In the words of Pope Francis, at the beginning of this new year, let us entrust this year and ourselves to Mary, the Mother of God.
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
Non-Catholics question why we Catholics have so much devotion to Mary instead of just focusing on Jesus… why not go straight to Jesus.
Well – as St. Louis de Montfort said beautifully – Mary is the safest, easiest, shortest and most perfect way of approaching Jesus…
All proper and true devotion to Mary leads to a greater understanding of Jesus, her Son.
What we celebrate today is a great example. You see, actually, this feast of the Solemnity of Mary as the Mother of God, one of the oldest in the Church, goes back to the first centuries of the Church, when the Church was trying to explain and express in words - the reality of who and what Jesus is – in defense against heresies in the Church…
….because there were all sorts of heretics who denied either the divinity or humanity of Jesus – meaning there were groups who claimed Jesus was only a man and not God and there were groups who claimed Jesus was only God and not really a human being like us… that Jesus only appeared like one.
So, the Church tried to explain and express who Jesus is and what he is. Who is Jesus? Jesus is the eternal son of God the Father, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. What is Jesus? Is he by nature God or man or both? The Council of Chalcedon clarified that when the Second Person of the Trinity became man, he was both totally human and totally divine at the same time… admittedly, this dogma is beyond what our human mind can grasp… so we are called to faith… to deep supernatural mystery of our faith.
Our faith tells us that Jesus Christ is truly human, with a human mind, will and body. Jesus Christ at the same time is also truly God. His two natures, human and divine, are united in the one person of Jesus, the Son of God.
In the fullness of time, God who is outside of time and space entered into our world through a human mother.
…And Mary is the mother of the human nature of Jesus….and since the total person of who Jesus is cannot be separated from what he is… both fully man and fully God at the same time... therefore, Mary is truly the Mother of God… because Jesus IS God.
Our celebration is actually a bold proclamation that Jesus IS God.
That is the theology behind the feast we celebrate today. It is important for us to be aware of this dogma of our faith. We have been entrusted with a rich tradition. We should understand the basic elements of our tradition.
Now…what does this feast of Mary, Mother of God, say to you and me, or what does it mean for us, right here and now, not as theologians, but – on a practical level - as individuals and as a faith community struggling to follow Christ, struggling to be true Christians, to serve God in our lives every day.
From our second reading from St. Paul's letter to the Galatians: God's plan was that his Son be born of a woman so that we might become God’s adopted sons and daughters. The Son of God became one of us… God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, and as God’s beloved children, now – awesomely - we can call God “Abba, Father”.
God is our Father. Jesus is our brother. The Holy Spirit, the Advocate - is in our hearts. Mary is our Mother. Wow!!! That is the truth. So, we should be indescribably joyful about that!
We have heard this many times, but do we really understand/truly grasp this truth, this reality - what it means… and therefore, are we living our lives accordingly, as beloved sons and daughters of God?
We really need to ponder this in our hearts like Mary did.
God is Our Father and so, when we are troubled with the struggles of life, when we have doubts and when our faith becomes weak, we must continue to be confident that God, who is always near to us, really hears our prayers.
We have to remember this truth – because of Mary’s cooperation with God’s plan, we are now beloved children of God - God who is not an unapproachable ruler, not someone out there in outer space but God who is with us… Emmanuel…God who cares about us… and God who truly knows and understands our human struggles and pains and sufferings…because He became one of us in the flesh.
That is what our feast, Mary being the Mother of God, means for us.
Again, true and proper devotion to Mary leads to Jesus… just as Mama Mary said at the wedding feast at Cana: “Do whatever Jesus tells you.” The question is: Are we listening to what Jesus is telling us?
I think it was Thomas Merton who said: “The root of people’s problems is actually the lack of contemplation.”
Today, we honor Mary - not adore Mary as the Protestants accuse us of – but we honor her as our Mother, as the model of contemplation.
Mary reflected or pondered the word of God in order to discern what God was saying to her at every stage in her life as the handmaid of God… a great example for us.
God constantly reveals Himself to us. He speaks to us through divine revelation. He speaks to us through the Bible, the teaching and preaching of the Church - as well as through our personal experiences, if only we made time to reflect on them as Mary did…until they sink into our hearts…
As we start the New Year – As our new year’s resolution - let us resolve to listen more to the voice of God, and ponder it in our hearts as Mary did.
Let us make reading the Scriptures daily as one of our goals.
We do not know what this coming year holds for us…Only God knows… Let us pray with Mary for deeper and stronger faith in our ever-faithful God, who is and will be with us in bad times as well as in good times. Mary continued to say “yes” to God all her life although there were things, there were times she could not understand.
Let us pray today to the Holy Spirit, the Spouse of Mary – for His gift of understanding…for us to realize that God, God’s love is far greater than what our intelligence can comprehend…
Usually this time of the year, we also look back into the past, so, let us pray/proclaim as Mary did: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my Spirit rejoices in God my savior…He has looked with favor on His lowly servant…” This Magnificat should be part of our prayer every day.
Let us pray for humble grateful hearts for all the blessings God has showered upon us and let us pray for generous hearts to share our blessings with those less fortunate; with those to whom life has not been so kind.
January 1st is also the World Day of Peace. Mary is our Queen of Peace, our Lady of Peace…. The beginning of the year is also a great time to pray for the blessings of peace in this troubled world in these trying times beginning within ourselves and in our own families.
Let us pray that we will always remember and trust that no matter what our past may have been, no matter what we have done, there is always God’s mercy and forgiveness…
…God is always ready to forgive us; no matter what the world has done to us, no matter what we have done - there is always the grace of beginning again, new year, fresh start.
Let us take time today and examine our hearts to see if there are any relationships especially within our own families that need healing; any relationships that need to be reconciled. Start now.
Let us try our best to forgive. Our Lord, the Son of Mary, the Prince of Peace, calls us to love not only those who love us but also those who do not love us, who do not like us.
Let us pray that we be living instruments of Christ’s peace.
My brothers and sisters in Christ – As God has made Mary full of grace, let us pray - may God fill us and our loved ones with His grace this New Year and in the years ahead. Amen….
Wishing you all and all your loved ones: Blessed Grace-filled Holy New Year!!!
God bless…
