VIRGIN AND MOTHER.
January 1, 2023.
The Octave Day of Christmas.
Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.
“Hail, Holy Mother, who gave birth to the King who rules
heaven and earth forever.”
An Italian proverb says: “He who has his own mother never
cries.” And an Eritrean proverb adds: “A home without a mother is a desert.”
Virgin, and yet, a Mother. That is what Mary is. Though she
was Virgin, God made her the Mother of His Only Begotten Son, so, the Mother of
God. We are speaking of a mystery that made God one of us and our brother in
humanity, the mystery of the Incarnation. We are also speaking of the special
grace God made to the humble young lady of Nazareth to become the main piece of
His project of salvation.
Today, January 1st, we are celebrating a great mystery, Mary
as the Mother of God or the THEOTOKOS. THEOTOKOS derives from the Greek terms:
Theos / 'God'; and tiktein / 'to give birth'. Mary is the THEOTOKOS, that is,
the one who gave birth to God. This single word sums up the meaning of Luke's
phrase: 'Mother of the Lord' (Lk 1:43) and represents a counterpoint to John's
teaching that the “Word was made flesh” (Jn 1:14). In Mary, the Divine Word
found a dwelling and became human.
Everything started with a discussion not so much to
legitimate Mary, but to save the true identity of the Lord Jesus against
heresies and falsehood, thus, the Council of Ephesus. The Council of Ephesus in
431 A.D., insisted "If anyone does not confess that God is truly Emmanuel
and that on this account the holy virgin is the "THEOTOKOS" (for
according to the flesh she gave birth to the word of God become flesh by birth)
let him be anathema." What we are celebrating today is a dogmatic
declaration and an act of faith in Jesus, the Son of God who to become the Son
of Man, chose to make Mary His Mother.
About the THEOTOKOS, St. Luigi Orione said that Mater Dei,
we have chosen the most complete of Marian titles. And he goes adding: “Our
mothers pass on and die: Mary, the Mother of our mothers, is the great Mother
who does not die… This is our faith in Mary, our honor, and our sweetest love
for Our Blessed Lady, for the Mater Dei. And we go to Jesus through Mary. The
shepherds were looking for Jesus and found Him in the arms of Mary. The Wise
Men came from a far-off land to look for the Messiah, and they adored Him in
the arms of Mary. And we, my sons, poor sinners that we are, where will we still
always find Jesus? We will find Him and adore Him in the arms and the heart of
Mary!”
The Lord has given us Mary as our Mother. We owe her our love as sons. Let us hear how warmly our Founder urges
this: “Let us honor and love Mary! Let
us love her as sons, in a most gentle manner, and let us love her with great
love. Tomorrow we will be united with the Angels and with Her in heaven, in
unimaginable joy; and in Mary Most Holy and with Mary, we will honor and love
God forever!”
Because she was privileged and chosen to be the Mother of
God, Mary has become a channel of God's blessing to our humanity. Rightly, the
Church invites us to open this new year with her solemnity. She is the Mother
of the Prince of Peace. And peace is the wish we all formulate today as we
celebrate the World Day of Peace, and so, Mary stands by our side as the Queen
of Peace.
In the first reading, we are given to reflect on the theme
of blessings. The Lord God instructed Moses on how the Priests, Aaron, and his
children, should bless the people. May we make ours these blessings, at the
start of this new year and formulate them as a prayer to God on the behalf of
each other. “May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord let his face
shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord uncover his face to you and
bring you peace.”
In this prayer, Mary the Mother of God, and our Mother
stands by our side. For, she is a great model for all mothers. In her arms,
like the Child Jesus, we all find protection and care, love and kindness. The
Gospel describes the motherly care of Mary. We read that when the shepherds
came to the crib of Bethlehem, they "found Mary and Joseph, and the infant
lying in the manger."
We can imagine the attention with which these two parents,
but most particularly Mary, were looking at their son. And Luke will mention
one of the greatest motherly attitudes of Mary: "she treasured all these
things and pondered them in her heart." All that was said about her Son
when straight into the intimacy and secrecy of Mary’s heart. Our mothers have a
heart for their children and in their hearts, they keep all the best memories.
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