Seeing things though a woman’s eyes

Our world has a long 13.8-billion-year journey, passing through the 4-billion-year journey of our earth, the nearly that long journey of all living things, the 500-million-year journey of animal evolution, but it all reached a highpoint in Mary the woman who brought Jesus, the Author of Life, into our world.

This Christmas, let’s focus on seeing things through the eyes of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. What does she see?

First, she sees Jesus, the “Saviour” of our world. The young woman from Nazareth knows the world is broken, needing to be mended. She reminds us that in his humble words and actions, Jesus provides the key to healing our brokenness and disunities.

Second, Mary sees Jesus is not just an ordinary man, no matter how great. He is God with us. As a woman who herself experienced the burdens of hardship, homelessness and refugee status, she helps us realise that if we hand our burdens over to him, He has the power to help us overcome them. Indeed, he is the only one who can really bring us to by-pass the mountains of sinfulness, guilt and regret that we can so often feel ourselves climbing.

Third, Mary sees how people all over the world will find inspiration in her. She is a prophetess of the future. As the woman who brought Jesus into the world she is a model for us. We can continue her mission, bringing Jesus to birth in our relationships through our love for one another.

Fourth, Mary sees the world as we see it. As we look into Mary’s eyes, we see suffering and love. We see our own eyes in hers. Each of us too, with love in our heart, see so many faces of suffering day by day – the faces of those suffering addictions and ill health, financial hardship, family disruption and bereavement; the faces of those knocked down by homelessness, mental ill-health issues and anxiety about the new precariousness of the life of the unborn in Ireland…

If we keep our eyes on Mary, however, we soon see consolation and courage. She has untied the knots of so many difficult situations. She now wants us to do our part to untie the knots of our families and society.

Mary’s eyes have a message for humanity: love bears all things, endures all things, hopes all things, “do whatever he, the Author of Life, tells you”.