Homily Notes for The Feast of the Solemnity of Mary
The Feast of the Solemnity of Mary/ January 1, 1017
“The Most Important Woman in the World”
Who is the most powerful woman in the world? Some might say it is Angela Merkel chancellor of Germany. Others might say it is Theresa May the prime minister of Britain. But it is interesting that a secular publication revealed its choice last December. National Geographic said that the Blessed Virgin is the most powerful woman in the world.
Somehow it is hard for us to understand that. The Blessed Virgin Mary, after all, has not walked the earth for 2,000 years. We also do not have a lot in scripture to refer to. She speaks only a few lines in Bible. Most of these words are in the Gospel of Luke. She is silent in Matthew. She speaks in Gospel of John only at the wedding feast at Cana. In the Gospel of Mark, she is barely mentioned.
The perception that we have of Mary is like what we see in the Gospel story we read today. We hear of the shepherds coming to visit the infant Jesus. The shepherds are excited. Perhaps they spoke of the angels who appeared to them to tell them to come. We hear that they glorify and praise God. After all this occurs, we are told, the shepherds go out to tell anyone who will listen of their experiences.
Two facts should strike us about this story. One is that the shepherds seem unlikely witnesses for this great event. We could say that they represent all the outcasts of the world. Shepherds were not highly thought of for they were ritually unclean since they took care of animals. Also, they could not practice their religion as well as others could. Because they were constantly out in the fields. Seldom would they keep the Sabbath for they were working. Nor could they take part in temple worship. The shepherds were outliers who lived on the fringe of society like most of Jesus’ enthusiastic followers.
The other thing that strikes us is this idea that Mary reflects on all the events of Jesus’ life in her heart. Such is the existence of a contemplative. A prayerful person looks at the events of life trying to find a deeper meaning. We should not be deceived however. Prayer is seldom an end in itself. Very prayerful persons become fully holy if the prayer leads to action. One of the Gospel Narratives that gives us a real sense of who Mary is revolves around the Story of the Visitation. Mary goes to visit her pregnant cousin. At the end of that story we have Mary’s Magnificat. In that poem, she speaks of how the lowly will be lifted, the mighty will be cast down. She speaks of social justice. We get a sense of her convictions.
All of this leads us back to the Magazine article. The author of the piece is a woman named Maureen Orth. She traveled around the world visiting places where there have been apparitions of Mary throughout the centuries. Just in the last 450 years, various people have claimed Mary has appeared over 2,000 times. Not all of Mary’s appearances are thought to be miraculous, but 16 have been declared so by the Vatican after painstaking investigation. But there are some common denominators should strike us. Yes, when Mary speaks she calls for greater prayerfulness. She has asked for people to be more moral, but there is something more.
When she appears, it is usually to children, the poor, the powerless, to modern day shepherds. She has also shown up before tragedy strikes. Somehow it is if she is appealing for people to turn away from the worst inclinations. We remember, for instance, her appearance at Fatima Portugal where she appeared six times to three shepherd Children in 1917. Mary seemed to predict the coming of the Second World War. Another apparition happened in 1982 in Kebeho, Rwanda in Africa. Mary appeared to three children. On August 15th 1982 Mary appeared and predicted the genocide that was to happen in the country 12 years later. As she spoke to the children of this, Mary cried. In 1994 800,000 were brutally murdered as there was an attempt to wipe a whole race of people.
The most consoling aspects of the apparitions of Mary are that after she appears healing usually follows. We recall Lourdes France where she appeared to St. Bernadotte, a simple peasant girl, in 1858. Bernadotte dug in the ground when Mary told her to and a spring appeared. People have bathed in the waters since. 80,000 sick people travel to Lourdes every year. 69 confirmed miracles have happened. Numerous other healings have taken place where Mary has been seen.
As we begin a new year we know that our world is in trauma. Anger abounds. Racial tension is high. Wars rage. Nations and peoples distrust each other. Some have said we were in another World War, but we just don’t recognize it. Doesn’t January 1st seem like a good day to ask for Mary’s intercession? Perhaps she can bring healing. Also, doesn’t it seem like a good day to ask about our own prayer life? Does our prayer lead to action? Are our actions motivated by our faith? Mary shows us the way. She is, after all, the most important woman in the world.
Please note this is a rough draft, grammar may not be perfect.