This December, a series of daily Advent, devotional postings is running from December 1st to December 25th. Journey beside Mary, the Mother of God, as she waits for the birth of Jesus.
STRENGTH
Scripture:
A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feat, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth (Revelation 12:1-2).
Quote of the Day: “Mary is the shortest, quickest, and easiest path to Jesus” (St. Louis de Montfort).
Song Suggestions:
“What Child is This?” by Martina McBride
“Mary, Did You Know?” by Rascal Flatts
Questions: Will I rest with Mary at the end of my Advent journey? Will I rely on her for my journey to heaven?
MIND
Yesterday was a tiring day for Mary and Joseph. Jesus was born late at night, and they were filled with joy. Shepherds came and worshiped Him. It was a beautiful, holy night.
Today, Mary and Joseph fall back into the hay and sleep. Baby Jesus is pretty tired too, and He rests in His Mother’s arms. Mother and Son sleep soundly. They had quite a journey here and they deserve to rest and simply dwell in each other’s presence.
Their journey of waiting for Jesus’ birth is over. He is here. Mary has a soft smile on her lips as she sleeps deeply, her arms encircling her Beloved God. Jesus’ head settles on her breast.
They will remain here until God calls them to set off again.
(Scriptural Reference and Inspiration: Luke 2)
HEART
Dearest and littlest of my children,
You have made yourself ready for the coming of my Son (Rev 19:7). I see that you look back on your journey. You see it as hard and imperfect. Fear not. When you faithfully journey beside me, by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:5), each of your imperfections is made perfect (Hebrews 10:14-18).
You may wonder what it is you are supposed to do now. I tell you, I thought the same thing when Jesus was born. A whole other journey awaited us—a flight to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15). Then, a new life in Nazareth (Matthew 2:19-23). Then, the passion and resurrection of my Son (Matthew 26-28; Mark 14-16; Luke 22-24; John 18-21). Next, living without my Son, but with the Holy Spirit, the Advocate (John 16:7; Acts 1:2-5; Acts 2:1-4). Finally, my journey to Heaven (Rev 12:1-2). And now, I accompany my many children on their journeys.
Know, dearest and littlest of my children, that there is an end to your journeying. A pilgrimage has a destination (1 Cor 9:24-25). You will certainly weary of journeying and that is because you crave the fulfillment of being Home with me and my Son. I will not rest until I see you before the Throne of my Son (John 14:2-4).
I adjure you to ask for graces. I have a surplus of graces available. They are yours if you but ask of them (Ephesians 2:8).
I adjure you to rest when I give you the opportunity. This is for you to rebuild your strength and receive many graces (Matthew 11:28-30).
When your times of trial and suffering come, I adjure you to call upon me and the graces I have already stored for you (2 Cor 12:8-10).
When the hour of your death arrives, I adjure you to be at peace, for you rest in my arms (John 14:27).
When you stand before the Judgment Throne of my Son (2 Cor 5:10), I adjure you to turn to me, so I may beseech Him on your behalf, as a mother does so for her child.
When you come home, I tell you, I will kneel beside you at the Throne of the Blessed Trinity (Rev 20:11-12). Together, we will be a part of an infinite exchange of Love (1 John 4:13-19).
My Son is here. Go out to welcome Him (Matthew 25:6).
Your Lady in Waiting,
Mary, Mother of God
SOUL
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Mary, teach me how to wait.
5 thoughts on “Your Lady in Waiting”
Peter, you so eloquently put the life of Mary in the two last sentences of your Dec 27th comment. Many couldn’t have said it better themselves. Mary was the first “Christian,” she LITERALLY received Her Savior, and they shared the same blood. I highly recommend “The Lamb’s Supper” by professor, author and speaker Dr. Scott Hahn, a former Presbyterian who finally was given “eyes to see.” God bless. TF
Pentecost enabled the permanent presence of her Son within her and within us.
Mary is implied throughout Scripture such as Genesis 3:15 in which she would crush the serpent and there wouId be enmity between the serpent and the offspring of the woman. Another example is the teachings of the Holy Spirit. Mary is the spouse of the Holy Spirit and when we read Bible verses about the Holy Spirit, Mary’s role can be implied. The Bible verses that I referenced are of God. Mary is a true woman of God who held in her womb the Word made flesh. Therefore, when I put Scripture verses together, it is implied that Mary agrees with them and wants to proclaim the Word to us children.
All of us need to agree with the verses of Scripture pertaining to Christ and to act on them. We can read them for ourselves because Scripture was compiled by the Church in the fourth century and is now widely available for us.
I assume that Mary received the Spirit of her Son within her at Pentecost along with the other 120 disciples. Our role of faith and trust in God is also implied as was Mary’s role; otherwise, we cannot have the Holy Spirit.
When we have the Spirit of Christ within us, we have an immediate connection with Christ that imparts grace to us when we yield to the Spirit.
Most of the verses of Scripture that are referenced do not refer to Mary. Are there any verses in Scripture that point to Mary as a participant in what is written in those verses?