(Octave of
Christmas – January 1)
Galatians 4: 4-7
Luke 2: 16-21
"Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.”
The
solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, is an old celebration. It has been a part of
the Roman liturgy since the early beginnings of Christianity. This, devotion to
Mary’s divine motherhood springs from the pious religiosity of the early
Christians. Even at the very infantile stage of Christianity, the faith of our
ancestors has taught them that Mary is not only the mother of Christ, but also
the Mother of God. That is why the aspect of piety has become an irreplaceable
part of Marian devotion and the aspect of doctrine forms an essential part of
catholic orthodoxy. It is for this same reason, then,
that the Church urges us to explain the catholic teaching on Mary's divine motherhood even as we celebrate
this great solemnity.
1. Dogma
on the Theotokos (Mother of God) is one of the trademarks of
Catholicism. All Christians believe that Mary is the Mother of Christ, but not all Christians believe that Mary is
the Mother of God. We Catholics do. And this truth, which we uphold has been
attested to by Sacred Scripture, Divine Tradition and the Teaching Authority of the Church.
True, the
Bible has no explicit statement on Mary's divine motherhood. But the truth of
this matter is found in equivalent terms, which the scripture clearly
enunciates. Actually, Mary's motherhood is inseparable from Christ's sonship.
This is what the Scripture is trying to tell in many of her passages. In
today's second reading, Paul says, "God sent forth his son, born of a
woman…” But this son born of a woman
is the “Son of the Most High" (Lk 1:32), "the Christ, the Son
of God" (Jn 20: 31). “Therefore,
Mary is the Mother of Christ, the Son of the most high God. Indeed, she is the
Mother of God. For non-Catholics, this may be sweeping conclusion. But for us
Catholics, we consider it as the highest Marian truth derived from a prayerful
study and careful inference. By claiming Mary as Theotokos, we believe
we become one with Elizabeth herself who calls Mary as "the Mother of
my Lord” (Lk 1:43).
It is upon this simple yet profound inference
that the faith early Christians is founded.
Coupled by their deep-seated religiosity, our ancestors
have given Mary the highest honor without in any way degrading the dignity other Son. This Marian truth, which
may have just started in such simple and pious devotion, has gradually found its
theological explanations through the years and has constantly been defended by
the Fathers, Doctors and Theologians of the
Church. From the earliest testimonies of St.
Hippolytus and the Apostolic Fathers, this has formed
an unbroken tradition of faith. For this reason, the Teaching Authority of the Church would not afford to
remain silent especially at those difficult times when this pious doctrine has
been critically tested. The first decisive intervention
of the Church is at the Council of Ephesus (431 AD) where
the Theotokos is defined as a dogma of faith. Later councils
would upholds and preserve this Marian dogma including Vatican II with its
several documents mentioning Mary's divine motherhood in familiar expressions and titles as "Mater Dei,” "Dei
Genetrix,” “Deipara.” With this unbroken
tradition also flow and flourish all the more our love and devotion to Mary, the Mother of God.
2. But more than a doctrine, Mary's divine
motherhood holds so large a place in every
catholic heart. With this motherhood, we get stronger
and a more intimate meaning of our own sonship. We share a righteous place in God's kingdom where we really
become brothers and sisters in Christ, sons
and daughters of one heavenly Father. This is what St.
Paul wants to tell us: "God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, so
that we might become adopted sons.” Mary, then,
leads us to the Father through her son. In
other words, we go to Christ the Son and ultimately
to God the Father through Mary our Mother. Thus the old familiar slogan
resounds: "Ad lesum per Mariam”
(To Jesus through Mary). :
To be born of a woman means to be real human.
So, Christ is subjected to the Law and
becomes a member of the family of man. This is the meaning of his own
circumcision. With it, the eternal God now becomes incorporated to the Jewish people sharing the
same human rights and privileges, duties and
obligations of the Mosaic Law. And all this happens
because of Mary. So, while Mary becomes the Mother of God, Christ becomes truly
the son of man, indeed, born of a woman.
This is the sweeter part of the story. Jesus
is near to us, for he is truly one like us except sin. He is the Emmanuel, the
God who is with us, and the God who dwells among us.
3. Being one like us, Jesus himself
experiences, the joy and happiness of having and being with his mother. At his very first moment in this world, the
warmth of Mary fills his tender body to protect it from the coldness of the
night. Even under the stable, Mary still becomes the baby Jesus’ closest stable.
Mary herself is Jesus' first home. But the warmth of Mary’s body is just one
manifestation of the warmth of her love. Mary’s motherly love abides and
increasingly grows as the child prospers in age, wisdom and grace. Thus, Mary
becomes Jesus' first school too. As his mother-teacher, Jesus learns the art
and the meaning of life itself. But most of all, Mary is Jesus' first church.
Through Mary, Jesus learns to bend his knees in humble prayer and follow in
perfect obedience the will of the Father just as Mary always does.
No other person is so close to Jesus than
Mary, his Mother. That is why even human psychology would teach us that he who
loves Jesus must also love Mary. For he who honors and praises the Mother wins
the honor and praise of the Son. So, it is plain hypocrisy to fulfill the words
of the Son while neglecting to hear the voice of the Mother. And it is both an
irony and an insult to honor the Son while dishonoring the
Mother. It is so, basic a reason that we Catholics continue to honor her and
put ourselves under her mantle and care. If Jesus,
God as he is, puts his complete trust and confidence upon Mary, there is no
reason why we, in our weakness and frailty, could not come to her in all our
needs and supplications. That is precisely why the reforms of Vatican II put
today’s solemnity at the beginning of our civil year. And not only that. While
celebrating this solemnity, Paul VI declares the first day of the New Year as a
special day of prayer for peace. The significance is clear. As we begin a new
phase in our journey, we entrust ourselves under the patronage of Our Lady. In
a world so inflicted by division, conflict, disagreement and even war, the
sweetest name to call is Mama. And we address this filial cry to Mama
Mary, the Mother of God.