We are in the middle of Advent. Most Christian churches observe four weeks before Christmas, a period of introspection and prayer to prepare for the birth of Christ on Christmas Day. The season in the church is known as Advent. The word itself comes from the Latin and means “arriving” or “coming”. We are waiting for Jesus. This child that is going to come will be an extraordinary event in human history, as God’s son will take our human form. It will also be an ordinary event, with its humble, simple story of the Nativity. This extraordinary ordinariness is echoed in Jesus’s mother’s story as well. Mary will be an extraordinary ordinary part of this unfolding of Salvation.

We often forget Mary; she has certainly not been regarded as an intimate part of the story of the Messiah since the Reformation. She has been a disconnect between Catholics and many Protestant churches. However, I recall visiting the Lutheran Cathedral in Oslo, Norway. There, at the main altar, was the most beautiful statue of Mary. But this is the exception to many Churches. Many Theologians have written about her role as a doctor of the Church, yet just what do we know about this woman? We often see her role in Salvation history as the new Eve. What do we know about her as a human person? Her humanity is lightly presented.

She was both a mother, a guardian, and a teacher to Jesus. She attended wedding receptions (Cana). She helped her kinswoman, Elizabeth, in the birth of her child, John the Baptist, even as she herself was with child. She and Joseph had lost Jesus on a trip to Jerusalem, only to find him in the temple, teaching. Suffering as all parents do when a child is not found, with anxiety and incrimination. When she sees her son, she says,” Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you “(Luke 2:48). Is this not like any parent happy to see him and wanting to make suffering known? Although her calling is extraordinary, filled with meaning and mystery, difficult for many to understand, she is a woman, a mother. A mother who will watch as her son is crucified, as he suffers for three long hours, slowly dying before her eyes. There are no words here, but a profound silence beyond pain. She was with him till the end. What mother can relate to this tragedy where her pain and wound have no words. Mary is deeply human.

Mary is the very symbol of a mother. Her young self will be presented with a proposal to be the mother of an extraordinary child. Her answer is all true mothers’ “be it done unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38). In her acceptance of this role, she bows to God’s will in humility and total submission.

These are very profound words, but in many ways, every mother who conceives a child must also change her life to accommodate the new person that she will carry for 9 months. They must care and rejoice as that new life grows within. Today, it is a grand celebration when a woman embraces the unselfish task of motherhood. And even after there will be hours of care, frustration, and disappointments, but also love, and memories that are gifts to our old age. When we are dying, these children you have suffered with, rejoiced with, will be there to stand by your bed. Mothers, no matter where they are, no matter what language they speak, or religion they embrace, are universal to humankind. Mothers are the glue that holds a family together.

Mary will be the mother of the Redeemer of the world, Jesus. Born as an ordinary child, clothed in human flesh, God himself looking like us in all things but sin. Mary claims no honors, no lavish rewards; she is just a mother, and like all mothers, she has given her life, her free time, her opportunities to raise and help the child.

Interestingly, Mary is honored in the Quran; only one chapter is named after a woman, and that is Mary. Mary, in the Islamic tradition, is seen as a symbol of purity and faithfulness. In the Christian tradition, she is often called the Rose of Sharon. This name is from the Song of Songs book of the bible. She is compared to a beautiful flower. The image of this flower is to associate her to simplicity, purity, and beauty.

As we move towards Christmas Day, we Christians prepare a special place for our little king to come, as we sing the beautiful hymn, “Oh come, Oh come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel”. Mary, the of Jesus, is waiting to present us with the Infant Jesus. She, in all humility and with great love, waits with us for His birth.

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for God has looked with favor on the lowliness of the Almighty’s servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is God’s name. God’s mercy is for those who fear God from generation to generation. God has shown strength with God’s arm; God has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. God has helped servant Israel, in remembrance of God’s mercy, according to the promise God made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.(Luke 1: 46-55)