Numbers 6:22-27 / Galatians 4:4-7 / Luke 2:16-21
By now we should have already opened up our Christmas presents.
If not then we might as well keep it for next Christmas. But we are still in the Christmas season and so it’s actually not that late still.
But who would want to wait to open their Christmas presents.
Some would even open their presents before Christmas.
Come to think of it, it’s really not that easy to think of a Christmas gift for someone, especially when that person is really special to you.
And we would want to consider the two aspects of the present.
One is that the person would cherish it and remember us for the gift. Probably it would be gift to represent who that person is, so as to show our appreciation for that person.
The other would be that we want the gift to symbolize who we are to that person. Of course it doesn’t mean to say that I would give you a mug as a present and on it would be written the name “Stephen”! That’s rather egocentric.
But for a gift to symbolize who we are to that person, it would certainly be based on the relationship with that person, and how we would like that person to remember us.
For almost two months now, we the parish of the Sacred Heart had been preparing a gift for someone who is special and dear to our hearts.
Two months ago, there was a proposal to build a shrine for Our Lady.
The proposal to build the shrine was because we have a statue of Our Lady.
That statue was standing at the grotto which was pulled down to make way for the former parish hall in 1971.
From then on, that statue of Our Lady went all over, from being at the parish house to the parish hall to the store room and finally was place at the loft of the church.
Six months ago we brought down the statue to have it restored by taking off the layers of paint and we found that it was an intact and solidly-made statue.
After some prayer and discernment, we decided to build an outdoor shrine for Our Lady since in the first place the statue is an outdoor statue.
We asked for donations for the construction of the shrine and you were forthcoming and generous with it.
So eight days after Christmas, on this last day of the Octave of Christmas, and on this feast in which we honour Mary as Mother of God, we humbly present to Our Lady a shrine for her statue.
This is our gift to Our Lady who is also Our Mother.
It’s a gift to represent who she is to us, and we thank her for always being so loving, so thoughtful, so understanding and so kind.
She is the Mother of God and she is also the Mother of Mercy, the refuge and the hope of sinners, and her shrine will be a place where we can come to her and place our trust in her.
As we present her with the gift of the shrine, we also ask Mary to keep us close to her heart and we ask her to remember that never was it known that anyone who fled to her protection, implored her help, or sought her intercession was left unaided.
And so, inspired with this confidence, we ask Mary our Mother to remember us and not to despise our petitions but in her mercy to hear and answer us.
Today’s gospel affirms that Mary will remember us as it says this about her: “As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart”.
Yes, Mary will remember us for the shrine we built for her statue.
She will remember us when we come and stand before her statue with our prayer, our petitions and our needs.
She will remember all those we will bring to her shrine and ask for her intercession for them.
Yes, Mary will treasure us and ponder upon us in her heart and she will help us for the love of Jesus Christ.
May we also treasure her and ponder upon her in our hearts.
For it is through her that we receive the greatest gift from God – Jesus Christ.
It is a gift that we need to open every day and to experience the love of God for us.
May we also help others to open the gift that God has given to them so that they too will experience the love of Jesus for them.
May we join Mary our Mother in prayer so that the Lord God will bless us and keep us, let His face shine upon us and be gracious to us and bring peace to the world.