A Mother Holds Her Son

On the day after Christmas, the sun began to shine after much rain for a couple of days. The fresh, clean air is a reminder that rain always brings new life.  We had Mass at the Milk Grotto. The Milk Grotto is in Bethlehem, not far from the Church of the Nativity where Jesus was born. It is the place where tradition tells us that Mary first fed her son and that some of her milk was spilled there. The title “Milk Grotto” comes from the apocryphal gospels and highlights the sincere devotion that pilgrims have for the mother of Jesus. This place has been a place of veneration for both Christians and Muslims for centuries, and the Grotto contains relics from the seventh century that are conserved in fragments of rock.

I felt that the experience of being at the Milk Grotto the day after Christmas was very appropriate for us. We know from the Gospel of Matthew that that the Magi set out and followed the star until it came and stopped over the place where Jesus was staying. “And on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. (Matthew 2:11).” As we continue in this Christmas season, may we each reflect on the joy and simplicity that Mary had for her newborn son, and may we hold the baby Jesus in our hearts so that our lives can be renewed each day. Let us also pray for all mothers, especially our own.