{"id":42384,"date":"2013-11-20T08:17:03","date_gmt":"2013-11-20T14:17:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=42384"},"modified":"2014-11-22T12:27:53","modified_gmt":"2014-11-22T18:27:53","slug":"graces-child-mary-reflection-presentation-temple-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/11\/graces-child-mary-reflection-presentation-temple-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Graces of the Child Mary: a Reflection on Our Little Mother’s Presentation in the Temple"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"detail<\/a>When I was a kid, I loved looking at pictures of my mom from when she was little. Not only could I see hints of who she would become–those eyes, that smile\u2026those knees\u2026. That spunk! I could also more easily see the ways I looked like her. I could compare pictures of the two girls, little Mom, and myself, and see our similarities, or look at a picture of her a few years later than the one before and see what I might be like in the future. In my mother\u2019s stories of her childhood this was also true. Her heart was like my heart and so much of what had happened to her happened to me too, in one way or another, and she felt the same way about it as I did. Plus she could share her lessons and tell me how it all turned out. There was a lot of wisdom and comfort in those pictures and stories of my mom.<\/p>\n

Every November 21, the reflective Heart of the Church presents to us in the quiet marking of a minor memorial, our own Little Mother in Christ, dancing, it is said, up the Temple steps when she was dedicated by her parents to the Lord. Even the solemn old priests had to smile as they watched her, this girl, who, unknown to them, would one day teach God His prayers.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t matter whether this very old story of Mary happened just like this or not. It\u2019s true, anyway. It points us to who Mary is and what she did in her life. In this ancient snap shot we can see our own baby picture of the Christian soul with a child\u2019s pure heart free for God. Mary is our mother. Her life reflects our life and spiritual development as we grow in Christ.<\/p>\n

The little Mary also models beautifully the Kingdom virtues we should cultivate, strive and pray for in the present: love, purity of heart, poverty of spirit, authenticity, and the Christian ideal of spiritual childhood; the wisdom given to the little ones that confounds that of the world. These are some of the things we see as we look into the eyes if this child and she looks into ours.<\/p>\n

Who is she? Speaking to St. Bernadette, Mary herself answered this question in an interesting way. “I am the Immaculate Conception.” This is how she identified herself. We should think about that.<\/p>\n

The Church gives us the Dogma of Mary\u2019s Immaculate Conception (CCC 490-493)<\/strong> to enlighten us on the graces Mary was given from the beginning, and that she guarded, amazingly, all her life.<\/p>\n

What were the graces of the child Mary and what was it like to be her?<\/p>\n

Bl. Pope John Paul II said in his Theology of the Body that Adam and Eve originally had the \u201cpeace of the interior gaze.\u201d When they looked at one another they could each see the inner truth of the other.<\/p>\n

As the New Eve, it seems that Mary would have seen people this way, too. Undoubtedly this kind of sight is a Gospel way to view other human beings. Jesus, in His teachings, was trying to get us to see this way, to live as if we did see this way. This leads us to that vision, by believing it in faith and love, even though we don\u2019t actually see it on earth, as we will in Heaven.<\/p>\n

With this gracious core of love, understanding and acceptance, how could Mary have failed to love or be merciful toward anyone? If we all could see within one another and understand each other we couldn\u2019t hate any human being. We would be utterly merciful and forgiving. We would love one another as Christ loves us. As first among the redeemed, and free from original sin in a unique way, I think Mary would have seen the beauty and Godly purpose in every human being she saw, as we were all meant to do from the beginning, and that Jesus asks us to grow into. Like Mary, we are to be in this fallen world but not of it.<\/p>\n

Where Eve’s and Mary\u2019s paths part is that Mary trusted and chose God every time, no matter what, even when she didn’t understand what was happening, which she obviously did not at times (such as when the young Jesus was lost for three days.) Mary had the natural emotions of any human person. She had free will. But her heart was in tune with God’s will, even when she experienced suffering. This is what we are working on and praying for in ourselves: a heart in union with God’s will in love.<\/p>\n

Mary was a child of God par excellence, aware of her littleness, and that all her shining gifts were God\u2019s incomparable graces poured into her. I like to think of Luke 1:48 like this: \u201cHe has looked upon me, His handmaid in her littleness; all ages to come shall call me blessed.\u201d She didn\u2019t deny her gifts. As John Paul II said of her, when speaking of the Visitation, \u201cShe is amazed at her own glory,\u201d even as she knows well her nothingness, littleness, and complete dependence on God. \u201cThe Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is His Name.\u201d<\/p>\n

I wonder…. what did<\/em> Little Mary see at the top of the Temple steps that made her ascend them so quickly, dancing with happiness? I think she saw what is promised to the pure of heart, not in the same way she later would in glory, but as she could on earth as the littlest and most clear-eyed of God’s children. Eve could see and talk to God originally. Mary reasonably could have too. Jesus offers this sight to us, when we believe and have hope that what we see dimly now we will see face to face as perhaps Mary did in that moment she looked up the Temple steps.<\/p>\n

Since she would have been free of pride and selfishness, she would have been transparent and authentic, a childlike quality we tend to lose as we grow up. St. Edith Stein said we should be before everyone the way we are before God. This is what Mary did. She had the joyful playfulness to dance when everyone else was solemn–and make them smile!<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you want to see her?\u201d Jesus asked St. Julian of Norwich.
\n“Can you see in her how you yourself are loved? It was for love of you that I made her so high, so noble, and so good. And this brings me great joy – and I want it to bring you joy, too.\u201d
\nSt. Julian reflects:<\/em> \u201c… in all this I was taught… to want to understand the virtues of her soul – her truth, her wisdom, and her love. Through understanding this I can learn to know myself and reverently praise God.” ~ From St. Julian\u2019s book, Showings<\/em>
\n<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

Maybe we can remember our Little Mother and try to \u201cgrow down, instead of up\u201d as Shel Silverstein put it. Maybe we should carry this picture of Our Lady’s childhood close to our hearts that we may remember who we are and where we are going, that we might enter the Kingdom of God in the same way she ran up those steps. If the Kingdom is within us, why not start now? Ready, set… GO! <\/strong><\/p>\n

Last one up is a rotten egg!<\/p>\n

\"IMG_9295\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For a history of the devotion to the Child Mary in the Church, see<\/p>\n

http:\/\/home.earthlink.net\/~mysticalrose\/infant.html<\/a>
\n<\/strong>
\nyou might also like to see mariabambina.org<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I was a kid, I loved looking at pictures of my mom from when she was little. Not only could I see hints of who she would become–those eyes, that smile\u2026those knees\u2026. That spunk! I could also more easily see the ways I looked like her. I could compare pictures of the two girls,… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":155,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[51,50,2082,859,866],"class_list":{"0":"post-42384","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-blog","7":"tag-catholicism","8":"tag-faith","9":"tag-little-way","10":"tag-spirituality","11":"tag-virgin-mary","12":"entry","13":"has-post-thumbnail"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1707,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2011\/05\/mary-my-grandmother\/","url_meta":{"origin":42384,"position":0},"title":"Mary, my (Grand)mother","author":"Laura Gonzalez","date":"May 18, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"May: Mary\u2019s month. It wasn\u2019t too long ago that this didn\u2019t have any real meaning to me. When I was new to the church, despite how many times people tried to tell me about how Mary is my mother and loves me, I could never quite get my arms around\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":147630,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/09\/chaplet-child-mary\/","url_meta":{"origin":42384,"position":1},"title":"Chaplet of the Child Mary","author":"Shawn Rain Chapman","date":"September 8, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 The Chaplet of the Child Mary (to be prayed on ordinary rosary beads) written by me in honor of Our Lady's Birthday Make the sign of the cross and pray the Sh'ma, a prayer the little Mary would have grown up reciting every day with her Jewish family and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"photo Shawn Chapman","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/476622_3665381757608_1810148288_o-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/476622_3665381757608_1810148288_o-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/476622_3665381757608_1810148288_o-550x367.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39857,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/05\/a-meditation-on-the-immaculate-heart-of-mary\/","url_meta":{"origin":42384,"position":2},"title":"A Meditation on the Immaculate Heart of Mary","author":"Shawn Rain Chapman","date":"May 28, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"In contemplating the Heart of Mary, we enter into her interior life, symbolized by the beautiful image of her heart. It is often depicted as pierced with a sword, in flames, wreathed with roses or with the crown of thorns of her Son. Mary's pure and open heart is the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"painting by Russell Marcontell","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/IMG_0109-e1369608915560-200x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":195443,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/01\/reflections-of-a-catholic-mom-on-her-daughters-1st-birthday\/","url_meta":{"origin":42384,"position":3},"title":"Reflections of a Catholic Mom on her Daughter’s 1st Birthday","author":"Britt Echtenkamp","date":"January 4, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"1 year ago, I was laying in a hospital room wondering what just happened. My daughter had been born just hours before, but wasn't with me. Being 5 weeks early, she was whisked away to NICU to be hooked up to monitors, a heating pad, and oxygen. I, on the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"newborn and mother","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/mommy-and-lily-hold-hands-e1451939119931-525x700.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/mommy-and-lily-hold-hands-e1451939119931-525x700.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/mommy-and-lily-hold-hands-e1451939119931-525x700.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":146909,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/09\/making-rosary-fun-kids\/","url_meta":{"origin":42384,"position":4},"title":"Making the Rosary Fun for Kids","author":"Adam Shaivitz","date":"September 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"It's never too early for children to learn how to say the Rosary. Here's some documented evidence: That was my younger daughter when she was just two-and-a-half years old. I didn't know how (or have any desire) to say the Rosary until well into my 30s, so let's not make\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-xG7Jy2OahLA\/Ves8dCFmMCI\/AAAAAAAACRY\/0eFpN_ZHl_Y\/s500\/Photo%25252020150905140256836.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":155538,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/10\/friendship-with-mary-teresian-prayer-and-the-rosary\/","url_meta":{"origin":42384,"position":5},"title":"Friendship with Mary: Teresian Prayer and the Rosary","author":"Shawn Rain Chapman","date":"October 6, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 The rosary has been a part of my spiritual life since I learned it from my first husband, Blaze, during our courtship, years before I was ever Catholic (or Christian at all.) It became a natural part of my daily life over the years and has grown and changed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"rosary made by Shawna Marcontel","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/IMG_1177-e1444105559518-127x190.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/155"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42384"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42384\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}