January

January 1

Mary, Mother of Jesus

(first century)

"Behold the handmaid of the Lord."

Mary, a young Galilean woman of Nazareth, was betrothed to a carpenter named Joseph. One day, according to the Gospel of Luke, she was visited by the angel Gabriel, who greeted her with the words, "Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" After calming her fears he announced that she would conceive and bear a son named Jesus, who would be called "the Son of the Most High."

Mary was troubled by this news, for she was as yet unmarried. If she were charged with adultery she could be stoned to death. But the angel told her that she would conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit. "With God nothing will be impossible," he assured her. And so Mary responded in faith: "Let it be done to me according to your word."

It was in the space created by Mary's faith — and not simply in her womb — that the Word became flesh. For this reason she has been called not only the Mother of Jesus but Mother of the Church. In the past it was common to emphasize the ways in which Mary was set apart from and above all other women and the ordinary conditions of humanity. Today there is a new emphasis on her status as a woman of the people and her solidarity with the rest of humanity. A "Mariology from above" emphasized God's initiative in selecting Mary for her part in the divine mystery of redemption. In contrast, a "Mariology from below" begins with the poor woman, Mary of Nazareth, who was rooted in the faith and struggles of her people, subject to the cruelties of the world, and heir to the ancient hope for deliverance and salvation. In this light, Mary is not so much honored for her special nature as for her exceptional faith.

Two stories in the Gospels highlight this point. One time Jesus was told that his "mother and brothers" were looking for him. Gazing at those who were seated around him he answered, "Who are my mother and my brothers? These are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does the will of God is brother and sister and mother to me" (Mark 3:33–35). Another time someone called out from a crowd, "Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!" To this Jesus responded, "Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it" (Luke 11:27–28).

Neither of these stories reflects a disregard on the part of Jesus toward his mother. But they do show that he rejected the claims of blood or natural kinship in favor of discipleship. In this perspective Mary's preeminence is due to her having exemplified the spirit of true discipleship: attention, reverence, and obedience to the word and will of God.

The Gospel of John places Mary at the foot of the cross beside "the beloved disciple." According to Luke, she was among the disciples who gathered in the upper room in Jerusalem after Jesus' ascension. She was in effect the first and paradigmatic disciple. She is thus the first to be honored among the saints. In the darkness of faith, she offered her consent to the mysterious plan of God. In the light of grace she responded with her extraordinary song of praise and thanksgiving:

My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden.
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name....

See: Elizabeth A. Johnson, "Saints and Mary," in Francis Schüssler Fiorenza and John P. Galvin, eds., Systematic Theology: Roman Catholic Perspectives, vol. 2 (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1991).

January 2

St. Seraphim of Sarov

Russian Monk (1759–1833)

"Prayer, fasting, watching may be good in themselves; yet it is not in these practices alone that the goal of our Christian life is found, though they are necessary means for its attainment. The true goal consists in our acquiring the Holy Spirit of God."

St. Seraphim entered the Russian monastery of Sarov when he was twenty. After making his vows and being ordained a priest, he received permission to retire to a hermitage in the forest. There he maintained a life of solitary prayer, tending a small garden, chopping wood, and otherwise observing an austerity reminiscent of the desert fathers. He exposed himself to the cold, deprived himself of food and sleep, and spent long periods perched on a rocky outcrop. For several years he had no contact whatsoever with the monastic community and declined to utter a word. As a reminder of his death to the world, he built a coffin which he kept beside him in his cell.

For fifteen years Seraphim maintained this solitary existence. In the meantime, however, his reputation had spread far and wide. One day he was visited by a rich landowner who was seriously ill and had persuaded his family to carry him to the cell of the holy hermit. When Seraphim had completed his prayers, he emerged and asked his visitors, "What, you have come to look upon poor Seraphim?" After the sick man had explained his condition, Seraphim agreed to pray over him. Instantly the man was healed. In his joy he asked Seraphim for a way to express his gratitude. Deflecting all the credit to God, Seraphim instructed the rich man to give away everything he possessed, free his serfs, and take on holy poverty. With all this the man complied.

Word of this "double miracle" enhanced the celebrity of Seraphim, and from that time on he was forced to entertain a continuous stream of pilgrims, penitents, the sick and poor, and lay people seeking spiritual counsel. Seraphim received them all, freely dispensing his wisdom, counsel, and healing powers. So he became the great model of the Russian starets, the holy monk who serves as a spiritual elder or advisor to inquiring lay people. Like his contemporary in France John Vianney, he was reputed to have the gift of reading souls. He addressed everyone in the same fashion: "My joys," he called them.

The recorded teachings of Father Seraphim are not especially remarkable; they are mostly quotations from Scripture and a few treasured church fathers. Evidently Father Seraphim's impact came from the simple power of his personality, for so long weathered by arduous self-denial. His purified humanity was apparently charged with a supernatural charity. Such is the impression given by one of his visitors, Nicolai Motivilov, whose account of his interview with the holy Seraphim gives the flavor of the monk's intense and charismatic energy.

After advising Nicolai for some time about the simplicity of the spiritual life and finding little comprehension, Seraphim reportedly took his visitor by the shoulders and said, "Look at me."

Nicolai demurred: "I am not able, Father, for there is lightning flashing from your eyes. Your face has grown more radiant than the sun, and my eyes cannot bear the pain." Father Seraphim replied, "Do not be afraid, my good Theophilus, you have also now become as radiant as I. You yourself are now in the fullness of the divine spirit; otherwise you would not be able to perceive me in the exact same state."

On January 2, 1833, St. Seraphim was found dead in his cell, kneeling with hands crossed before an icon of Our Lady of Tenderness. He was canonized...