The Blessed Virgin Mary

The Twenty-first Day of December A-1

Entrance Antiphon Cf. Is 7: 14; 8: 10 The Lord and Ruler will be coming soon, and his name will called be Emmanuel, because he will be called God‑with‑us.

Collect Hear in kindness, O Lord, the prayers of your people, that those who rejoice at the coming of your Only Begotten Son in our flesh may, when at last he comes in glory, gain the reward of eternal life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

(December 21) St. Peter Canisius (1521-1597) The energetic life of Peter Canisius should demolish any stereotypes we may have of the life of a saint as dull or routine. Peter lived his 76 years at a pace which must be considered heroic, even in our time of rapid change. A man blessed with many talents, Peter is an excellent example of the scriptural man who develops his talents for the sake of the Lord’s work. He was one of the most important figures in the Catholic Counter-Reformation in Germany. His was such a key role that he has often been called the “second apostle of Germany” in that his life parallels the earlier work of Boniface. Although Peter once accused himself of idleness in his youth, he could not have been idle too long, for at the age of 19 he received a master’s degree from the university at Cologne. Soon afterwards he met Peter Faber, the first disciple of Ignatius Loyola, who influenced Peter so much that he joined the recently formed Society of Jesus. At this early age Peter had already taken up a practice he continued throughout his life—a process of study, reflection, prayer and writing. After his ordination in 1546, he became widely known for his editions of the writings of St. Cyril of Alexandria and St. Leo the Great. Besides this reflective literary bent, Peter had a zeal for the apostolate. He could often be found visiting the sick or prisoners, even when his assigned duties in other areas were more than enough to keep most people fully occupied. In 1547 Peter attended several sessions of the Council of Trent, whose decrees he was later assigned to implement. After a brief teaching assignment at the Jesuit college at Messina, Peter was entrusted with the mission to Germany—from that point on his life’s work. He taught in several universities and was instrumental in establishing many colleges and seminaries. He wrote a catechism that explained the Catholic faith in a way which common people could understand—a great need of that age. Renowned as a popular preacher, Peter packed churches with those eager to hear his eloquent proclamation of the gospel. He had great diplomatic ability, often serving as a reconciler between disputing factions. In his letters (filling eight volumes) one finds words of wisdom and counsel to people in all walks of life. At times he wrote unprecedented letters of criticism to leaders of the Church—yet always in the context of a loving, sympathetic concern. At 70 Peter suffered a paralytic seizure, but he continued to preach and write with the aid of a secretary until his death in his hometown (Nijmegen, Netherlands) on December 21, 1597. When asked if he felt overworked, Peter replied, "If you have too much to do, with God's help you will find time to do it all." Peter’s untiring efforts are an apt example for those involved in the renewal of the Church or the growth of moral consciousness in business or government. He is regarded as one of the creators of the Catholic press, and can easily be a model for the Christian author or journalist. Teachers can see in his life a passion for the transmission of truth. Whether we have much to give, as Peter Canisius did, or whether we have only a little to give, as did the poor widow in the Gospel (see Luke 21:1–4), the important thing is to give our all. It is in this way that Peter is so exemplary for Christians in an age of rapid change when we are called to be in the world but not of the world.

Scripture: Songs 2:8-14 or Zephaniah 3:14-18a; Psalm 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21; Luke 1:39-45

Mary set out in those days went with haste into the hill country to a town of Judah. She entered the house of Zachary, and saluted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary the infant leaped in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. How is it that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold as soon as the voice of your salutation reached my ears the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who have believed because those things which were announced to you by the Lord will be accomplished.” (Luke 1:39-45)

The Blessed Virgin Mary The classic Protestant position has been suspicious of honour rendered to Mary as taking away from that due to Christ, and even in some instances as replacing what is due to him. This is much less the case now when some Protestant theologians are appreciating anew the figure of Mary in Scripture. Indeed, many claim that Mary will be a uniting force within ecumenism. Years ago I was told that the great Evangelical Protestant preacher Billy Graham reminded his audience that Mary is the mother of the Saviour. Be that as it may, St Luke, in telling his readers that it was precisely when Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit that she uttered her words, was informing us that the praise of Mary came from the heart of God. It is not hard to see in the Gospels clear evidence of the infant Church’s veneration for Mary. By means of the precious recollections contained in his infancy account, St Luke was sanctioning and nourishing for the future the honour given to Mary by the infant Church. Our Gospel passage for today is an obvious case in point. St Luke reports the rapture of praise for Mary uttered by her kinswoman Elizabeth, and surely his interest in doing so reflects the sentiment for Mary of the apostolic Church. So then, let us contemplate her who is the principal protagonist of our passage today. Out of concern for her relative who was advanced in years, Mary went in haste to the hill country of Judah and entered the house of Zachary and Elizabeth. Consider the scene! Holy Mary was there. So was Elizabeth who was — together with her husband Zachary — “just before God, walking in all the commandments and justifications of the Lord without blame.” In that house, then, there were three excellent specimens of Old Testament religion, and one of them (Mary) was the very best. As well as this, the unborn Messiah and his Precursor were present in the womb. The Holy Spirit was very active and at this instant moving Elizabeth to utter her inspired words in a “loud voice.” Let us consider her words.

Mary is “most blessed among women,” and “blessed” is her unborn child. Mary herself will respond by acknowledging that all generations will call her blessed — because of her child. So she is most blessed, suggesting her unparalleled status among Christ’s faithful. She is the foremost servant of the Lord, the first and greatest Christian. Elizabeth humbly and full of gratitude asks how is it that she has been so honoured as to receive a visit from the mother of her Lord. It was because of her deep love and veneration for God and for her unborn Lord, that she was so appreciative of the visit to her of the Queen mother, the mother who had arrived to assist her. The history of God’s chosen people was reaching its crescendo and both Mary and Elizabeth knew it. Elizabeth carried a second Elijah who would go before the Lord to prepare a people fit for him, and in Mary the Lord himself had arrived, being carried in the womb by her, his holy mother. So Mary is mother of the Lord and most blessed among women. Not only did Elizabeth exult but her child exulted too, for “at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,” she said, “the infant in my womb leaped for joy.” Elizabeth tells us more about the blessedness of the Virgin Mary. She was especially blessed because of her faith in the word of God. “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” Mary was blessed because of her calling to be the mother of the Messiah the Son of God. She was blessed for being full of grace and having the Lord with her, as the Angel Gabriel stated. She was especially blessed in her faith. She believed totally “that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled.” Mary, the mother of Christ, is the greatest of Christ’s disciples in her faith. In all that happened subsequent to these words of Elizabeth, Mary did not once doubt that all that God had promised would be fulfilled.

Let us resolve to share in the attitude of Elizabeth towards Mary the mother of Christ. Let us love and venerate her as most blessed among women, blessed especially for her faith in God and in his word. Let us understand that just as Mary was Elizabeth’s help, so she is the help of all Christians. She, the blessed virgin Mary, will help us be what she was so pre‑eminently, a true servant of the Lord.

(E.J.Tyler)

----------------------