Mary Sullivan

Give us wisdom, Lord of mercy.

Confused we are by many things.

Instruct us through our days and nights.

Shelter us beneath your wings.

 

In You, O Lord, we are at rest.

To our minds, the truth You bring.

Our hearts rejoice with thoughts of You.

You keep us safe beneath Your wings.

 

You are our mighty fortress, Lord.

Our King above all earthly Kings.

Your strong pinions cover us,

Secure we are beneath Your wings.

 

Give wisdom to our loved ones, Lord.

Confused they are by worldly things.

Instruct them in the way of truth.

Protect them Lord, beneath Your wings.

 

May loved ones turn to You, dear Lord,

And seek You as their only King,

May they ever seek Your will,

And find shelter beneath Your wings.

 

[Based on Psalm 17, 91]

Baby Jesus in the manger, so precious and so new.

Mother Mary, could we hold Him, for just a moment or two?

Could we glimpse His peaceful face, and His cherub nose?

Could we maybe, for a minute, tickle Baby’s toes?

 

Could we hold Him holy Mary, hold Him for a while—

Perhaps spy on His baby face, a loving, tender smile.

Show us how dear Mother, to comfort Your Infant new.

Show us how to bring Him comfort, as only you know how to do.

 

We can comfort Baby Jesus, as we give Him adulation.

There are things that we can do for Him, which bring Him consolation.

We can follow what He said, hear what it is He taught.

We can give our life to Him, by Whom, at a price, our life He bought.

 

Is this true dear Mother Mary, could it be that maybe,

To hold His truths, within our hearts, is to gently hold your baby.

The Babe wrapped in swaddling, so soundly He slept

While Mary and Joseph, in their arms kept,

Our hope for the future, peace for our lives,

The love that’s enduring, the joy from on high.

God’s gift to each one.  At last, we could see

That Truth had come to set us all free.

 

If we follow His truth, on this path which we tread,

No matter the struggle or battle ahead.

If we give Him our all, and give Him our best,

This Christmas season can be a season that’s blessed.

 

We can see the Infant’s warm love shining bright.

We can keep that warmth in our hearts and in sight.

We can ponder the silence of that first Christmas night.

We can cast off all fear, all worries and fright.

 

Our souls can at last align with His will.

We can take time to be quiet and still.

As we look to the heavens with grace from above,
The Babe in the manger still brings us His love.

Mary with St. Joseph, from Nazareth, departed.
Meek and humble in the world’s eyes, that’s how they were regarded.
They set off for Bethlehem.  And they set off alone.
But the Father’s love went with them, the One Who sits upon His throne.

Angels too accompanied them, thousands of them it seems.
By God, they’d been appointed to serve the Holy Queen.
They marched along in squadrons, in human forms the Queen could see.
Her grace surpassed that of angels, as did her dignity.

The Queen rejoiced at having heaven’s angels in her sight.
Interiorly, she conversed with them, much to her delight.
But the Lord enjoined some hardships to the holy travelers on their way,
Cold rain and snow assailed them on this journey of five days.

A long day’s travelling behind them. Perhaps with hope of a kind word,
They went seeking rest and shelter.  But sharp reprimands they heard.
It was due to their poverty that gracious welcome was denied.
For the world judges by appearance—with blind and condescending pride.

The Maiden knew the secrets of the souls she met along the way,
For them, graces were obtained, as for them she prayed.
Those afflicted with illnesses were consoled anew.
Others would rise from their sin. Perseverance was granted too.

Worn out by others’ sorrows, more than the travel of the day.
Her body’s strength would at times begin to weaken and give way.
It’s then that holy angels bore the Queen up in their arms,
They helped her to have needed rest, guarded her from harm.

It was on a Saturday.  The time was four o’clock,
When they arrived in Bethlehem, on many doors began to knock.
They were searching for a lodging house, or an inn to spend the night.
The two received just insults—rejection, scorn and slights.

It wasn’t only strangers, unwelcome hailed from those they knew.
They found themselves refused by all, by their relations too.
Amid all this wandering, the office of the registry they passed.
There they inscribed their names, did what of them was asked.

They’d completed what they’d come for.  With the edict, they complied.
They then resumed their wandering. All lodging still denied.
Onward the search continued.  The dark night had arrived.
Refused they were at every turn—all fifty places they’d applied.

At nine o-clock St. Joseph, full of heartrending sorrow, remembered
A cave outside the city, sometimes used by shepherds.
St. Joseph said “perhaps… we may there expect some assistance
from heaven…”  (Earthly men of Bethlehem offered just resistance.)

Mary beseeched St. Joseph to offer thanks for these events.
She asked that his tears of sorrow, turn to joy and not lament.
She lovingly embraced poverty.  She knew beyond all measure,
That poverty was to our Lord a gift and precious treasure.

They set off for the cave.  Angels lit the way for the duration.
The humble Lady was delighted with this new location.
This Lady of humility gladly went where God would guide.
The cave indeed was empty when the holy two arrived.

The travelers praised the Lord for this place where they’d been guided.
They thanked God for the poverty which to them He provided.
And then our humble Lady besought the Lord to bless, without exception,
with a liberal hand all those in the city who had shown to them rejection.

She knew what was awaiting in this cave on their account.
Their rebuffs would give rise to favors—and a vast amount.
This place meant just for animals; this place so lonely, poor and worn—
This was the Father’s chosen place for His Son to be born.

Once inside the cave, our Empress and our Queen
Set about, with her own hands, the noble task of making the cave clean.
She worked with great humility, nor would she deprive
Her beloved Son the reverence which such temple-cleansing implied.

St. Joseph besought Mary that this work was his to do.
Seeing this work as his alone, he started cleaning too.
The Queen continued working, with humility—by no one surpassed.
And the holy angels present were, at such great humility, abashed.

And this prompted the angels to join in the cleaning task.
With the swift help of angels, the cave was put in order fast.
To bring warmth to that chilly cave, St. Joseph would a fire start.
After a frugal supper, the joyful two thanked God from their hearts.

May the Father’s love go with us, with angels as our guide.
From God’s will, though there be hardships, no more may we hide.
May we ask the Lord to bless without exception,
With an abundant hand all of those who show to us rejection.

May we believe in faith, to this truth may we hold fast:
Rebuffs give rise to favors, in amounts not small but vast.
When we, turned back at every door, have burdens hard to carry,
By God’s grace, may we embrace the humility of Mary.

The angel Gabriel, by God to Mary, he was sent.

Mary’s town was Nazareth so to Nazareth he went.

Mary was a mild woman, one of little fame.

She was betrothed to a man, and Joseph was his name.

 

In Nazareth, in this small home, this very humble place,

The angel told Mary that she was full of grace.

For Mary was a lowly woman, it was God whom she adored.

The Lord was with Mary. And Mary with the Lord.

 

Mary by the angel’s words, was really troubled greatly.

One might suspect perhaps she even feared for her safety.

She stopped to ponder just what kind of greeting this might be.

But Mary was told by the angel, not to be afraid, for in reality,

 

God was very pleased with Mary, for to God, Mary had been bound.

By her humble obedience, Mary had God’s favor found.

The angel said she’d bear a Son.  This was the angel’s claim

He would be Son of the Most High.  Jesus would be his name.

 

He would rule over Jacob’s house.  The angel helped Mary see,

He would have the throne of David, and great would He be.

The child would be Holy, the Son of God utmost.

And Mary would be overshadowed by the Holy Ghost.

 

The angel then told Mary, something else quite new;

her cousin Elizabeth, in old age, was with child too.

Elizabeth once barren, was now in the sixth month,

for her who’d never borne a child, no child even once.

 

For our God can overcome all things, for God there is no obstacle.

For our good and loving God “nothing is impossible.”

Mary, to all of this, in honor of the God whom she adored

Proclaimed to the angel: “…I am the handmaid of the Lord.”

 

Dear Father up in heaven, may we say “yes” to You.

In a new way this Advent, all sin may we eschew.

May we follow Mother Mary, so humble and so pure,

May we put You first in all things, be the One Whom we adore.

 

Father, we pray for daughters.  And we pray for sons.

May they say “Yes” to You.  May it be Your race they run.

May they hear the voice of angels.  To sin become resistant.

May they seek Christ this Christmas.  May all find Him as an Infant.

 

May we follow the light of Christ, in all we say and do.

May we prepare a special place, in our hearts for You.