As I contemplate Mary in the stable where Jesus was born, I ask myself: What language did the Holy Virgin use to speak to Jesus? How did Mary speak?
When I observe the scene, I note that Mary does not speak. Mary does not speak, ... she welcomes.
She welcomes the mystery; she is experiencing it with awe, she cherishes everything in her heart, and, above all, she is concerned about the Child whom, as the Gospel says, was “laid in a manger” (cf. Luke 2:16).
As the angels celebrate, the shepherds come running and everyone praises God with a loud voice for what has happened, Mary does not speak, she does not entertain her guests explaining everything that had happened to her, she does not steal the show — to us who like to steal the show! — she does not steal the show.
On the contrary, she puts the Child in the center, she lovingly takes care of Him. A poet once wrote that Mary “even knew how to be solemnly mute, […] because she did not want to lose sight of her God.”
What can I learn from her for this year that is dawning? I can say, “My Mother, my Lady, teach me what I need to do this year …”
Mother, teach me to listen to you, to listen to Jesus.