Come Into The Word with Sarah Christmyer | Bible Study | Lectio Divina | Journals | Retreat

  • About
  • Blog
    • Scripture Reflection
    • Prayer & Lectio Divina
    • Bible Reading & Study
    • Holidays and Holy Days
    • Discipleship
    • Women of the Bible
  • Resources
    • New Release
    • Books & Journals
    • Bible Studies
    • How-tos & Reading Plans
  • Speaking
    • Speaking Topics
    • Schedule
    • Testimonials
    • Reviews & Interviews
    • Past Events
  • Contact

MARY, STAR OF THE NEW EVANGELIZATION
Reflection on Evangelii Gaudium, nos. 284-288

December 24, 2013 By Sarah Christmyer Leave a Comment

Two months ago, I stood at the foot of the Cross – literally, at the spot where Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem.  Golgotha lies within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and it is crowned by an altar and chapels dedicated to the final Stations of the Cross. You can reach below the altar and touch the rock on which our Savior died.

I was there for the filming of a new Bible study on Mary, so I stood there and tried to see the scene through her eyes.  I have three sons of my own, and I cannot imagine the pain of seeing them hanging there.  How did she do it?  I opened my Bible to read and my perspective changed.

In John’s gospel, we don’t so much look at Jesus through the eyes of Mary as we see Mary (and the beloved disciple) through the eyes of Jesus.  Imagine him seeing them there, knowing their love and the pain they were in.  And notice what he did not say: Don’t worry!  I’ll be back and everything will be OK!  Instead, as his final act he gave them to each other.  “Woman, behold, your son!” and to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!”  He is launching his New Covenant family.

Pope Francis draws attention to this in his conclusion to Evangelii Gaudium:
“These words of the dying Jesus are not chiefly the expression of his devotion and concern for his mother,” he says; “rather, they are a revelatory formula which manifests the mystery of a special saving mission.  Jesus left us his mother to be our mother.  Only after doing so did Jesus know that ‘all was now finished’ (Jn 19:28).  At the foot of the cross, at the supreme hour of the new creation, Christ led us to Mary.  He brought us to her because he did not want us to journey without a mother…” (No. 285).

Mary, who said “yes” to God and brought Christ into the world more than 2000 years ago, is our mother in the same mission today.  She does not bring up the end of this letter from the Holy Father as an afterthought, she is his final thought because the rest of his message cannot be understood or carried out without her.  Mary is her son’s gift to his people, Pope Francis says; then he picks up the title used by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI before him:  she is the “Star of the New Evangelization.”

When I first read that, the ex-Protestant in me cringed.  Don’t make her the star, I wanted to say – Jesus is the star!  But her “star power” is not that of, say, Jenifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie.  Mary is like the North Star, Polaris, the Guiding Star. Brightest among the stars in Ursa Minor and easy to find, it is the still point in the wheeling Northern sky.  But you don’t find Polaris for its own sake, you find it so you know where North is.

Mary is the star that sets us straight, that points the way to Jesus.  “Her exceptional pilgrimage of faith represents a constant point of reference for the Church,” wrote John Paul II.

Picking up on that, Pope Francis says:
“Mary let herself be guided by the Holy Spirit on a journey of faith towards a destiny of service and fruitfulness. Today we look to her and ask her to help us proclaim the message of salvation to all and to enable new disciples to become evangelizers in turn” (No. 287).

You will want to read for yourself the many beautiful ways Mary helps us on our way, that Pope Francis brings out at the end of his letter.  I know it’s Christmas Eve today, but it can’t be an accident that our reflections end on a feast that draws us to a manger in Bethlehem, to wait with Mary for the coming of the Christ Child.  That brings us back to the Pope’s opening words:

“With Christ joy is constantly born anew. In this Exhortation I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come.” (No. 1)

Mary, Mother of Jesus and of us all,
Star of the New Evangelization,
pray that we might be filled with the Joy of the Gospel
and bear Christ to the world through our lives.

Amen.  Alleluia!

This post was originally published as part of a series of reflections on Pope Francis’s recent apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, on the advent blog of Kelly Wahlquist, kellywahlquist.com

Filed Under: Discipleship, Holidays and Holy Days, Women of the Bible Tagged With: Advent/Christmas, Christmas, Mary and the Saints, New Evangelization

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 characters available

Sarah Christmyer writes and speaks about Scripture and the Catholic faith with the goal of helping people meet Jesus in his Word. “The Bible isn’t just a book about God or instructions for a good life; it’s a place to meet God and be changed by him,” she says. Her love of Scripture fuels her writing of Bible studies and related books; her teaching of Philadelphia seminarians; her speaking at conferences and retreats; and writing for blogs such as this one. “Come Into the Word” draws people into the Bible and encourages and equips them to explore it on their own.

Subscribe Here

Sign up to receive new posts and news via email. (Add sarah@comeintotheword.com to your address book to make sure mail arrives in your inbox!)

Search Come Into The Word

Categories

Recent Posts

  • PSALMS FOR LENT: Find GRACE in the Penitential Psalms
  • ADD SCRIPTURE TO YOUR LENTEN DIET
  • TRUST IN GOD; HE’S GOT YOUR BACK
  • FINDING JOY AT CHRISTMAS
  • FOCUSING ON THE CHRIST CHILD with the O Antiphons
  • THANKSGIVING PSALMS: Drowning grief in gratitude

Archives

Recommended

  • Integrated Catholic Life – Catholic blogs and resources
  • Lux App and Lux University – online faith hub for women
  • Peter Kreeft – featured writings and audio
  • The Sacred Page (Michael Barber, John Bergsma, Brant Pitre, John Kincaid) – blog
  • Scripture Speaks (Gayle Somers) – commentary on the Mass readings
  • Speaking of Scripture (Mary Healy, Daniel Keating, Peter Williamson, et al) – blog
  • Women in the New Evangelization (WINE) – women’s ministry, book club, blog

 

We engage in affiliate marketing whereby we receive funds through clicks to our affiliate program through this website. This disclosure is intended to comply with the US Federal Trade Commission Rules on marketing and advertising, as well as any other legal requirements which may apply.

 

Let’s Connect

mailfacebook instagram pinterest

Subscribe Here

Sign up to receive new posts and news via email. (Add sarah@comeintotheword.com to your address book to make sure mail arrives in your inbox!)

MENU

  • About
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Speaking
  • Contact
  • Home

Copyright © 2023 Come into the Word LLC | Site designed by Cynthia Oswald

  • About
  • Blog
    △
    • Scripture Reflection
    • Prayer & Lectio Divina
    • Bible Reading & Study
    • Holidays and Holy Days
    • Discipleship
    • Women of the Bible
  • Resources
    △
    • New Release
    • Books & Journals
    • Bible Studies
    • How-tos & Reading Plans
  • Speaking
    △
    • Speaking Topics
    • Schedule
    • Testimonials
    • Reviews & Interviews
    • Past Events
  • Contact