Reflection for Wednesday, Dec. 8
Madonna and Child sculpture, first floor Monastery Building
As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, we remember that Mary was kept free from sin by the grace of God so that she could have the opportunity to bear God’s only Son to the world, an opportunity she says “yes” to in this gospel. This gospel is the very beginning of what we know as the Holy Family: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. In an extended sense, it is the very beginning of our story as the Holy Family of Jesus’ disciples, as the Church, and as a particular community centered around Holy Family Retreat Center.
The most striking aspect of this gospel for me is Gabriel’s mention of Elizabeth’s pregnancy to Mary. I know from my theological background that Luke’s gospel emphasizes the parallel infancy narratives of Jesus and John the Baptist in these early chapters, but, as a mother myself, this side note from the archangel seems almost like a subtle suggestion for Mary: “Go be with your family. You are not going through this alone.”
I have two young children so I can relate to this message very well. I found support and guidance during my pregnancies (and after) from my sisters, cousins, mother, and friends. The bonds of kinship and mutual support that Mary and Elizabeth shared literally gave birth to a Church. And the love that flowed between them has coursed down through the ages, across centuries and continents, from woman to woman, keeping a Church alive.
This is what it means to be a Holy Family. We are not going through this alone. We count on each other for support. On this feast, we can sometimes think of Mary as an abstract theological singularity. Today, let us remember: she was part of a family.
Jaclyn Terranova