spot she appeared, and as a sign of her help to the region, left a marble column or pillar topped by a small statue of herself holding her Infant Son (Source: americaneedsfatima.org).
What a powerful message of Mary on leaving of an image of herself holding her infant son! This shows what Mary’s heart and role are about: it’s to bring all people to her Son, Jesus, to believe in Him as the Son of God and to follow his words, teachings, and life!
Later on, the Catholic Church would continue to attest Mary’s miraculous apparitions, such those of Fatima in Portugal and Lourdes in Spain—all these to continue emphasizing her role as the first ‘evangelizer’—the bearer of the Good News, Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
It’s for this reason that Mary is the symbol of Advent par excellence. Pregnant with Jesus, her womb, her maternal love, and most of all, her obedience to God’s plan and would become the ground for the coming of the Messiah.
This coming Christmas, let’s be Mary to each other. Let’s carry Christ within our hearts and spread the Good News of his love to everyone. Let’s allow Jesus to be born in a society that is thirsty for love, care, justice, and peace!
Let’s remind people what Christmas is all about: it’s more than the gifts we share with one another, the parties and the family gatherings we hold. It’s about the birth of our Savior, the Prince of Peace, who showed us the way to a joyous and meaningful life on earth until our eternal life with the Almighty God and His angels and saints in heaven!
Have a Blessed Christmas!
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From a Filipino immigrant family, Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas was ordained to the priesthood from St. John’s Seminary in 1991. He served as Associate Pastor at St. Augustine, Culver City (1991-1993); St. Martha, Valinda (1993-1999); and St. Joseph the Worker, Canoga Park (1991-2001). In 2001, he served as Administrator Pro Tem of St. John Neumann in Santa Maria, CA, until his appointment as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Los Angeles, in 2002, which lasted 12 years. His term as Associate Director of Pastoral Field Education at St. John’s Seminary began in July 2014.
