Mary's Virtues

Mary as played by one of the St Francis School children

The focus of the Nativity these last few days turns to Mary, as she prepares to give birth to Jesus. We learn from her many virtues, but three in particular come to my mind.
Trust - we learn from her to trust more, as she trusted the Word of God coming through the Angel Gabriel, inviting her to be the Mother of our Savior. We learn to trust those around us, who are there to help us, inspire us, shelter us and protect us from trouble.
Tranquility - we learn to take life peacefully and experience a tranquil approach to whatever life has in store for us. It was on a tranquil night that Mary gave birth in a poor stable in Bethlehem, and may we feel the same tranquility when we bring Jesus again into our hearts and homes this Christmas. We learn not to panic when things get a little overwhelming at times - Mary had a lot to handle with so much unpredictability, but believed in God and was tranquil and peace-filled all along.

Mary played by another of our school children.

Tolerance - we learn also from Mary the gift of tolerance, as she tolerated the Angel who surprised her with his appearance in her humble home of Nazareth. She even tolerated St Joseph in accepting him in her home as her husband, even though she had no relations with him, and he was not the natural father of Jesus. Mary also tolerated God's mysterious intervention in her life. May we also tolerate those whom we cannot stand for some reason or another, and be patient with difficult people.
May Mary continue to be an inspiration for all of us throughout the New Year.