Praying and Reflecting with Mary

We’re only two days away from celebrating Christ’s birth, and during this time a good spiritual exercise is to stay with Mary and pray with her, reflecting on how She felt in these final days before Her life changed forever. It certainly must have been overwhelming and yet exciting to know that the Messiah was coming, and that She was to be His mother. I would imagine though, that the predominant feeling She had was nervousness, and perhaps feeling incredibly insecure and unsure of Her own ability to raise the Son of God.

How can I do this?, She must have thought. I am only human. Are you sure you want me for this Lord? But just as at the Annunciation, She must have surely been immediately comforted and reassured, and told to dismiss those thoughts and trust in God. He would be with Her and show Her what to do every step of the way. There was also the flurry of preparations that come with getting ready to welcome any baby. Plus, right before her due date they were summoned to travel to Bethlehem to participate in the census. There were many distractions that threatened to pull Mary away from spending time with God in prayer and meditation and instead focus on the worldly aspects of having a baby and being a parent. Mary knew, however, that She needed to stay close to God and rely on Him, because this wasn’t just any baby. Jesus was to be the Son of God and save His people from their sins. So She stayed present in every moment, drawing strength from God and asking Him to help Her overcome Her weaknesses and insecure thoughts in order to see Him alone and be the best mother She could be.

As we pray with Mary, we should also look at how the things She must have thought and felt apply to our own lives and what Jesus and Mary are trying to tell us through this meditation. What situations do we feel like we’re not ready for or worthy to take charge of that God might be calling us to? Are there distractions in our daily life that threaten to take away from our prayer life and are we letting them? How can we use Mary’s faith and determination to remain close to God in our own lives and trust Him to lead us through scary times?

In these last two days before Christmas, let’s walk with Mary and explore in our hearts and minds what She must have been feeling right before the birth of Christ. We will be more equipped to celebrate this great feast as well as gain insight into how to deal with similar situations in our own lives. Mary was human just like us with real human thoughts and emotions, and She is always ready to help us when we experience the same thoughts and feelings.