In our nativity scenes, the image of the Blessed Mother draws our line of sight from her eyes to the Infant Jesus. And that is as it should be. Mary captures our hearts in the Christmas story. Her story evokes the dilemma of a young unwed mother, the challenge of a pregnancy in difficult times, the heartbreak of a son killed in the course of his mission.
However, the Gospel of Luke, our chief source for the story of the Blessed Mother, would have us focus on a deeper dimension. Scripture scholar Fr. Raymond Brown links the Mary whom we see in the infancy stories with her portrayal later in the Gospel. As the Christmas story concludes, we hear that Mary “treasured all these things in her heart.” This phrase connects us to a scene in Luke 8, where Mary and other family members come to where Jesus is preaching.
Jesus proclaims, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” This is the standard for discipleship: to hear the word and put it into action. From the Annunciation, through Jesus’ birth and beyond, Mary is the model of the faithful disciple, drawing us close to Jesus.
—adapted from the book Advent with the Saints: Daily Reflections
by Greg Friedman, OFM
