Daily Gospel Reflection

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January 1, 2024

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary - the Mother of God
Lk 2:16-21
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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.

Reflection

Clare Kilbane
Professor of the Practice for the McGrath Institute for Church Life
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Across the Christmas season, the episodes of Jesus’ birth are told and retold. Though we might tire of hearing events so oft repeated, this one is an exception. It is full of drama and engages the imagination!

We can envision the shepherds, excited from their encounter, rushing to welcome Jesus. We can appreciate the wonder Mary and Joseph might have experienced as these strangers unexpectedly greet them. We can even imagine the reactions the shepherds receive when proclaiming the “Good News” to those they meet.

However, we do well to remember that the accounts of Jesus’ nativity are not merely “some story.” Rather, they are based on an actual historical event and communicate a profound truth—God loves us. What’s more, the birth of Jesus to Mary of Nazareth through the intervention of the Holy Spirit communicates the extent to which God loves. God “bends down” and becomes enfleshed out of love, becoming one of us, like us in all things but sin.

In sharing this good news, Luke emphasizes Mary’s experience. We are told that she “kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” In this, we gain a glimpse of her character and disposition. We understand how Mary’s interior actions enable her to know Christ more intimately and deepen her love for him. Likewise, her receptivity and pondering allow Mary to appreciate God’s goodness and increase her love for God.

In the spirit of this Marian Feast and New Year’s Day, I propose a resolution for us all: may we grow more like Mary! May we know Jesus more intimately as he is made known in the relationships and events of our lives. And may we ponder as Mary did so that we come to know God more fully in the year to come.

Prayer

Rev. LeRoy Clementich, C.S.C.

Gracious God, you have given us the mother of your Son to be our mother and protector. With the support of her prayers, may we grow in holiness and experience the rewards of everlasting life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Saint of the Day

Mary, Mother of God

Today’s feast, which honors Mary as the Mother of God—the one who bears Christ to the world—has been on the Church calendar since the seventh century. Given the role Mary plays in the narratives of the birth of Christ, it is appropriate that the Church honors her in the days after Christmas, and this feast falls within the octave that extends the feast of Christmas through eight days. As it says in the Catechism:

"Mary, the all-holy ever-virgin Mother of God, is the masterwork of the mission of the Son and the Spirit in the fullness of time. For the first time in the plan of salvation and because his Spirit had prepared her, the Father found the dwelling place where his Son and his Spirit could dwell among men. In this sense, the Church's Tradition has often read the most beautiful texts on wisdom in relation to Mary. Mary is acclaimed and represented in the liturgy as the 'Seat of Wisdom.'"

— CCC 721

Relief outside Malloy Hall on campus

The chapel in Malloy Hall, which houses theology and philosophy programs and faculty, is named after Mary, Seat of Wisdom. A bas-relief of Mary with Jesus, pictured above, is placed on the exterior wall of that chapel. Today's featured image of the statue of Mary and Jesus stands in the Log Chapel.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us in this new year!