The Christmas Gift of a Mother

We are quickly approaching Christmas. Advent is almost over. The birth of Christ is so near! 

Throughout this Advent season, as I have been trying to prepare my heart for the coming of our Savior, I have found myself thinking about the Blessed Mother and her incredible role in the life of Christ. Upon the conception of Jesus, God the Father (in His unending Mercy) decided to give us two Christmas presents: a Savior who would die for our sins in order to open the gates of Heaven, and a Mother who continues to love and pray for all of us.

Gen 3:15: I will put enmity between you (the serpent, Satan) and the woman (Mary), and between your offspring (the minions of Satan) and hers (Christ); He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel. 

I think that most of us could agree that there is no love as great as the love of a mother. So, let's think about that love for a moment...through my own mother's "yes" to God's vocation for her, she chose to be a vital contributor in giving me life. When Mary responded to the Lord with her own "yes", she did the same thing, but on a much greater scale. Mary became a vital contributor in allowing all of us the opportunity to seek Eternal Life in her Son. She sacrificed her freedom in order to help raise the Son of God. She became the holy vessel that our Lord deemed fit to enter the world through. She is an example of what all Christians should be doing: giving herself totally to the will of God. 

Mary was not a clueless young woman who just happen to stumble upon the Angel Gabriel. She was literally created with the intention of being the Mother of Jesus Christ. She was/is the woman that the Father chose out of every woman on Earth to be the Mother of God. The Fourth Commandment instructs us to honor our father and our mother...Jesus honored his mother countless times throughout the Bible, and if that isn't proof that we should do the same, I'm not sure what is. 

Luke 1:38: Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done unto me according to your word." 

I have been lucky enough to have a strong relationship with our Heavenly Mother for my whole life, but I realize that this isn't true for everyone. But the good news? The good news is that Mary is in Heaven right now, praying for you and routing for you as you journey towards the coming of the Lord. If you haven't been thinking of Mary this Advent season, I encourage you to pause for just a moment and speak with her. She knows what pain feels like...after all, she watched her only son die for sins that he didn't commit. She knows how hard it is to trust the Lord completely. She wants to go to God with your struggles, joys, accomplishments, etc., and ask for Him to bless you and guide you so that you may one day find rest in your Heavenly home.

John 19:26-27: When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

As we come closer to our Christmas celebration, take advantage of this gift (the gift of a mother) this Christmas. Find a place in your heart for Mary. She already has a place for you in hers.