Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God

In reviewing last year's post on this day, I see that I totally ignored my resolution to stop posting the previous year's posts.

Ah, well. I shall not make that mistake again this year. This year, I resolve not to resolve anything about reposting because, let's face it, an old post is always a new post to someone out there, and therefore, there's no reason to resolve a thing. And so, I now present a post that is in its third incarnation, with the hope that it will be of use to someone, because revisiting this post is so useful to me each year.

Have a blessed feast day!

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(from January 1, 2007, and January 1, 2006 ... and the infatuation continues ....) :

New year's resolution: Stop posting last year's posts.

Note to self: Don't start that resolution until after Epiphany.

Note to readers: This was first posted last year on this day.

I dislike comparing myself to Mary, because it's akin to holding my Sculpey creations next to Michelangelo's Pieta and asking what kind of artist I am. The differences are glaring, apparent, painful to see and ultimately laughable. But, I do it anyway, because it's good spiritual exercise.

Mary was a wife and mother, as am I. Mary cooked meals, cleaned house, and did laundry, as do I. There the comparisons end.

I imagine home life with Mary and I envision peacefulness, a serene atmosphere pervading all, because she knew that the mundane tasks of each moment were a necessary part of the whole. The meal of the day, the washing, the tidying and the clean-up of dishes ... everything had import and was approached as such. She simply did it because that is part of what the mother of Jesus needed to do.

This year, I will strive to be more Mary-like in my household tasks, approaching them with greater serenity and acceptance, knowing that all things have import and that my duties as a mother and a keeper of our home are a necessary part of the whole.

I imagine affection, warmth and laughter in the home of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. (I loved the scene in The Passion of the Christ in which Mary and Jesus are joking and laughing about tables and chairs.)

This year, I'll thank God for all the laughter in our home, knowing He is the author of such joy, and I'll strive to find and hold on to the humor in those inevitable homeschooling days that crop up (you know ... the ones that will not, at first glance, seem to hold any humor.)

Mary's faith was bare and heroic, as Romano Guardini writes in this amazing article, reprinted at Godspy. Again and again, she had to endure pain and separation and yet her faith did not, could not, waver.

This year, in my life and walk with God, when I feel distance from Him, though I can't resolve to have such faith (as only God can grant it) I can resolve to pray for it, to ask to be more like Mary in my faith.

I doubt that Mary would have blogged ... she would have pondered my mostly pitiable musings in her heart, rather than blabbing them to the world. She pondered, she prayed, she listened.

This year, though I'm not sure I can resolve not to blog (or blab, as it were) since I'm still in the throes of infatuation with this stuff, I can resolve to continue pondering things in my heart, and ask the Lord to make the answers to my ponderings clearer to me. If God however, asked me to quit blogging, I would. He'd have to be very loud and clear about it, though.

Like Mary, I pray I'll be listening.


(Painting: Polish Madonna)

9 comments:

Kristen Laurence said...

This is beautiful, Karen. I love that you brought to light that Our Lady too, swept floors and washed clothes, but approached those tasks with love and purpose. How I long to imitate Her with you!

Have a lovely Feast and a Happy New Year!

Anonymous said...

I'm glad you posted this again, Karen. I'm one of those who missed it the last two times around. Even if I hadn't missed it, it's worth the re-read...which I expect to do, at that! It couldn't be more appropriate to the attitude I'm hoping to cultivate in myself and my home this year.

So, thank you! And repost away. I'm loving it.

Warmly,
Eileen

sarah said...

Thank you for reposting this. Being relatively new to your weblog, I'd never seen it before. I followed the link to the article and found it absolutely soul-stirring and transformative.

Even the picture in your post was deeply touching.

Many blessings to you, you bring such humour and joy to our lives.

Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle said...

Karen,

I just ewanted to stop by to tell you that I have been thinking of you and I wish you a (belated) Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and a beautiful feast day!

God bless and love,
Donna

Sarah Reinhard said...

Karen, I love recycled posts! :) (Because, often, I get something extra out of them if it's not my first time reading them, or also often, I haven't seen them before!) And maybe Mary would have blogged. Pondering, for me, involves working things out by writing. And if comments were turned off on her blog, and she didn't share her email address, then we would all benefit from just what her pondering was, right? (And that, my friend, is a lame "Mary might have done it" defense of blogging.)

Jill said...

Thanks for the repost. Lovely. I loved that seen in the movie as well. :)

Alice Gunther said...

Please don't ever stop re-posting!!!!

Anything you write is always appreciated every time!

Anonymous said...

So comforting to remember that Mary was a homemaker, too! Thanks for this uplifting and inspiring post! I love everything you write.

Anonymous said...

Karen,

I am a new visitor. Thank you for a wonderful post on Our Lady. Please come visit me on my new blog.

May God Bless you in 2008! Kathy