Today on the feast of the Holy Mother of God we see Mary marvelling<\/i> at what has happened, treasuring<\/i> the events of Christmas in her memory, and pondering<\/i> them in her heart. The image is that of the contemplative woman who ponders the marvels the Almighty has done for her and for all people. She ponders in response to what the shepherds said to her. Those simple, humble shepherds had preached the gospel to her, repeating what had been told to them by the angels, \u201cToday in the town of David, a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.\u201d It is this good news, this gospel, that she treasured and pondered over.<\/p>\n
The same gospel has been preached to us, and we are invited to treasure it, to ponder on it and to respond to it, as Mary did. Today, New Year\u2019s day, is a day when many feel drawn to make good resolutions. What better new year\u2019s resolution could we make today than that of adopting Mary\u2019s stance before the grace of God? Today\u2019s feast invites us to share in Mary\u2019s sense of awe and wonder before God\u2019s merciful love, made known to us in Christ, her son. As we look towards the new year, which begins today, we ask Mary to help us to treasure the gospel as she did, so that Christ might come to others through us as he came to us through Mary.<\/p>\n