Lk 2,16-21.
After the annunciation by the Angel Gabriel to Mary that she was to become the mother of Jesus, the Son of God, she went “in haste” to share her good news with her cousin Elizabeth who was herself six months pregnant with her son John the Baptist. Similarly, in today’s gospel, we hear of the shepherds going “in haste” to Bethlehem to verify the story the angels had told them about the birth of a child who was to be their “Saviour”. The only other person in Luke’s gospel who does something “in haste” is Zacchaeus (Lk 19,5f), who hurries down from the tree to welcome Jesus into his house, – Jesus “who brought salvation” to his house. Hurry and haste are the characteristic human reactions to good news of salvation which is out of the ordinary. What the angels had to say to Mary and the shepherds was new and good. It gave the shepherds a new energy and urgency to seek, find, and meet, the source of that goods news, in person.
They found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger, exactly as the angels had told them. They narrated all that the angels had said about “this child” and everyone who heard it marvelled at what the shepherds had to say about him. Luke’s distinguishing the reaction of everyone – amazement- from that of Mary, seems to imply that other people were already present with Mary and Joseph.
“But Mary treasured these things and pondered them in her heart.” She is contrasted with the others who marvelled and expressed their wonder at what the shepherds had to say about “this child”. Her earlier knowledge from the angel Gabriel about the child’s identity and destiny sets her apart from the others who marvel and gives her a unique appreciation of the mystery unfolding in the birth of Jesus. This mystery would influence every moment of her life from then onwards.
The shepherds return to the flocks glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen – the first of many in Luke’s gospel who praise God : the crowd after the cure of the paralytic (5,26); on the raising of the widow’s son at Nain (7,16); the reaction of the crippled woman healed in the synagogue on the Sabbath (13,13); the one leper (of the ten) who returned to say thanks (17,15); the blind man at Jericho (18,43); the centurion seeing the death of Jesus on the cross on Calvary (23,47). The gospel of Luke fittingly closes on a note of resounding praise of God by the apostles, who “were continually in the Temple praising God” after the Ascension, as they awaited Pentecost. (24,53.
The child is circumcised in the Temple and named Jesus, meaning, Saviour.
The Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, Son of God and Saviour of the world, is worthy of the title, Mother of God, (Theotokos), as defined by the Council of Ephesus in 431. She is our spiritual mother too.
Try to say the Hail Mary today, reflecting prayerfully on the five statements of praise we make in it about the Virgin Mary – full of grace; the Lord is with her, she is blessed among women, blessed is the fruit of her womb; she is mother of God –and the one request for her prayers at the two most important moments of our lives – now, and when we are dying .