A family affair

I think most of us would agree that Christmas is a family affair whether we are religious or not. We get together, exchange presents and enjoy Christmas fare and cheer. In our parish we are still in the advent fast and still have two more Sundays before we celebrate the Nativity. What amazes me every year is that Christmas is a family affair not only for us on earth but it is a family affair celebrated by God. God takes on human flesh and is born of a human Mother. How close can you get to God than to be his earthly mother, to bear the uncontainable in a human womb? Every birth is a great mystery but even more so that of Our Lord and Saviour. It saddens me that some Christians ignore the motherhood of Mary, regarding it as a byproduct of the Divine Incarnation. I can understand the protestant reaction to the Mariology of the Roman Catholic Church but nevertheless she is at the center of our salvation for she is the person who allowed this miracle to take place. In this respect she is the Mother of all Christians. Her purity, piety and obedience to the Divine, places her closest to the Lord than anyone else born on earth. A truly family affair - everyone in the story of Christmas seems to be related. Elizabeth is Mary's cousin and spiritually the key players are family too. Joseph, the shepherds, even the pagan Magi are part of the holy family in that they were close to God. And we too if we have humility and a pure heart are part of this holy event.