Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 01-01-12, Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 01-01-12 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

January 1, 2012

 

Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God

 

Reading 1 Nm 6:22-27

The LORD said to Moses:
"Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them:
This is how you shall bless the Israelites.
Say to them:
The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon
you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and
give you peace!
So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites,
and I will bless them."

Responsorial Psalm Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8.

R. (2a) May God bless us in his mercy.
May God have pity on us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
among all nations, your salvation.
R. May God bless us in his mercy.
May the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.
R. May God bless us in his mercy.
May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you!
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
R. May God bless us in his mercy.

Reading 2 Gal 4:4-7

Brothers and sisters:
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.
As proof that you are sons,
God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
crying out, "Abba, Father!"
So you are no longer a slave but a son,
and if a son then also an heir, through God.

Gospel Lk 2:16-21

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.
Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them.

When eight days were completed for his circumcision,
he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel
before he was conceived in the womb.

[Salvation]

Sunday Scripture Study

The Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God

January 1, 2012

Click here for USCCB readings

Opening Prayer  

First Reading: Numbers 6:22-27

Psalm: 67:2-3,5-6,8

Second Reading: Galatians 4:4-7

Gospel Reading: Luke 2:16-21

• In the fourth century A.D., the heretical bishop Nestorius denied Mary could be called Theotokos (“God-bearer”), or, Mother of God. He thought it blurred the distinction between Jesus’ divine and human natures. The Council of Ephesus in A.D. 431 condemned Nestorius and affirmed Mary as Mother of God.

• Like all Marian dogmas, Mary’s title of Mother of God says more about Jesus that it does about Mary. It affirms the fact that Jesus is fully God, yet fully man (see CCC 464-483).

• This Monday’s Gospel reading is a continuation of last Sunday’s for midnight Mass (Luke 2:1-14). The shepherds, upon hearing the angels’ message, rush to Bethlehem and tell Mary and Joseph (verse 17) - and whoever else will listen (verses 18, 20) - what they have seen and heard. This confirms that which was already announced beforehand in Luke 1:31-33, 46-55, and 68-79.

• At eight days old, Jesus is circumcised and formally given the name which the angel had revealed before his birth (Luke 1:31; Mark 1:21). Circumcision was the rite that incorporated Jewish males into the people of Israel (Genesis 17:9-14; Luke 1:57-66), just as baptism incorporates Christians into the new Israel, the Church (Colossians 2:11-12).

 

QUESTIONS:

• What does the Second reading tell us about the timing of the Incarnation of Christ? About the necessary conditions? About the reasons it needed to happen? About what it means for us?

• It is just a short walk from the traditional site of Shepherd’s Field to the area of Bethlehem where Jesus’ birthplace is located. Why do the shepherds feel they have to go “in haste”? Who else “went in haste” (Luke 1:39)? Why?

• How do you think Luke obtained all the information for these events which were actually witnessed by relatively few people (verses 19, 51)?

• What does Luke mean when he says that “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them…”? What precious event has God done in your life that you “keep in your heart”?

• What is the significance of the name “Jesus” (verse 21, Luke 1:31; Mark 1:21; Acts 2:12)? What reverence should we have (and encourage others to have) for the Holy Name?

• What effect do you suppose the angels’ visit had on the shepherds? What effect has the knowledge of Christ’s birth had on you?

Catechism of the Catholic Church: §§ 430, 432, 434, 487, 466, 495, 527, 2599, 2677

 

Mary was raised to the dignity of Mother of God rather for sinners than for the just, since Jesus Christ declares that he came to call not the just, but sinners.

–St. Anselm

[Salvation]

Our Lady of Czestochowa

Pastor’s Column

Solemnity of Mary Mother of God
 

January 1, 2012

    One of the most powerful Marian Shrines in the world is that of Our Lady of Czestochowa at the Monastery of Jasna Gora.  This shrine was a favorite of John Paul II when he was archbishop of nearby Krakow; he was often a pilgrim there.  Unlike many other famous Marian churches throughout the world, no one seems to ever have had a vision there; her story is relatively unknown.  Having grown up with the Polish side of the family, I had heard of her, but no doubt most of you don’t know the details.  Why is she so popular?

    According to tradition, Our Lady was painted by St. John the apostle.  By the 4th century, Constantine had already built a church in Rome for the image.  After the fall of Rome, the image passed through various hands and places too detailed to mention in this column (but they are worth looking up!).  In the 15th century, a Polish prince became the owner of this painting, installing it in his castle.  This was later invaded and an arrow was shot through the image of Our Lady’s throat in an attempt to damage the painting!  

The prince then entrusted the painting to some religious at a monastery at Jasna Gora.  Later, the image was stolen again during an invasion, and according to the story, the horses of the conquerors only got so far and refused to move.  The invaders then inflicted three large slashes on Our Lady’s face, which are quite visible today, even at a distance.

Many have attempted to restore the painting to its original condition over the years, trying to erase this vandalism, and yet despite this, no one has ever been able to cover over these slash marks.  They always reappear, and in this miracle lies the secret to the deep attraction so many Poles and others throughout the world have to Our Lady of Czestochowa.

The image is a message from the Mother of God without words.  What is she saying to the Polish people and to us?  She is saying, “I am with you; I have suffered with you; when you were invaded and deported, I was deported with you.  When your country and you yourselves were vandalized, I was vandalized with you.  I am always with you and will never abandon you.”  Her visible scars, like Christ’s own wounds, are signs of love for us!

The devotion that Our Lady has at this shrine is so remarkable.  Young people from all over Poland flock to here because they too understand the message she sends:  I love those who love me; I will be suffering with you in this valley of tears; and I will never ever stop praying for you!
                                Father Gary

[Salvation]

Our time in this New Year -- to reflect with Mary

 

 Worship of the Shepherds - Bronzino

The Word: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/010112.cfm

Numbers 6: 22-27

Gal 4: 4-7

Luke 2: 16-21

The Lord bless you and keep you!

The LORD let his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and
give you peace! (Nm 6: 24-26)

In those beautiful words from our first reading, the priestly blessing of Moses over the people of Israel, we begin this new year of 2012. I have always loved this blessing for its simplicity and profound good will that permeates its words.  One can feel goodness extended from God, through Moses, to all people of good will.  The coming of Christ among us put meat on these words since in Jesus, God has blessed us and kept us and indeed “let his face shine upon us.”

This January 1^st, this first day of a new year, we continue to deepen our understanding of the Christmas mystery – God who has become for us the Word made flesh and bone among us.  God came from his abode outside of time and space to our and his created world of touchable space and time. So we know that in this time and space, through the human birth of God made flesh, we now stand for ever in partnership with our creator.

This first day of the year we recognize the maternal vocation of Mary who is rightly titled the “Holy Mother of God.” Mary, Theotokos (the “bearer of God”) in Greek. Because Jesus was both divine and human, it is appropriate for us to call her the “mother” of God.  Because Mary was of the lineage of King David, from her does Jesus receive his Jewish heritage.  So, this Solemnity helps to explain the connection between God and humanity. 

Not that we are co-creators but as creatures loved by our creator who has entrusted to us a certain amount of time here to come to know him and his will for us. So, maybe a good reflection as we begin this year is to ask ourselves about the best use of our time.

Time means little to young children but as we mature, we recognize the value and limitation of time and we cherish it more carefully. We find time for everything from vacation to work; business or pleasure or sometimes a combination of both. Hopefully, a portion of that time is spent in pursuit of a prayer relationship with God. To never do so, is indeed a waste of time.

Yet, we always have 365 days in a year, seven days in a week, twelve months in a year, and the same 24 hrs in every day – no more and no less.  An hour is always 60 minutes and a minute is always 60 seconds.  So, time actually never changes, it is always the same measurement.  It just seems to move faster. Maybe scientists or psychologists have a theory about perception which becomes reality?

As we enter this new year of 2012, the Church calls us to mark time again by reflecting on Peace in the new year ahead.  How much energy, or time, do I spend in doing good for others?  In being a maker of peace rather than simply pursuing my own self-interest or personal priorities?

We don’t need to solve world hunger or devise the formula for peaceful relationships between nations or find the cure for cancer. As righteous as all of that is, I believe we are called to use our time in the ordinary pursuits of life caring for one another in feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, etc.

The Motherhood of Mary reminds us of this great woman who put aside her personal agenda and embraced the divine will – “Let it be done to me as you say.” (Lk 1: 38).  Such selfless choice brings a harmony with a greater will beyond my own and that produces peace.

The Gospel for this Sunday (Lk 2: 16-21) describes a peaceful scene between the shepherds, Mary and Joseph. The shepherds don’t waste any time. They run “in haste” to Bethlehem to look for the infant in the manger that was proclaimed to them by the choir of angels out in their fields that night.  Seeing that child confirmed what they were told – that God had entered time and space and somehow they just knew it all to be true.  No further explanation as necessary and they glorified God for what had been told them.  How often do I recognize God before me and respond in faith? They were changed by what they saw and heard.  No longer ordinary shepherds for sure!

Meanwhile, Mary “kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” (Lk 2: 19). Mary herself was changed as she grew in a greater understanding of who her son might be and what his ultimate purpose was for.  

Pope St. Leo the Great states: “In the very act in which we are reverencing the birth of our Savior, we are also celebrating our own new birth. For the birth of Christ is the origin of the Christian people; and the birthday of the head is also the birthday of the body.” (Sermon 6).  Something to ponder in our own hearts indeed.

As the new year begins, how can I slow down my time in order to find more time for the practice of my faith? Do I see the Christ among us in the Eucharist and the assembly gathered each week? God’s blessing to one and all as we turn that calendar not just to a new month but to this new year.

O God, who through the fruitful virginity of Blessed Mary
bestowed on the human race
the grace of eternal salvation, grant, we pray,
that we may experience the intercession of her,
through whom we were found worthy
to receive the author of life,
Our Lord Jesus Christ, your son,
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.

 (Collect for Solemnity)

 

Fr. Tim

[Salvation]

Insight Scoop

Mary, more Mother than Queen

From an excellent essay, "Theosis: The Final Mystery of the Rosary", by Stratford Caldecott, on the Second Spring website:

The mystery of theosis, it seems to me, is something we need to be reminded of today more than ever, at the end of a secular age in which so many have tried to live as though God did not exist. The vision of Mary, crowned with flowers on earth and with stars in heaven, is the one image of human destiny that can stand up against the hedonistic vision, the corrupted imagination and impure heart of the decadent twentieth century. It can, of course, too easily be presented as a pretty picture with no connection to everyday life, and to the everyday struggle for sanctity. Mary, after all, did not have to "struggle" for holiness. Mary is unique: how can her special privileges be of concern to us, except indirectly? We see in this common attitude another effect of the longstanding dualism between nature and grace, discussed earlier. By being "preredeemed", by being conceived Immaculate, by being assumed bodily into heaven, many feel that Mary has been removed from the natural sphere and placed in the supernatural. But what has in fact been lost here is the sense that Mary is the heart of the Church of which we are the members. If the only fulfilment of nature is through grace, then she who is full of grace shows us the fulfilment of our own natures also. To her state we may also attain - even if only in the partial way appropriate to our less central position in the Mystical Body, and through a process of purification that for her is unnecessary. She does not have to struggle for sanctity, but she suffers with us in our struggle, and accompanies us, not in the useless way of a person who makes all the same mistakes, but in the helpful way that can support us with unfailing patience, compassion and wisdom.

The commonly voiced objection to any renewed emphasis on the Coronation is that already noted (in connection with Balthasar) that by giving attention to the Queenship of Mary we may lose sight of her maidenly humility as sister and friend. St Thérèse of Lisieux in a reflection on the Coronation similarly remarks that the Blessed Virgin is "more Mother than Queen": a mother does not want to eclipse the glory of her children but make them shine more brightly. The danger of that would be lessened in the context of a theological synthesis that made clear the nature and purpose of Marian devotion. But is could be argued (on historical as well as theological grounds) that whenever the Mother of God is "downgraded" the saints are sure to follow, until even the concept of sanctity is lost.

In any case, Pope John Paul II, in his encyclicals and numerous weekly audiences on Mary, has shown that Mary's "state of royal freedom" flows precisely from her humility as handmaid, mother and sister. In the Kingdom of God, to serve means to reign. The phrase is one he picks up from Vatican II (Lumen Gentium, 36), and quotes in Section 41 of Redemptoris Mater (1987). It is true of Christ, who "came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many," becoming first a child, then a prisoner, then a dead man; entering the glory of his kingdom in this very way. It is true of any disciple of Jesus, and it is true above all for his Mother. The Pope goes on to say that the "glory of serving does not cease to be her royal exaltation: assumed into heaven, she does not cease her saving service, which expresses her maternal mediation 'until the eternal fulfilment of all the elect.' Thus, she who here on earth 'loyally persevered in her union with her Son unto the Cross,' continues to remain united with him, while now 'all things are subjected to him, until he subjects to the Father himself and all things.' In her Assumption into heaven, Mary is as it were clothed by the whole reality of the Communion of Saints, and her very union with the Son in glory is wholly oriented towards the definitive fullness of the Kingdom, when 'God will be all in all'."

If Mary is, as the Catechism tells us in one of its headings, an eschatological icon of the Church, it is in the figure of the Virgin Mary, united with Christ in heaven, that our destiny and calling as human beings are most fully revealed to us. Mary is already the Church that we are summoned to become through repentance and purification. She is nature perfected in a single person, and transfigured by the grace to which she offers not the faintest shadow of resistance. It is the image of her "Coronation" or eschatological transfiguration that most fully expresses the final effects of grace on nature: the integration of human life with the life of the eternal and ever-blessed Trinity.

Read the entire essay. As a companion piece, see my essay, "Theosis: The Reason for the Season".

[Salvation]

Insight Scoop

"Mary is the purely human form of the divine will to save."

The brilliant Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis on the relationship between Mary and the her Son's disciples:

Because a Christian disciple is above all a Christ-bearer, there exists a deep and indispensable relationship between Jesus' disciples and the Mother of Emmanuel. By an ineffable design of his grace, God has appointed us to be the visible manifestation of Jesus Christ in the world, the visibility of him who is the Son common to the living God and the humble Virgin of Nazareth. It was she who first made him visible among us, this Virgin whose childbearing, in Isaiah's promise, is inseparable from her Son's labor to "save his people from their sins".[1] We, too, should carefully take to heart the angel's words to Joseph: "Do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit."[2]

Now, this communion with the Mother of Jesus, far from being an eccentric and misguided departure from the purity of the Gospel, is precisely that to which the Lord Jesus is calling us if we would follow him perfectly.

When in Luke 11:28 Jesus proclaims the great beatitude: "Blessed . . . are those who hear the word of God and keep it", surely he intends a great deal more than simply the observance of specific commandments. For the "Word of God", used in the singular and in such a solemn proclamation, must refer above all to Jesus himself as eternal Son of the Father, especially in the context of an anonymous woman declaring Mary's womb to be blessed for having borne him as Savior. Likewise, the Greek word [phulassontes] in this same context conveys much more than simply "observing" or "keeping": indeed, its full range of associations extends to "defending", "cherishing", "fostering' safeguarding", all meanings directly relevant to the conception, bearing, and rearing of a child.

"To keep the Word of God", as Jesus enjoins, cannot at bottom mean anything other than allowing the Holy Spirit to implant the Son of the Father in the womb of our Souls, and then for us to give birth to this Word into the world in union with Mary, the historical Mother of Jesus and the perennial Mother of the Church. The kerygmatic birth of Jesus into the world from the womb of the apostles' faith cannot be a substantially different birth from the historical one that took place in Bethlehem, for there is only one Christ Jesus. The "keeping of the Word of God" in this sense is in full harmony both with the Father's proclamation at the Transfiguration ("This is my beloved Son ... ; listen to him"[3]) and with Mary's advice to the guests at Cana ("Do whatever he tells you!"[4]).

Both the Father and the Mother point to the incarnate Word with love and pleasure. The Holy Spirit conceives him in us, and the Word, bent on redeeming us, points to himself as revelation of the Father. Mary is the purely human form of the divine will to save.

To be a Christian and a disciple, then, means becoming Christ-bearers in the world in the most radical and literal sense. However, such a visible presence and communication of the total Jesus through us cannot occur without our being in constant communion with both the Father and the Mother of Jesus, the two origins of his divine and human life. The Holy Spirit cannot accomplish the fullness of redemption in us, cannot effect the conception of the Son of the Most High within us–and we cannot become another Mary, the Christian vocation in a nutshell – unless we seek the company of her through whom and in whom he is permanently present, not only among the choirs of angels in union with his Father and their Spirit, but also visibly and humanly in his Church and within the landscape of this world, so wretched yet so graced.

"Every one who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God, and every one who loves the parent loves the child."[5] This is the descending order of love in John: If you love the parent, you must also love the child, which here refers both to Jesus himself and to those begotten by faith in his messiahship, Must we not also hold this order of love with regard to Jesus' human Mother? If we love Jesus as Son of the only Father, can we avoid, without a grave breach of all decency, loving his only Mother? We love Jesus for the sake of the Father, and we love Mary for the sake of Jesus and the Father, and thus our love for her is not based on whim or mere sentiment, but on the firm foundation of God's own trinitarian Being and of the economy of redemption he has wrought.

"Going into the house [the Magi] saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him."[6] It is impossible to find Jesus in isolation from the two essential communities to which he belongs by his nature as incarnate Word. In his divinity we cannot embrace him apart from the community of the Holy Trinity; and in his humanity we cannot approach him apart from the family through which he enters our race and shares our human condition to the full. "What God has joined together, let no man put asunder."[7]

As the Magi find him "with Mary his mother", they "fall down and worship him". Note well two things here: first, that they worship only Jesus, but, at the same time, that in bowing down in adoration before him they must necessarily incline with reverence in the direction of the Virgin Mother who is holding him out to them and to the world. Thus, worship of Jesus is inseparable from deep reverence for the Mother by whose obedient faith he has come into the world and made himself available for our own adoration. Mary's faith has thus made it possible for us to adore God incarnate!

Read more:

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

Our Mother Knows the Song of the Angels

U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God (January 1, 2012).

January 1, 2012
Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord
Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

Luke 2:16-21
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. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them. When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, you are my friend, my Father, and my protector. I come to you on this new day confident in your presence. I renew my love for you, trusting in your guiding hand.

Petition: Lord, I want to hear the angels sing. Help me learn to listen.

1. Sometimes We Need a Little Help:  Would the shepherds have been impressed to find Mary, Joseph, and the child Jesus if the angels had not explained what was happening? They would have just thought it was a poor, vagabond family—unimpressive and unassuming like their own lives as shepherds. Yet the angels opened them to a reality that they would never have imagined or perceived. In my life God has also sent me angels who help me discover him: the faith of a parent or grandparent, the sweet, innocent faith of a child, the good example of a friend, a teacher, a priest or a nun, the example of our Holy Father. Mary also teaches me to discover God in her Son. Do I thank God for these angels that he has sent me? Do I follow their advice and look for Christ in the simple, ordinary circumstances of my life?

2. Hints of a New Song: In a symphony, the first movement only hints at the central theme. Mary had first heard this theme from the angel Gabriel. Now the shepherds take up this theme—the hymn of the angels—and even though the shepherds play their part with great enthusiasm, it probably makes very little noise outside the little town of Bethlehem. Yet the song had begun, and it would grow to a crescendo as Christ lived out his mission. History unfolds God’s mysterious plan of salvation. I am part of that history, of that symphony. Do I do my best to continue Mary’s song, God’s song, by living my commitments and taking part in apostolate?

3. And His Name Shall Be “God Saves”: Mary and Joseph take up the hymn. They know the secret: this child will save Israel and will save all mankind. They begin to explain to the world, using an ancient name, Joshua (Yeshua), a name that now becomes not just a promise but a person. This is God’s new name. This is Our God: God Saves. He is not merely a God who is the source of everything. Our God is intimately committed to us, and he puts himself “in the line of fire” to save us. Man had suspected that God was Creator, and the Jews had received the surprise of his friendship, but neither Gentile nor Jew dreamed that God was also this type of love. Do I dare to dream of God’s goodness? Do I let Christ give me peace and hope in the midst of this despairing world?

Conversation with Christ:  Lord, I have heard something new today. You remind me this Christmas that it is time for a new song, a song of confidence and hope. Mary teaches me this song, this good news. I want to bring this good news more deeply into my life. I know that you are helping me to discover you more each day. Help me also discover you to others.

Resolution: In Mary’s presence, I will strive to “sing this new song” (the Christian virtue I have determined to cultivate) today by making a special effort in one aspect of living this virtue.

[Salvation]

Did Jesus Have a Split Personality?

December 28th, 2011 by Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D.

The mother of the messiah has been called many things in the last 2000 years –the Virgin Mary, Our Lady, the Blessed Mother. But call her “the Mother of God,” and you’ll see some Christians squirm.

This is nothing new. One day in the early fifth century, a priest preached a stirring sermon in the presence of the patriarch of Constantinople. His subject was the holy mother of Jesus. The preacher continually referred to Mary as the “Theotokos,” meaning “God-bearer” or mother of God. This was no innovation–Christians had invoked Mary under this title for at least two hundred years. Nevertheless, at the close of the sermon, the patriarch ascended the steps of the pulpit to correct the preacher. We should call Mary the Mother of Christ, said Patriarch Nestorius, not the Mother of God. She was the mother of his human nature, not the mother of his divinity.

His comment sparked a riot. And the dispute rocked not only the congregation, but the entire empire. Cyril, patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt, immediately recognized that Nestorius’ Marian theology was a symptom of a much deeper problem, a problem with the incarnation itself. For to deny Mary the title “Mother of God” makes of Jesus a dichotomy, a split personality. It would mean that God had not really embraced our humanity so as to become human. Rather, the humanity of Christ is hermetically sealed off from the divinity, as if Jesus were two persons, as if human nature was so distasteful that God, in Christ, had to keep it at arm’s distance. It is okay, according to Nestorius, to say that in Jesus, God raised Lazarus, or multiplied the loaves, or walked on water. But it is not okay to say that in Jesus God is born or that God died.

Cyril, aware that this was a challenge to the heart of our faith, demanded that an ecumenical council be called to settle the matter. So in 431, the Council of Ephesus met, under Cyril’s leadership, and solemnly proclaimed that Mary is indeed rightly to be honored as the Theotokos, the Mother of God. It proclaimed that from the moment of his conception, God truly became man. Of course Mary is a creature and could never be the origin of the eternal Trinity, God without beginning or end. But the second person of the blessed Trinity chose to truly become man. He did not just come and borrow a human body and drive it around for awhile, ascend back to heaven, and discard it like an old car. No, at the moment of his conception in the womb of Mary, an amazing thing happened. God the Son united himself with a human nature forever. Humanity and divinity were so closely bound together in Jesus, son of Mary, that they could never be separated again. Everything that would be done by the son of Mary would be the act both of God and of man. So indeed it would be right to say that a man raised Lazarus from the dead and commanded the wind and waves, that God was born that first Christmas day and that, on Good Friday, God died.

The Council of Ephesus, once confirmed by the Pope, became the third ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, and its teaching in this matter is dogma, truth revealed by God which all are bound to accept.

So why does the Roman liturgy celebrate the Octave of Christmas as the Feast of Mary the Mother of God? Because this paradoxical phrase strikes at the very heart of Christmas. The songs we sing and the cards we write extol the babe of Bethlehem as Emmanuel, God-with-us. He is so with us that after Gabriel’s visit to the Virgin of Nazareth, the Divine Word can never again be divided from our humanity. What God has joined, let no man separate.

 

This was originally published in Our Sunday Visitor as a reflection on the readings for the Octave of Christmas, the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God cycles A, B, and C (Numbers 6:22-27; Psalm 67, Galatians 4:4-7, and Luke 2:16-21).

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

 

<< Sunday, January 1, 2012 >>

Mary, Mother of God Saint of the Day

Numbers 6:22-27
Galatians 4:4-7
View Readings

Psalm 67:2-3, 5-6, 8
Luke 2:16-21

PEACEMAKING

"The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!" —Numbers 6:24-26

 

For almost fifty years, the popes have been calling us to devote this first day of the year to praying for peace and justice. Few Catholics have listened to the popes, and we have reaped the wages of our disobedience in war and death (see Rm 6:23).

May this New Year's Day be new. May we obey and be peacemakers (see Mt 5:9). Mary, the queen of peace, is praying for her children to obey the pope, their spiritual father, and pray for peace. Mary is repeating her Fatima messages and calling for prayers and sacrifices offered for many conversions. The Muslims, Chinese, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, and secular humanists throughout the world will also come to Jesus. Then we will have true peace. We will have Jesus, our Peace (Eph 2:14). Then, after the whole world has been able to hear the gospel (see Mt 24:14), Jesus will come back and take us home to heaven. There our prayers for peace will be answered perfectly. We will have perfect peace.

On the first Christmas, the angels sang: "Peace on earth; good will to men" (see Lk 2:14). Today pray for peace on earth, Christmas peace, "heavenly peace."

 

Prayer: Father, I will pray with Mary in the upper room for a new Pentecost of peace (see Acts 1:14). May we "sleep in heavenly peace."

Promise: "Mary treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart." —Lk 2:19

Praise: Praise Jesus, Who exalted a young woman of humble birth to be His Mother!

[Salvation]

January 1, Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Although New Year's Day is not celebrated by the Church, this day has been observed as a holy day of obligation since early times due to the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Each family and country has different traditional foods to eat on New Year's Day, with lentils being the main superstition: ill luck befalling those who do not eat lentils at the beginning of the year.

New Year's is a day of traditional hospitality, visiting and good cheer, mostly with a secular view, but there is no reason that this day, too, could not be sanctified in Christ.

• Day Eight activity (New Year's Day Party)
• Day Eight recipe (New Year's Pretzel)

 

 

A blessed Eighth Day of Christmas to all of you!

[Salvation]

 

 

At the Cross, Mary mourns her Son's death.

 

In today's world, Mary mourns the deaths of all the aborted children.

 

[Salvation]

Sunday Gospel Reflections

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, The Mother Of God
Reading I: Numbers 2:22-27 II: Galatians 4:4-7

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Gospel
Luke 2:16-21

¹⁶ So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.
¹⁷ When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child.
¹⁸ All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.
¹⁹ And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.
²⁰ Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.
²¹ When eight days were completed for his circumcision, 7 he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

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Interesting Details

• Context: this passage completes the birth narrative read on Christmas Eve (2:1-14), where the description of "wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger" was repeated twice in verses 7 and 12.
• v. 16 repeats the "lying in the manger a third time, a sign that Jesus is food to nourish the world. Jesus is said to be "wrapped in a cloth" a third time in Luke 23:53 after his death, so his birth anticipates his death.
• v. 15 "this thing that has happened": can also be translated as "word [that has been] accomplished", signifying a fulfilled prophecy. "These things" in v. 19 can also be "these words" that Mary pondered.
• Mary is the model Christian. From pondering on God's graces/actions/words (2:19, 2:51), Mary would "hear the word of God and do it" (8:21), be "blessed for carrying and feeding God" (11:27), and prays with the Church (Acts 1:14).
• The shepherds represent both the poor and the King David, who had been a shepherd. They listened to the angel, acted promptly, recognized God, glorified God, and evangelized.
• v. 21 To receive a name is an act of submission, as the animals were named by Adam in Genesis 2:18-23.

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One Main Point

Those who follow Mary and ponder the simple signs helpless infant of a homeless family visited by poor shepherds, will see the unimaginable Love incarnated.

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Reflections

1. What do I treasure and ponder in my heart, the poor, among whom Jesus dwells, or the world's riches, power and glory?
2. Do I promptly follow God's word? Where does that take me?
3. Do I let God name be my master, give me an identity, claim me as God's own? What name God gives me?

[Salvation]

Celebrating The Mother Of God

Dec 31st, 2011

by Gary Zimak.

AVE MARIA, gratia plena, Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

On January 1st, while much of the world is busy making New Year’s resolutions and recovering from the excessive partying of the night before, the Catholic Church celebrates the solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. This is a perfect and fitting way to begin the new year and calls to mind the Blessed Mother’s importance in salvation history.  In His infinite wisdom, the Savior chose to enter the world by requesting the cooperation of a humble creature.  He didn’t have to do this, but He did.  In the upcoming year, let’s all resolve to grow closer to Mary.  By doing so, we will also grow closer to her Son, Jesus!

Wishing you all a blessed and holy 2012.  Thank you for all of your support and prayers over the past year.  I’m looking forward to continuing our walk on the road that leads to Jesus Christ and our eternal salvation!

[Salvation]

http://resources.sainteds.com/showmedia.asp?media=../sermons/homily/2012-01-01-Homily%20Fr%20Gary.mp3&ExtraInfo=0&BaseDir=../sermons/homily