Word to the Wise
Wednesday, January 1, 2025 - Jan. 1: The Octave Day of Christmas: Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, The Mother of God - ABC
[Num 6:22-27; Gal 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21]When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. [Galatians] The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. [Luke]
Devotion and veneration of Mary, the mother of Jesus, is one of the singular characteristics of Catholics, east and west. She is given a multitude of titles, as anyone who recites the Litany of the Blessed Virgin can read. The Church celebrates some of these titles in the liturgical year. The title of today's feast has actually changed in my lifetime, after the Second Vatican Council, from "the Circumcision" to "Mary, the Holy Mother of God." The title may make sense logically, but it was fiercely debated before becoming accepted as part of Catholic faith. "How can God have a mother?" Much of this is a matter of semantics and the limitations of language to express theological realities. The Greek term is "theotokos," meaning "God-bearer." Mary's role in the Incarnation is acknowledged by the title, in English, as "Mother of God," but it is her "role" that is important. She is not the origin of God, who has no beginning. Her maternal role in the plan of salvation receives, today, the recognition it deserves.
Such theological subtleties may not be of great consequence to most folks. Marian devotion has so many forms that today's feast could seem simply just one among many. We also celebrate a feast entitled, "Mary, mother of the Church!" But the context of the liturgical season of Christmas/Epiphany gives a certain emphasis to Mary's participation in the drama of the Incarnation. Starting off a new "secular" year with a great theological feast is a good way to do that. AMEN