A story is told about a little boy who came to his mother one evening after dinner. With an innocent grin, he presented her with a small piece of paper.
For cleaning my room: Charge – P10
For washing the dishes: Charge – P10
For going to the store: Charge – P10
For taking out the garbage: Charge – P10
For baby-sitting my kid brother: Charge – P10
Total Cost: P50
Reading it, his mother was amused. Then she picked up a pen and wrote at the back of the paper:
For nine months I carried you in my womb: No charge
For the sleepless nights I endured when you got sick while praying for you: No charge
For the tears and heartaches, you caused through the years: No charge
For the food, toys and clothes. Even wiping your nose: No charge
Total cost of my love: No charge
A mother’s love is amazing. Its phenomenal and one of a kind. And its all for free; all for love with no service charge whatsoever.
Today we celebrate Mama Mary’s birthday (Sept 8). Why do we give it importance? Because, first of all, it was God who made her so special by choosing her above all other women. God designated her and prepared her to be the mother of Jesus. That makes her unique among other mortals! In today’s gospel (Mt 1: 1-23) she is part of Jesus’ genealogy. Jesus traces his bloodline from her. She made it possible for him to become human. God has become one of us.
We make this day one of thanks and praise. We thank God for the gift of her life; that she was born at all! We learn so much from her life. She has become the paragon of virtues. Her greatest contribution to the world is her motherhood. She’s the mother of Jesus. When she said: Yes.. she accepted God’s Plan. She donated to God not just her body; her plans, her future, her dreams. God’s dream became hers. She embraced it totally. Moreover, she became our mother too. She also embraced spiritual motherhood.
Her birth ushered the time of salvation. She brought the needed sunshine to the dark and hopeless world. At her birth, salvation is near. She is like a movie trailer: Jesus is coming soon. That makes it a milestone in the history of salvation. Expectation became intense. Excitement became earnest. She’s bringing the period of grace as she is full of grace.
At her birth, God gave us one of his most treasured being. She was well preserved; well protected; shielded from any poison of sin. She was pure, immaculate. Perfect. If she is most precious to God, then she is someone really worth having. She is, in fact, our “tainted nature’s solitary boast” because she is literally God’s amazing masterpiece. God willed that she become the instrument and channel of grace: to Jesus through Mary.
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