The Divine Simplicity of The Divine Motherhood
On Christmas Eve, I found myself pondering upon those first silent nights. The Divine Motherhood, sweetly rocking to sleep the Savior of the world.
Every approaching new year, I ask Christ for my word for the year. My word this past year was "revitalize" the previous year, "gaze" and the word laid upon my heart for this upcoming new year is "simplicity."
The holiday season is filled with so much hustle and bustle, and festivities galore. It can be easy to let the quiet simplicity of Christmas pass us by. On Christmas Eve, I found myself pondering upon those first silent nights. The Divine Motherhood, sweetly rocking to sleep the Savior of the world.
The divine simplicity, of Mary nursing the Baby Jesus at Her breast. For a Woman’s womb bore the Savior, and nourished Him with Her milk. What could be more beautiful than this? God did not come down from heaven arrayed in gold as a king, He came as a baby within the womb, He came as a baby dependent on His Mother's milk.
In those holy silent nights, we find womanhood defined, and discover that at the heart of God, you can find family. The story of salvation, finds its rejoicing within the womb. Behold how the weary world rejoices, for God is made man, in the womb of a Virgin.
Do we comprehend the fact of God becoming a baby? A God so great, became so small, for our sake. In the words of Saint Therese of Lisieux, “A God who became so small, could only be love and mercy.” The small God, reveals to us colossal truths.
The infant Jesus, reveals to us The Divine Motherhood that is Mary. We find womanhood defined in the Christmas story. For there is no greater privilege for a woman than to be The Mother of God. What does it mean to be The Mother of God? It means to nourish, cherish, soothe, and to nurture. To nourish, He who created the milk in a mother’s breast; to cherish, He who is the Creator of all that is good; to nurture, He who created the sweet and tender heart of a mother. To be The Mother of God, means to mother He who created the heart of a mother. In Mary, we see the incredible truth of God’s love for women made manifest. For God proclaims the need and beauty of true womanhood, because He Himself chose to be under the care of one as a little child. Do we ponder upon the fact that Jesus Christ who is the Word Incarnate, perhaps had His first words be “Mama?”
“Her lips helped the Word of God form His first words.” - Saint John Damascus on The Blessed Virgin
In Mary, we discover what is means to be a woman, and we find motherhood made holy. Women, who are called to be living reflections of Mary, are to look to Her for guidance in sanctifying motherhood. For babies who are made in the image and likeness of God, resemble the infant Jesus. For the Christian home, is supposed to resemble the Holy Family of Nazareth.
In Mary, we find God’s plan for women revealed. In Mary we find the astounding beauty of what it means to be God’s Mother.
“If you could have preexisted your mother (not artistically, but really), would you not have made her the most perfect woman that ever lived- one so beautiful she would have been the sweet envy of all women, and one so gentle and so merciful that all other mothers would have sought to imitate her virtues? Why, then, should we think that God would do otherwise? "But God not only thought of His Mother in eternity; He also had Her in mind at the beginning of time. In the beginning of history, when the human race fell through the solicitation of a woman, God spoke to the devil and said, "I will establish a feud between thee and the Woman, between thy offspring and Hers; She is to crush thy head, while thou dost lie in wait at Her heels.” (Genesis 3:15). God was saying that, if it was by a woman that man fell, it would be through a woman that God would be revenged. Whoever His Mother would be, She would certainly be blessed among women, and because God Himself chose Her, He would see to it that all generations would call Her blessed." - Venerable Fulton Sheen, from the book “The World’s First Love”
It's in those seemingly simple moments that we find the greatest holiness. For Mary teaches us that there is nothing mundane about motherhood, but that motherhood is a means for sanctification. For on earth The Queen of Heaven could simply be found sweeping the kitchen floors, and washing the dishes. The greatest Woman who was, and will ever live was a stay at home wife and mother, and there is no woman more exalted than Her. For God says that the humble will be exalted, and the proud brought to ruin. There is no woman to be praised more than She who soothed God, for there is no greater glory for a woman than to be She whose womb contained He who dwells in Heaven.
The Creator of the stars chose to become an unborn baby, and develop in the womb. This tells us, that the womb is holy, and the womb is sacred. Motherhood is holy, and motherhood is sacred. The things of God, are all so simple, yet all so divine. May we all ponder upon The Divine Simplicity of The Divine Motherhood, and be filled with wonder and awe for the beauty and truth that the infant Jesus has revealed to us.
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and a very happy New Year. May the divine simplicity consume your hearts with joy, enkindling in them the fire of Christ's love. May the Mother of God smile upon you, gracing you with the love for holy simplicity.
Serviam.
Contrary to the secularists who toss their Christmas Tree’s out on the 26th, the Christmas season is far from being over, with the twelve days of Christmas being the days that follow Christmas Day. So keep your nativity scene out on display, and your Christmas Tree aglow; and enjoy relishing in the divine simplicity of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
December 30th is the Sixth Day of Christmas and the Feast of The Holy Family, of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
“The hidden life at Nazareth allows everyone to enter into fellowship with Jesus, by the most ordinary events of daily life.”- Catechism of The Catholic Church 533