“And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too’” (Luke 2:33-35).  The season of Christmas offers us the opportunity to look at Mary, the first disciple.  She is the first one to give up herself for Him.  Here, she shows us what each of us must eventually discover: the cost of discipleship.  I think (at least in part) that is what Simeon’s prophecy means in regards to her.  The sword that pierces Mary’s soul is the reorientation of her relationship to Jesus.  She is his mother; he is her son.  However, he is so much more.  Mary, the first disciple, shows us the way of following Jesus in that she submits to her son, allowing him to become her Lord.  For each of us, there will come a time in which we realize that our ways are not his ways.  Then there will be a choice to make.  Like Mary, let us choose the path of submission to the One who loves us more than we can understand.  In this wonderful season of Christmas, let us continue to allow Jesus to reorient all our relationships.