Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
Fr. Joonbin Lim
Preached: January 1, 2026
Scripture does not present the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a detailed biography; and yet, as we quietly follow the pages of the Bible, we come to realize that at every moment when God’s salvation begins, and at every place where it is brought to completion, Mary is always there.
We too often think of Mary only as a fully perfected saint, as someone w ho stands beyond pain and suffering; however, the Mary revealed to us in Scripture is, above all, a human being who stood before God in faith. She did not conceive Jesus according to her own wishes or plans, but at a certain moment her life was completely changed, not by her own choice, but by God’s call.
The angel’s greeting was indeed a blessing, yet at the same time it was a fear she could not fully understand and a responsibility she could not explain. Mary was asked to say “yes” without ever receiving an answer to the question, “Why me?” and that “yes” was not an emotional response, but a decision to place her entire life into God’s hands without knowing what lay ahead.
And that decision did not lead her onto a smooth or comfortable path, for her life unfolded through the birth in a manger, the flight as a refugee, the many moments when she did not understand her son, and finally, standing beneath the cross itself; her life became a long journey marked by loss, endurance, and quiet perseverance.
We remember her especially at the foot of the cross, where, as a mother, she had to watch her own son suffer and die, unable to do anything to stop it, a pain so deeply human that it defies all words. She did not demand a miracle, nor did she cry out for her son to be saved; she simply remained there, faithful to the end.
Brothers and sisters, this is the true greatness of Mary: not that she was spared suffering, but that she did not run away when she did not understand, and that she did not leave God even when she could not comprehend His ways.
This is precisely where our faith begins, for faith is not a certainty that comes after everything has been explained, but a choice to remain with God even in a reality that makes no sense to us. When we encounter unexplained pain, unwanted situations, and crosses we wish we could avoid, to remain there as Mary did, without fleeing, that is faith.
Mary does not promise us a life without suffering; instead, she teaches us that believing in God does not mean that suffering disappears, but that even in suffering, we are never alone.
Brothers and sisters, if there is an incomprehensible cross in your life today, that place is already a place where Mary once stood, and so let us pray that, like her, we may remain there to the end, trusting God even in silence.
Amen.
