Mary, Mother of God
When the appointed time came, God's son was born of a woman,
not a nameless person but a young girl named Mary.
Betrothed and a bride,
a virgin and a mother,
she was joyful, sorrowful, and glorious,
 a handmaid of the Lord who became the Queen of Heaven.

  Mary knelt at the crib, stood at the cross, and sat with the assembly
awaiting the coming of the Spirit. 
In her varied roles,
Mary played a part in God's self-disclosure.
 Mary was a poor woman, the wife of a common laborer.
She gave birth in a cave; her child's cradle was a feeding trough for animals.
 Mary's son would nourish many by the good news he proclaimed.

Simple shepherds looked on the holy family
 and understood what had been told to them.
Unable to restrain their lips,
 they announced the glad tidings to all who would listen.

 On the eight day, the first day of a new creation,
 Mary's son was given a name: Yeshua, "Jesus,"
 one who saves us from our sins.
Through him,
 we are sons and daughters,
adopted children of God,
 coheirs with Jesus.
  We cry out Abba!    "Father! " 
 Like Mary,
 we ponder all that we see and hear,
 and we treasure these things in our hearts.
  Like her, we can bring forth Christ to the world.

 Ministry and Liturgy Vol 36 #9