Psalm Reflection: The Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God - Cycle A

“May God bless us in his mercy.” - Psalm 67

This Sunday is the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. It is always celebrated on January 1st, and we are lucky this year that is falls on a Sunday so we can all be reminded of the example of Mary as we begin a new year.

In a sense, Mary was the first one to be blessed by God’s mercy. She was conceived without sin, and the Church teaches that the freedom from sin was won for her by Jesus on the cross, and retroactively applied to her in the womb. Mary still needed a Savior, because without Jesus she would have no hope to be preserved from sin.

Even so, Mary did not have everything figured out. When the archangel Gabriel came to her she was “greatly troubled” by the angels greeting, wondering what could be going on (Luke 1:29). Gabriel comes and drops the mother of all bombs in Mary’s lap, and then leaves. 

Mary says yes to the Lord, saying, “let it be done to me,” but she still has to tell Joseph (Luke 1:38). She still has to deal with the potential fallout from friends, family, and the community at large who abided by the Torah, which commanded stoning for any woman who was found to be with child by a man other than her husband.

Mary teaches us that saying “yes” to Jesus is never easy, but it is always worth it. Supernatural and abundant grace overflow when we follow the Lord, but we will still have trials and experience suffering. 

As we enter this New Year, what is it that God is asking you to say “yes” to? Maybe that “yes” means saying “no” to something else: a relationship, an opportunity, a sin, addiction, vice or bad habit. Whatever it is, look to Mary to pray for you and inspire you to say the difficult “yes” you need to say this year to grow deeper in relationship with Jesus and live authentically as a disciple.

If Mary needed God’s mercy, you need it too. The best way we can receive it is to say “yes” to Him, and remove anything from our lives that gets us in the way or pulls us toward sin. Whatever those things are for you, let them inform your New Year’s resolutions and invite Mary to walk with you as you commit to them in 2023.

I am praying for you, please pray for me and I will see you in the Eucharist.

Matt