Our Lady of Light

Dec 11

Many Catholics consider October and May the great months to remember, honor, and contemplate the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in our Church. When you think about it, you can add the month of December to that list. In our liturgies and prayers, in our devotions and scripture sharing, Advent is a time to look to Mary and seek her intercession.

Throughout the Advent season, we focus on Mary and her life, her actions, and her journey. It is a time to journey with her to Bethlehem and have her accompany us on our own journeys.

Statue of Mary holding Jesus at the Notre Dame Cathedral.

This week, especially, has been a time to draw close to the Mother of Jesus. Over the weekend, the whole world seemed to turn to Mary as the spotlight shone on the great cathedral of France, Notre Dame de Paris. Reopened five years after a fire that greatly damaged the eight-hundred-year-old building, many consider it a miracle of both modern and medieval sensibilities working together.

The grime, grit, dust, and debris that accumulated over the centuries has been removed. The original colors of the Gothic building have, literally, been brought into the light. The restoration of the cathedral seems to have renewed the church in France – and across the world. The light that shines through every corner of the building is a metaphor for the light that comes at Christmas, the light that shines on the human race. The Gospel of John tells us that the Incarnation brings us the light that shines in the darkness, “and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5).”

Appropriately, the Cathedral was reopened and rededicated in time for the great feast of the Immaculate Conception. This feast, usually celebrated on December 8 but this year transferred to December 9, marks the beginning of God’s outreach to the world. By choosing Mary and saving her from sin, we recognize that God had a plan that started with a young woman from the small town of Nazareth. This plan, this feast, reminds us that, from the beginning, God chose to bring His people - the strong and powerful, the weak and the small - “out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).”

Today, the Church celebrates another great feast of Blessed Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe. This day recalls the wonderful visit of the Virgin to the people of the Americas. Once more, through Mary, God reveals himself to the little and the lowly. This event in the history of a forgotten part of the world, was another reminder that God brings His light and life to all people, in every time and every place, in every situation.

When Blessed Louis Brisson founded the Oblate community, he wanted his priests, brothers, and sisters to honor the Virgin Mary under a specific name or title to remember a special mystery or virtue in her life. The title our founder chose was “Our Lady of Light.” This image was based on his own devotion to Mary when he was a child, but he desired to seek light and guidance from the Virgin Mother in his vocation as a priest and religious. Mary had followed the “marvelous light” throughout her life, and she was a reflection of that light in the way she lived.

For generations of Oblates, Our Lady of Light has guided us as we strive to follow our vocation. Throughout Advent, may Mary guide us, inspire us, and help us to recognize the presence of Christ in our midst.

As the world rediscovers the beauty and blessings of Notre Dame, may the whole Church be renewed in our devotion to the Mother of God. May we find hope and healing in the feasts and example of the Virgin of Nazareth. May Our Lady of Light illuminate our path with clarity and purpose, as we strive to follow her Son and work to “live Jesus” each day.