— Dr. Mary Amore
HOW DO YOU RESPOND to people and events that you don’t understand? Is your first inclination to disagree? To win people over to your side? Reflect on why you behave in this manner. Seek the wisdom of the Spirit to reflect before you speak and act.
Prayer: Mary, help me to place my difficulties and conflicts into the hands of your Son, Jesus, that he may lead and guide me to live in his peace.
January 2
“Seek peace, and pursue it.” — Psalms 34:14
When asked what they would like for Christmas, many harried mothers and fathers immediately respond, “Peace!” When beauty-pageant contestants are asked what they would work for if they won are similarly quick to answer, “World peace.” Peace is a gift of the Spirit that the hearts of humans seek at all levels.
In modern times, Mary is associated with a message of peace and tranquility in our broken world. Her message, especially as she gave it to the three children at Fátima, is one of peace for all humankind.
The peace that Mary speaks of is the peace that Jesus brings. Peace should be the goal in our dealings at work, in our encounters with family members, as well as in the world arena. Our role as Christians is to bring the peace of Christ to all people and situations.
— Lauren Nelson
WHAT SORT OF PEACE do you think Mary sought in her life? What moments of peace can you pursue today? How can you give others the gift of peace?
Prayer: Mary, be with us as we pursue peace in our lives. Help us to give peace to others through our words and actions.
January 3
“Glory to God in the highest / and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!” — Luke 2:14
Mary gave birth to a baby boy, born on a peaceful winter’s night in a cave, in an unfamiliar city. Mary wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger.
My wife gave birth to a baby girl, born on an autumn afternoon, in a neighborhood hospital. After she was born, I wrapped her in a soft swaddling blanket. Back in those days I didn’t think much about Mary; in fact, I had abandoned my faith and was busy pursuing worldly dreams. Two months after my daughter was born, however, she needed life-threatening surgery. Fearful, I turned to Mary and to God. I surrendered my life and promised that if my baby pulled through, I would return to church. The surgery was successful and for the first time in years I felt at peace.
As a result of surrendering her life to God, Mary gave birth to the Prince of Peace. When I surrendered myself to God, the gift of peace was reborn in my soul.
— Bob Frazee
CALL TO MIND A SITUATION you can give over to the Lord in the hope of finding peace.
Prayer: Mary, pray that I may have the grace to be open to God’s plan for me. Help me to live in this world as a person of peace.
January 4
“For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Romans 8:38-39
These powerful words bring us a sense of peace. They reassure us that no matter what happens in this life, God will never leave us. We may forget about him, but he never leaves us to face our trials alone. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ Jesus.
Mary had peace in her heart because she knew firsthand that the Lord would never leave her. Throughout her life, Mary experienced unfathomable difficulties, even the death of her Son. And yet, Mary stayed strong in her faith. She never lost her way; peace reigned for Mary.
When we are experiencing painful situations that test our resolve, we can reach out to Mary and seek her help in restoring our peace and increasing our faith in Jesus.
— Sheila Cusack
HOW WILL YOU TALK to Mary today and ask her to bring God’s peace to your heart? Ask Mary to be a model of peaceful living for you, knowing you are so loved by God.
Prayer: Mary, help me to know I am never separated from God, even when I walk on rocky roads.
January 5
“Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalms 46:10
I recently attended a winter wedding in a Wisconsin bayside resort town. As we traveled the country roads, I was moved by the serenity of the winter landscape. It was stark, snowy, and peaceful. As far as the eye could see Midwestern farm country was hunkered down, quietly awaiting the return of spring. Across the fields were leafless trees, dark against a gray sky, often with a bird of prey perched on high branches. The landscape invited me to quiet solitude.
Mary’s life echoes the peaceful serenity that I experience in winter. In the Gospels, Mary is the woman of grace who willingly surrenders to God’s action in her life. She serves, prays, and suffers, yet she is at peace because God is with her.
Like Mary, I’ve learned through the years to embrace the contemplative dimension of our Christian faith that invites us to be silent and reflective. Deep interior prayer opens us to seeing God’s presence in everything. It brings us inner peace.
— Bob Frazee
CONSIDER THE WAYS that you are being called to a deeper prayer life. Set aside ten minutes today to sit in prayerful silence. Listen for the voice of God.
Prayer: Mary, help me to turn away from the busyness of life so as to enter into deep contemplative prayer with the Lord.
January 6
“And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.” — Matthew 2:11
Ask any mother and she will tell you that birthing a child is no easy task. Like all pregnant women, Mary had to give herself to this new physical and emotional experience as it unfolded in her life. In Mary’s case, the setting for the birth of Jesus was less than ideal, for it took place in a stable surrounded by barnyard animals. But I suspect that Mary’s experience of birthing faded away to utter peace and tranquility as she gently held and caressed Jesus in her arms for the first time.
As people of faith, Mary’s life inspires us to seek God’s peace in the midst of the ordinary and hectic moments of our everyday lives. She shows us that when we give ourselves fully to God’s will, the result is peace.
— Sharon A. Abel, PhD
CONSIDER THE MANY WAYS that you might honor God each time you meet his divine presence on your spiritual journey.
Prayer: Mary, I thank God for your example of how to live in this world with a peaceful heart. Help me to look at the world today through new eyes, that I may seek and find the peaceful presence of the Christ Child.
January 7
“Great peace have those who love your law; / nothing can make them stumble.” — Psalms 119:165
When I was a parish music director, I was blessed to have my grandma’s dear friend Mabel in my choir. Mabel always did her best to honor God and always came with a cheerful disposition and a sense of peace about her. She loved the Lord! In time, Mabel lost her eyesight and dropped out of choir. Years later, I was blessed to join Mabel and her husband’s sixtieth anniversary celebration. Mabel beamed with joy. When I asked her how she was, she replied, “I’m wonderful!” That encounter made me wonder how anyone could be at peace with