Mary, Mother of God January 1, 2026
Fr. Alexander Albert St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville
When I was serving as a deacon at Cathedral, Msgr. Mouton was living there in retirement. Very much his own man, Monsignor Mouton was quite disciplined. His expectations of others and himself were quite high. I’ve also heard stories that, when he taught seniors at Vermilion Catholic, he would tell his students outright, “you are not going to make an ‘A’ in my class.” I don’t know if that proved to be true or not, but I get the impression that many people found him quite intimidating. I’d guess that, for most people, their mental image of him is of someone quite stern. And that’s fair, because he often was stern. Pictures of him smiling are not abundant and it’s usually quite a small, reserved smile.
There’s one image of him, however, I love most. When a priest friend of mine was ordained, he was gifted a painting of Monsignor Mouton not just smiling but smiling big. Open smile, teeth, plenty of joy radiating through it. There’s something about the shining smile of a stern father that is… well hard to describe… like a mystery is partly unveiled and the love behind all the toughness shines through in a unique way.
It is that kind of shine I like to imagine when hearing this first reading… and when giving the blessing described in it. “The LORD bless you and keep you! The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!” That middle one – let his face chine upon you – is saying “may God smile at you.” This blessing, by the way, is from the Old Testament. The priests of the Mosaic Law – you know, the covenant with all the tough requirements and stern penalties – the priests of that law were told to invoke God’s smile upon his people. How many people, I wonder, imagine God in the Old Testament as stern, angry, or even mean? How many people intuitively connect the uncompromising, demanding God of the Old Testament with a radiant smile of blessing? Even in the New Testament, how many people envision Jesus as smiling, but see the father with a look of stern disapproval?
They are the same God! And God does not change. Don’t get me wrong, God absolutely does look upon sin and evil with stern disapproval. His wrath really does fall upon those who refuse his mercy. But as every stern mom, dad, drill instructor, teacher, or priest knows, the best kind of sternness and wrath is rooted in an immense love. And for those who pay attention, they can learn to see the same love in the stern guidance that they would see in a radiant smile.
Indeed, it was always God’s plan to fulfill the Aaronic blessing of the Mosaic covenant through the literal smile of His Incarnate Son. Today, the 8th day of the Octave of Christmas, is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Mary was the first person to see that smile. What joy it is when mothers first behold the smile of the child that has been hidden their womb for nine months. How much greater must have been Mary’s joy the first time the baby Jesus finally smiled at her, knowing it was God himself smiling upon her. How much of Jesus’ first smile was learned from his mother smiling first upon him? Is it too much to say that God learned to smile from Mary? That when we look upon the smile of Jesus Christ, of God himself, we look in part at the smile of our Blessed Mother?
The millennia God spent preparing humanity for his arrival required him to be stern and harsh. It’s not surprising, then, that so many people came to fear him in the wrong kind of way – a foreseeable but unavoidable side effect of respecting our free will enough to let us make mistakes while at the same time caring enough to hold us accountable and so clearly and forcefully point out the correct way to go. After all, who are we to say God’s plan was faulty?
Which, again, is why that step was only part of the whole plan. The next step, the maturing of fearful obedience into loving obedience… that came through Mary. So it is that the most terrifyingly powerful force on the planet… in the universe… is somehow this young woman smiling at a baby laying in a manger. Mary smiles at Jesus so that we can learn to see God smiling at us. In time, that child is the one who teaches us to look upon the all-powerful God of creation, the giver of the Mosaic covenant, the ultimate judge and destroyer of evil… he teaches us to look upon that God to say not only “My Lord,” but also “Abba, father.”
So then, do you wish for the Lord to “let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you?” Do you desire the Lord to smile upon you and for you to see the smile that reveals the infinite burning love behind all the stern condemnations of sin and calls to repentance? Then learn from the first person to see his smile! As you form your New Year’s Resolutions, make sure to learn from Mary.
And what does Mary do? She listens. Mary’s greatest accomplishments come from her ability to hear what God says. Mary heard the angel, believed, and conceived Jesus in her womb. The Magi find Jesus because they spent their lives quietly studying and seeking for the truth. The shepherds find Jesus because their lives are filled with the quiet of night, so they can hear when the angels announce the good news. And when the shepherds came to Mary and Joseph to tell them what the angels said, they heard it.
To increase your ability to listen, to truly hear God, try these two things: spend time in silence and spend time reflecting on what you hear and see. I get it, silence can be uncomfortable. Why be silent when I have 24/7 access to whatever music, shows, or podcasts I want? For the same reason you should sleep every night, eat food daily, and drink water. Silence is not only good for your mental health, it is fertile ground for spiritual depth. By choosing to be in silence every day, we develop a greater appreciation and receptivity towards what we do hear. The more noise in your life, the less attention you can give to each sound and voice you encounter. Be silent every day.
Reflect on what you hear. Silence by itself is good and necessary. Sometimes, it shouldn’t involve any specific goal other than being silent. Sometimes, however, you need to actively engage your mind in reflection. To consciously do the mental labor of recalling something you experienced and turn it over, examine it, think about what it means, savor the moment, thank God, and whatever else falls under the meaning of words like “meditate,” “reflect,” and “ponder.”
We’re told by scripture that “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” Part of the reason we fail to see God’s smile in our lives is that it’s too big. He’s eternal and infinite and we are time-bound and limited. When he speaks to us or touches us or appears to us in time, he fills more than that time and space can hold. But, thanks to the God-given gift of memory and understanding, we can go beyond the limits of a single moment. By “reflecting” and “meditating” on God’s words and God’s actions in our lives, we can unpack more and more of the goodness, see more and more of the shining smile that didn’t fit into the single instant it was first shown to us. That applies whether that moment of divine encounter was pleasant or painful.
God is a stern father with judgment for sinners, but he’s also a loving Abba with a joyful smile for his children. Unless we take the time to not only listen in silence but also reflect upon what God has done and is doing, we may never clearly see that. Look in the silence, listen to His Word. And do not be afraid of what you’ll find. Mary is there too, smiling in anticipation of the day you’ll see God’s smile too.