MARY

As we approach these last days of Advent, my mind wanders to the meaning of Christmas.  Most cultures have a celebration on or close to the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, so it is no coincidence that we celebrate the birth of the Christ Child in December when the days are short, the nights are long and the earth is wrapped in a blanket of snow. 

Sometimes we get so immersed in the cultural aspects of the winter festival that we miss the significance of God coming to dwell among us. It’s a bit like an onion with each custom of feasting, decorating, gifting, singing, and shining light into the darkness representing a layer of the onion. What will we find at the centre?

Perhaps that is why during the last week of Advent, the Sunday of Love, we look to Mary.  One of the most fascinating legends about Mary is that she was not the first maiden that Gabrielle approached.  All of the other young women had excuses as to why they were unable to be Jesus’ Mother. Mary was simply the first one brave enough to say --- YES!

Once we peel away all those cultural layers that we love around Christmas, we discover that the birth of Christ was the moment that inaugurated the Kingdom of God.  And like many good rebels before and since, Jesus mother was a rebel in her own right.  Even though she knew it would not be an easy path, she said yes to the end of oppression, yes to the end of dominance and violence sanctified by state and church, and yes to the end of some humans benefitting at the expense of others.

It was the beginning of the changing of the world – a world which God dreams of for all humankind.  It is a world based on peace, justice, healing and compassion for one another.  The transformation is still in progress and each Christmas we renew our commitment to that changed world.

It is not just a story or a legend that took place over 2000 years ago. It is a story for today because just as God asked Mary to take great risks and commit to the Kingdom, God asks each of us, at some point in our life, to commit to the transformation of the world.  So, each Christmas, we must ask ourselves, will we walk away from the babe in a manger or will we say – Yes God, choose me!

May the Christmas blessings of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love be upon you all in this season of new birth.  Amen