The Second Day of Christmas

On the Second Day of Christmas the Orthodox Church remembers Mary.

As the Old Roman Martyrology says, Jesus was born during a time of peace. But it was peace under the oppressive heel of an empire. It was peace because death's domination was unchallenged. It was peace because of Satan's grip on creation was unassailable. The peace was so smothering that even the priest Zacharias was unable to see beyond the limits of death-bound flesh to believe the Angel's news that God was on the move. He just couldn't believe that after mellinia of peace God was going to take the fight to Satan. But that is exactly what Jesus did. He said that he came not to bring peace but a sword; that he would establish a Church that would storm the very gates of Hell and bring them down; that the conflict would be so catacylsmic that the valleys would be lifted up and mountains would be leveled.

That's very triumphant and exciting stuff. But every fight involves pain, hardship and suffering. And this fight involves looking beyond the "realities" of life. Whereas the aged priest Zacharias only saw this world, even when Heaven was opened to him, a young woman named Mary said " Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." And that was the beginning of her sorrows. Facing the rumors surrounding her pregnancy was just the first of her challenges. She had to travel to Betlehem when she was great with child. She had to give birth in a cave used to shelter animals. She was forced to flee to Egypt ahead of Herod's assassins. She had to watch her son die on a cross. She suffered with her Son, and in doing so, she shows us how to be co-laborer with God, how to, in the words of St. Paul, "complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions". We do not forget that she was present in the earliest days of the Church and was among those who counted it all joy to suffer for the name of Christ (Acts 1:14, 5:41).