The birth of Jesus can never be relegated to the past. The Church cannot allow Christmas to be the victim of secularization. The evangelizing responsibility of the Church must respond to the challenge of secularization.

By celebration, teaching, witness and ministry, the Church must proclaim the message of Paul's letter to the Ephesians: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing.” (Eph 1: 1)

In many ways, the present spiritual condition of the world is very similar to the conditions that existed when Jesus was born. Spirituality was not a very high priority in the cultural patterns of the time. Yet there were exceptions.

There were many people of integrity, of faith, of holiness and especially people who were searching for meaning in their lives. These people were ready in ‘the fullness of time' for a new creation. Mary was one of these people.

Let us look at her story as we enter the final week before Christmas and draw guidance for our own lives from her spirituality.

God's plan

After the Fall, God did not leave creation without hope. The famous texts of Genesis: 3, 15, Isaiah 7: 14 and Micah 5: 2-3 promised a Saviour and eventual victory. In the early Church these texts were understood in a Marian sense.

Vatican Council II, aware of the scrutiny that modern biblical scholarship had given to these texts, stated that the Old Testament texts “as they are read in the Church and are understood in the light of a further and full revelation, bring the figure of the woman, Mother of the Redeemer, into a gradually sharper focus.”

The Council concluded that Mary is prophetically foreshadowed in the promise of victory over the serpent in Genesis and is understood as the virgin who shall conceive and bear a son whose name shall be called Emmanuel. (Constitution on the Church, N. 55)

Mary's predestination

God prepared Mary gradually for the unique vocation she was to fulfill in salvation history. As the Church understood more profoundly the meaning of the words “ full of grace ” that the angel Gabriel addressed to Mary (Lk 1: 26 -33), it understood that Mary had been chosen by the Father from before her birth for the unique vocation she would be called to fulfill.

From the first moment of her conception, Mary was preserved, by privilege and by virtue of the merits of Christ, from the stain of original sin. In its explanation of “full of grace”, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, that for Mary to be able to give her free assent to the call from God, she had to be wholly born by God's grace.

Mary's response

When Mary responded to the angel, “ I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you say ,” she identified herself as one of the poor and humble of the Lord who were confidently expecting salvation from God.

She identified herself as a person who trusted in God. Her trust enabled her to say yes even though she did not understand all the implications of her commitment. After her consent, being free from the restraints of sin, Mary gave herself wholeheartedly to her son.

The birth of Jesus

When Mary gave birth to Jesus - when the Word became flesh – she became the Mother of God. Many people struggle with the title of Mary as the Mother of God.

They ask, “How can Mary be the mother of God?” Of course the answer lies in understanding the title. The title does not mean that the Word of God (Second Person of the Blessed Trinity) received the beginning of its existence from Mary.

It means that Mary is the mother of the person Jesus who, by the will of the Father, had two natures divine and human. In that sense and in that sense only, Mary is called the Mother of God.

Since the birth of Jesus belongs to the history of redemption, it gives Mary a real relationship to us who are living in the age of redemption. She becomes our mother in the order of grace.

Her motherhood continues without interruption from her consent at the Annunciation, through the life and death of her son into her role of intercession in heaven.

Guidance for our lives

The four elements I have chosen as a context for reflecting on Mary and Christmas have some fundamental implications for any believer who truly appreciates the role of Mary in salvation history and who is seriously preparing for Christmas. Let us apply each element to our lives:

1) God's Plan. God's plan for salvation history is proclaimed to us by the Church and explained to us in catechetical ministry. Many people do not give sufficient attention to the fact that God also has a plan for us as individuals. Do we see our lives as part of unfolding salvation history?

2) Mary's Predestination. As Mary was prepared for her unique vocation, so we are prepared for our vocations. God's Spirit is always calling. Are we open to the presence of God's Spirit in our lives and the gradual preparation the Spirit offers for our vocation?

3) Mary's Response. It is important to note that Mary had a deep relationship with God before the angel appeared to her. Her graced existence enabled her to give consent. We must remember that what belonged to Mary by privilege belongs to us by grace through adoption. Grace enables us.

4) The Birth of Jesus. Mary is the Mother of God. She is our mother in the order of grace. Is this fact of faith firmly rooted in our lives? Does our spirituality embrace the God given ministry of intercession that belongs to Mary?