Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

The first day of the New Year is the eighth day since the birth of Jesus Christ. Then the Church celebrates the feast of Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

The centuries-old tradition of the Church has always recognized the birth of Jesus and the Divine Motherhood of Mary as two aspects of the Incarnation of the Word. The bishops of the Church, gathered at the Council of Ephesus (431 A.D.), unanimously declared that Mary should be called the Mother of God (Greek Theotokos). Mary did not give birth to the Divinity, she did not give the Lord Jesus the divine nature, because He already possessed it from the Father from eternity. Instead, She gave Christ human nature – She  gave it to the Divine Person of the Lord Jesus. That is why we do not say that she is only the mother of the body of Jesus, but we call her the Mother of God – the Holy Mother of God. This dignity, this privilege, exalts her above all creatures and is the source of all her other privileges. The Mother of Jesus is shown to people as the most perfect creature and at the same time as the first among those who have benefited from Christ's gifts. She brings the Savior to the world. Mary, being the Mother of Jesus, is also the Mother of His Mystical Body – that is, she is the Mother of the Church. This new title was given to Mary at the time of the Second Vatican Council.

Two attitudes
On the Solemnity of the Holy Mother of God, the Liturgy of the Word refers us to the events in Bethlehem. We see Mary, Joseph, the Child Jesus and the simple shepherds who came to the manger. The Gospel shows us shepherds who rejoice, praise God and share the good news with others. Mary experiences this moment in a slightly different way – as if more adoratively. It seems that there is an extraordinary peace and silence in her. In silence he reflects on God's great deeds. Saint Luke wrote: "Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart" (Lk 2:19). Therefore, it can be said that the Solemnity of the Holy Mother of God, and at the same time the first day of the calendar new year, inclines us to adopt these two attitudes: the attitude of the shepherds, that is, joy at the threshold of a new time, and gratitude for the past year of life and graces that God has given us at this time. It is also worth adopting Mary's attitude: to look deep into our hearts and see all those things of the past year that have entered our hearts and which we do not understand yet, although we carry them and meditate on them, trusting in God's will.

Mary is extremely close to us!
It is a good thing that on the first day of the new year we worship the Holy Mother of God! We can invite Mary to accompany us on the roads of the new time that lies ahead. Therefore, when entering the new year, it is worth taking with us this image of Mary, Mother of God, bent over the Child Jesus, contemplating and reflecting on the mystery of the Word. Let us think that she bends down to each of us in the same way. She sees in us the love of his Son, and at the same time she wants to accompany our maturation on the path of faith to holiness. On this path there is a certain paradox, which is connected with the fact that spiritual life is governed by different laws than biological life. In biological life, we are getting older every year, we are approaching the end of our life on earth. As we age, our body slowly changes and deteriorates. And although many do not want to hear about it, do not want to accept it, we are heading towards death.

In the mature interior life, however, we grow younger with age! We are maturing to the attitude of God's childhood. We also become more aware of many things that we understand better. We look at many of them differently – where necessary, we gain a healthy distance. We understand more about ourselves and others. With time, there is also in us more mature freedom and mercy towards others. We are closer to God, with a greater distance to oneself and a deeper childlike trust in God. We become more and more trusting children, although our body goes the other way. Mary is watching our maturing and wants to accompany us in it. And we can address Her as Mother – Mother of God and ours.

After all, being the graceful Mother of God, Mary is extremely close to us. She is our support as a mother and an example as the first to follow the path of faith in full trust in God. Her unique and unrepeatable place in the community of believers also derives from this fundamental vocation to be the Mother of the Redeemer.

In front of one of the old Spanish churches there is a statue of Our Lady. A very strange figure. Our Lady is bent down. An old legend explains this: "Once this statue stood upright, but one day a little girl stood in front of the statue. She made a wreath of flowers and wanted to put it on the Blessed Mother's head. She could not reach her head. Then the Mother of God bent down to the girl and remained so until our days.

It is only a legend, but it hides a deep truth that the Mother of Jesus and our Mother is constantly bent over the earth and over us, its inhabitants. It is She who – as we sing in Mary's song – understands everything and embraces each of us with her heart. Her maternal eyes run to us with intensity, because Mary, being the Mother of God, became a Mother for all those who belong to Him. She intercedes for us so that Christ – the Savior, the Prince of Peace – is born in our hearts. That is why we look into the eyes of Our Lady – to fall on our knees and look into Her eyes! As St. Augustine wrote: He who loves wants to see the face of the loved one.

To those we love and see each day
and other loved ones faraway
To all good friends who mean so much, 
and those with whom we are off touch...
The best wishes and a Happy New Year.

 May Merciful Jesus bless you
And bring you to everlasting Life
From all of us at The Lay Institute of Divine Mercy

fr. george