“Lovely Lady dressed in blue, teach us how to pray. God was just your little boy… tell me what to say!” This is an excerpt from a poem of an 18th Century author, Mary Dixon Thayer. I was browsing through Youtube when I came across a recorded homily by Venerable Fulton Sheen where he cited Mary’s poem. And I think this is a wonderful poem for a special occasion we’re celebrating today.
Today we celebrate the birth of the New Eve, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the vessel that held God and nurtured God in human form. The only woman who was able “to look down to heaven for Heaven was in her arms”. Mary was a simple and humble yet so pure a woman chosen to be the mother of God; the woman tasked to take care of the child Jesus until the hour of His passion came.
Today, we celebrate the birth of the most faithful servant and loving mother in the history of mankind.
When angel Gabriel visited Mary and delivered a message that she has been chosen to bear the son of God, she was confused at first. But then she responded, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” She responded “yes” to God although she didn’t know what lies ahead. It was beyond her knowledge that when the time comes, a “sword will pierce her heart” and bring her the greatest sorrow no human could imagine. She didn’t complain when she had to give birth to the son of God in a manger. She didn’t hate God when she stood at the foot of the cross and see her son tortured, suffer and die.
She was a loving mother not just to Christ but to all of us, too.
Several times in the history of mankind, during the times of war, famine, and pestilence, our Mother would appear. Her apparitions to Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France and to Lucia Santos and her two cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto in Fatima in the turn of the 19th century are just a couple and yet most popular examples. She appears to simple people –children, shepherds, and peasants. She uses simple, innocent people as instruments of God’s message and blessing the same way God chose her as an instrument, a vessel, to carry Christ. Her apparitions bring hope and reconciliation. She knows when to intercede, warn us of the consequences of our wrong decisions, give us directions when we’re lost, give us hope when we’re down. She’s already in Heaven and yet continues to take care of her children on Earth. Mary is our intercessor to the Lord. As the poem goes, “God was just your little boy, and you know the way.” Yes, Jesus was her little boy. She raised Him. She knows how we can be closer to Him. She knows how to talk to Him. She is the bridge that guides us closer to our salvation.
As we celebrate Mary’s birth, let’s give her a gift… a promise… that we will continue to value and honor her as our Mother, our intercessor, and a role model of faith and service to the Lord. (Lea Basilio)
James Matthew Wong
Contributor Writer
Engr. James Matthew Wong or Kuya James is a registered Electronics Engineer and current Broadcast Engineer of the Catholic Media Network. He also serves as faculty of the José Rizal University at present.
He finished his bachelor’s degree in 2015 at Asia Pacific College and currently taking up Master of Science in Electronics Engineering at the Ateneo de Manila University. A proud scholar of the SM Foundation during his college years and now a graduate scholar of the Department of Science and Technology.
Engr. Wong was the former Social Communications Head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antipolo from 2012 to 2020.
