Feast of Mary’s Nativity
Reflection
Miriam of Nazareth abides in the circle of disciples as our sister, a poor woman of the people to whom God has done great things; a young Spirit-filled Jewish woman finding her joy in God; a woman vulnerable to violence in a patriarchal setting; a friend of God who made her own difficult choices with courage; a prophet who announced the awesome changes God’s coming would bring about in this world; …a woman with a questioning mind who pondered what God was doing in her life…She kept faith.
Truly Our Sister, Elizabeth Johnson
Prayer
Holy Mary, blessed are you among women.
Action
Reflect on the real woman Mary in the reality of her life context. What can you learn from her?
Suggested Reading
My soul magnifies the
and my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
The Magnificat
Whenever we look to Mary, we come to believe once again in the revolutionary nature of love and tenderness. In her we see that humility and tenderness are not virtues of the weak but of the strong who need not treat others poorly in order to feel important themselves.
Pope Francis
If Christ and Jesus are the archetypes of what God is doing, Mary is the archetype of how to receive what God is doing and hand it on to others.
Richard Rohr
Mary is “truly our sister”, who as a poor and humble woman fully shared our lot.
Pope Paul VI
Not just Mary’s face but the face of every woman is created as an imago Dei. Not just Mary’s vocation but that of every woman and man is to partner Holy Wisdom in bringing about the reign of mercy and peaceful justice.
Elizabeth Johnson
We find in Mary a woman who, like many women today, experiences fear related to her calling, finds strength and empowerment in her relationship with other women, and is emboldened to prophetically proclaim a message that inspires fear in the patriarchal powers of the world.
Natalie Webb
“…the reconstruction of Mary as a Jewish mother gradually becoming a disciple within the Jesus movement may be difficult and long-coming….But popular religious devotion does not bear this burden. People hear the gospel stories from the point of view of their own historical predicament. Mary represents to them the fullness of personhood, a paradigm of human goodness whose universality transcends time, sex, race and nationality…a guide for behavior, a hope for tomorrow, the courage to keep on going a little longer.”
Mary DeCock, BVM
Note:
Congratulations to all the Sisters of St. Joseph who today are celebrating the 50th, 60th, 70th, 75th ,80ih anniversaries of their entrance into the congregation! We are grateful for your fidelity, dedication and years of service in all areas of ministry. May you continue to be blessed in the years ahead!