AS THE NEW liturgical year begins, the season of Advent introduces three major characters through the readings. The season begins with the prophesies of Isaiah, bringing the message of hope to the Israelites who were in captivity in Babylon. From Isaiah, the liturgy moves on to introduce the last of the prophets—John the Baptist—with an urgent message to wake up and get ready to receive the long awaited Messiah. He acts like a court official, assigned with the job of the traditional chant prior to the entry of a king into the court room: “All rise…!”
After the Baptist, comes the turn of the Blessed Virgin Mary to take centre-stage to guide us through the season to the feast of Christmas. Mary remains the beloved—‘the favoured one’ of God and hence, enjoys the essential and attractive niche in the Church calendar. Wherever the Church has spread, there are signs of profound veneration of Our Lady. Christmas is not only the celebration of the Holy Infant in the manger, it is also the celebration of his Holy Mother and her husband Blessed Joseph. The Church venerates the Mother of God with two major feast days in December.
The first is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, when Catholics proclaim that Mary, from the first moment of her conception in her mother’s womb, was preserved from all stains of impurities. Through the dogma of Immaculate Conception and its solemnity, the Church rejoices in God’s infinite mercy in allowing humans to be born in his infinite grace. Hence, on the occasion of the Annunciation, the angel addresses Mary as “full of grace!”
With the example of Mary, the Church exhorts her children to partake in this mission of Mary to be free of sin, because every child is born in original grace of God. And this mission takes us further—to “conceive” the Word in our lives and, like Mary, to bring forth Christ to God’s people. Thus, the feast of the Immaculate Conception is a reminder that every Christian has the special call to “be free of sin” and thus be “full of grace.”
The second moment comes a few days later on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, on December 12, which commemorates the appearance of our Blessed Mother to Juan Diego in Mexico in 1531. The apparition revealed God’s love for the people and reminded them that they were his beloved children. In the years that immediately followed, millions of people converted to the Christian faith. The feast day is for all Christians a stirring reminder of Mary’s maternal care.
And finally, on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, as Christmas approaches, Mary takes her rightful place in the centre of the liturgical stage. The gospels present the accounts of the Annunciation and the Visitation, both critical events in the Christmas story.
Mary is the patron of the season of Advent. From her we learn the virtues of faith, trust, courage and devotion. When you pause before the Nativity scene this Christmas, look into Mary’s eyes. She is looking at Jesus. That’s Mary’s eternal vocation—to lead us to Jesus.
That’s why Saint John Paul II encourages us to learn from Mary to meditate on the face of Jesus because, “No one has ever been so devoted to the contemplation of the face of Christ as faithfully as Mary.” joseCMF
