Mary, Our Mirror

Model for All Christians

“Blessed Mother is like a magnifying glass

that intensifies our love of her Son.” Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Mary’s Story is Our Story

• Mary’s story is the key to understanding life

• Everything that happens to her, happens to us, spiritually

• Not just about women• Hers is the human story – the plan

of salvation• Key Events from Scripture tell the

story

Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38)• Angel Gabriel is the messenger: “Hail Mary, full of grace,

the Lord is with you.” (Words of the Hail Mary prayer today)

• Mary’s response – “The great Fiat” “Be it done unto me according to your word.”

• Why her?• Young • Jewish, from House of David • A virgin (more than just physically)• All prophecies from OT fulfilled• Spiritually mature• Involved Joseph, her betrothed

THEY HAD NO IDEA WHAT THEY WERE GETTING INTO!

What does this mean for us? • GOD CAN AND WILL DO SOMETHING THAT HAS NEVER

DONE BEFORE"Nothing is impossible with God.”

• BUT GOD DOESN’T DO IT ALONE OR WITHOUT OUR COOPERATION.

We have to agree – our own “Great Fiat”• A new level of understanding will then emerge• Life forever changed - nothing ever the same

The Visitation: Luke 1:39-45

• First response: Mary went “in haste” – service was first and foremost on her mind

• She did not share her incredible news with anyone

• At “hello,” there was a divine recognition between the women and the babies they carried

The babe (John the Baptist) leapt in her womb for joy.

Elizabeth’s greeting: “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your

womb.t

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

my spirit rejoices in God my savior.

For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness;

behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.

The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.

He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.

He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly.

The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty.

He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy,

according to his promise to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

Mary’s Response – “The Canticle of Mary,” aka “The Magnificat; Luke 1: 46-79

What Does the Visitation Mean for Us?

• God's greatest works take place without our doing anything spectacular.

• If I am transformed, everybody in my life will be changed, too. • There is a sense of which I co-create the world in which I live. • If I am pouring out love everywhere I go, that love will start

coming back; it cannot be otherwise.• The more I give, the more I will receive.

The Nativity – Birth of Jesus: Luke 2:1-20

• Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem because of a census.

• No room at the inn• Find themselves birthing the

Messiah in a stable with animals

• Shepherds are the first to recognize the Light.

What Does This Event Mean For Us?

• We are called to birth Christ into the world• Even in unexpected, dark, dirty, humble places• Creation is witness to “God With Us” (Emmanuel)• Be watchful at night – Stars may point the way to God• Angels may appear with messages

MUCH MORE NEXT WEEK WHENWE TALK ABOUT THE INCARNATION

Epiphany - Matthew 2:9-12• Three “kings” (aka – Magi, astrologers, wise men) from

the East follow a star to Judea• Consult with King Herod – Where is the newborn “King of

the Jews?”• Herod threatened! Pretends he is not. Tells them to let

him know when they find him so he can pay homage too. Herod hatches a plot to kill this baby.

• Magi follow the star to Bethlehem; find Jesus in a stable• Offer three gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh• Are told in a dream not to tell Herod but to warn the Holy

Family to leave immediately – the baby is in danger

What Does This Mean for Us?

• We need to watch for signs on starry nights

• We need to look in unexpected places for God

• Offering gifts is a good thing, no matter what they are

• Pay attention to dreams

The Presentation in the Temple - Luke 2:21-38

• "In obedience to the Old Law, the Lord Jesus, the first-born, was presented In the temple by his parents.

• Has an “Encounter” with 2 elderly people: Simeon and Anna, described as “prophet” and “prophetess”

• Simeon recognizes Jesus as the Messiah; proclaims a canticle, a prayer from the Old Testament and prophesizes that a “sword will pierce” Mary’s heart

• Anna also recognized Jesus as the Messiah and witnesses

• “The Second Epiphany”• “Candlemas” (modern) Light of the World

What Does This Mean For Us?

• Epiphany: Manifestation of the Divine in the ordinary• There are signs and symbols all around us about

Jesus• These are clues to his real identity• People are sent to us to open up a new space within

Wedding Feast at Cana - John 2:1-12

• Fast-forward 30 years. . .Mary and Jesus are at a wedding reception

• The family runs out of wine – how gauche!• Mary notices and tells Jesus: DO

SOMETHING!• Jesus says his time as not yet come but

still. . . He cannot refuse his Mother!• Turns water into wine---a better vintage

than before!• First public miracle

What Does This Mean for Us?• Jesus loves parties. • Jesus loves weddings.• When in need, we can enlist Mary’s help• Miracles are possible when we believe and are attentive

Mary at the Cross John 19:25-30

• Mary and other women followed Jesus to his crucifixion

• John, the “beloved apostle” was there too

• Jesus speaks to her and to John from the cross: tells John that he is now Mary’s son

• Mary witness to the suffering, death of her Son

• Jesus placed in her arms after death.

What Does This Mean For Us?• There is meaning in suffering and death if our God was

willing to endure it and Mary was willing to share it• Accompanying our loved ones through this transition is the

greatest act of love and sacrifice we can make; • When we suffer and experience tomb-like times, it is good

for both of us to have companionship

Pentecost: Acts 1:12-17• After Jesus’ ascension, the apostles and Mary,

are gathered in an upper room• The Holy Spirit comes into the room, howling

like the wind, fills them with fervor, love for Jesus

• They feel so on fire that tongues of fire appear above their heads

• Apostles go out into and convert thousands of people, speaking in many languages, in one day.

• Stands to reason that Mary went with them

What Does This Mean for Us?

• We are called to be witnesses• The Holy Spirit will empower even the weakest among us• Mary will accompany us and pray for us• The future of the Church depends on us• A personal relationship with Jesus is both transformational

and motivational

Holy Days Dedicated to Our LadyDecember 8: THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

• Basic Doctrine: Mary was free from original sin from the very beginning of her life (from conception)

• History of it is long - references in Scripture and in the early Church• IMPLICIT BELIEF:

• Scripture: genesis 3:15 - "I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed; he shall crush your head, and you shall lie in wait for his heel."

• Luke 1:28: "Hail, full of grace," (words of Angel Gabriel) grounds that to be truly full of grace, Mary must have had it always

• Apostles, early Church thought of her as extremely holy

Immaculate Conception, cont.• Chapters 1 & 2 of Luke and 1 of Matthew confirm Mary as an

exceptionally holy person "you have found grace with God. And behold, you shall conceive. . ." (Luke 1:30-31)

• It is clear that only a flawless holiness would be in any way proportionate to the sacredness of her office

• God calls and fashions His saints according to His good pleasure (Romans 8, 9).

• Mary's virginity is a sign of the extraordinary way in which divine grace fitted her for her vocation - not just at the moment of the Annunciation but extended back to the very beginning of her life

Immaculate Conception, Continued. . .

• This is a judgment the Church has made after centuries of reflection, clarification and discussion

• Pope Pius IX in 1854 defined it as a dogma of faith

Did Mary need a Redeemer?• Yes, more than even we do because

without Him, she would not have been preserved her from original sin from conception

The Assumption – August 15

"The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-Virgin

Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly

glory." (Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950)

The Assumption, How Was This Figured Out?

Scripture? Implicit, not explicit• Based on Resurrection of Christ • The new life that Christ brought transforms all humankind totally, body and

soul. • In this way, the body is meant to share in the victory of Christ over death

• Mary is most intimately joined to her Son :• Began with her conception • Free from sin and its consequences – • anyone perfectly free from sin, like Christ, would be free from the

deferment of the resurrection of the body, as Christ was

  

What Does This Mean For Us?

• We will share in resurrection of our own bodies at the end of time

• How do we know this? Promised in Scripture.

• We will be free from all sin and will be “assumed,” body and soul, into another place – the “New Jerusalem”

• Mary called “the New Eve,” replacing the Genesis story, when Adam and Eve fell into the sin inherited by all of us.

• Jesus called “the new Adam.” Starting over for the human race.

Devotions to MaryThe Rosary – a 20 decade meditation on the life of Jesus

• Three prayers: Hail Mary, Our Father, Glory Be• Four decades of 5 Mysteries: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious,

Luminous

Novenas – Nine days of Prayer for a particular cause Example: Our Lady of Guadalupe Novena right now (Dec 3 – Dec 12); many others

May Processions – Mary crowed “Queen of Heaven”

Apparitions – Appearances of Mary

MOST FAMOUS AND SANCTIONED BY THE CHURCH:

Our Lady of Guadalupe – December 12Our Lady of Lourdes – February 11

Our Lady of Fatima – May 13

MANY OTHERS – Church hesitant in declaring them real.

Ordinary Encounters with Mary

• https://youtu.be/QsXOP7aQeqQ