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1st January 

Solemnity of Mary Mother of God

Read: (Num 6: 22-27; Gal 4: 4-7; Lk 2: 16-21)

Reflect: Our God  is a God of Promises and God of blessings...

Dear friends, today we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God and we begin a New Year. New Year reminds us of newness of life, new promises, resolutions, new ideas, new life… new things for newness. Every year, we the Catholics are privileged to inaugurate the New Year with the solemnity of Mary the mother of God, a mother who is so gentle and generous, tender and caring. Just as a birth of a new child begins with a Mother on earth, we are happy that every New Year the Catholic Church begins the New Year with Mary Mother of God to renew our life, strength, enthusiasm and commitment to life to be blessed by God and be moved through the grace and providence of God.

The title “Mother of God” goes back to the third or fourth century. There was a controversy at that time about Nestorianism, which identified with Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople. Nestorianism stated that Jesus existed as two persons, the man Jesus and the divine Son of God, rather than as a unified person. Nestorius of Constantinople rejected the title Theotokos (Mother of God). He insisted that Mary as a human being could give birth only to a human person, and not to God. He suggested the title to Virgin Mary as Christotokos (Mother of Christ). Because, according to their opinion, Mary gave birth to only the human person of Jesus and not the divine.

We have Cyril of Alexandria, an Egyptian bishop and theologian, who is best known for his role in the Council of Ephesus, where the Church confirmed that Christ is both God and man in one person. Cyril of Alexandria argued against Nestorius and insisted that the Virgin Mary be called Theotokos (Greek: God-bearer) to describe the intimate union of the two natures in the Incarnation, emphasized the divinity of Christ. If Christ is divine, then we have to also acknowledge the divine motherhood of Mary too. Both these views were presented to Pope Celestine I and he favored Cyril of Alexander’s view i.e., Mary is Mother of God. Mary’s divine maternity obtains its meaning from Jesus. Mary is divine in relation to Christ.

As a result, Theotokos, Mary, Mother of God (“The God-bearer”) was officially consecrated as Catholic doctrine at the Council of Ephesus in 431, thus becoming the first Marian dogma. It was in 1970, Pope Paul VI instituted the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. In his encyclical on devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Marialis Cultus, he wrote, “This celebration, assigned to January 1 in conformity with the ancient liturgy of the city of Rome, is meant to commemorate the part played by Mary in this mystery of salvation. It is meant also to exalt the singular dignity which this mystery brings to the holy Mother through whom we were found worthy to receive the Author of life.”

The solemnity makes known to us the relationship of Jesus to Mary, we can call it as Mary’s place in Christology. The Church places the feast of this solemnity on the first day of the New Year to emphasize the importance of Mary’s role in the life of Christ and of the Church. All the more, today, the Church observes this day as the World Day of Peace and invites us to pray for peace in the world. On this solemnity of Mary Mother of God, all the readings of the day help us to reflect on the promises and blessings of God. Therefore I would like to share with you three points of reflection based on the liturgy of the word of God.

1.   God who Promises Blessings:

Blessing is always special. Whether you give it or get from another. It has a divine aspect in it, a delight from the heart and a communication of joy and happiness. We receive blessings from elderly persons or parents in the family as a sign of long life, happy life, healthy life and good life. Yes, it is the delightful experience that one can have. Much more than these if God gives us his blessings, it would be the most delightful experience of all experiences that we can have, because God is the creator of us all, the Lord and King of heaven and earth. That’s what we have in the first reading from the book of numbers. God gives blessings to the people of Israel in three different ways and means. The following are the sentences from the first reading; “The lord will bless you and keep you; the lord will make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the lord will lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”

I am sure this is the blessings that we all seek and are in need of today too. We want God to bless us and keep us safe, we want the lord to shine his face upon us and be gracious to us and all the more we want the lord to give us peace. This is the promise of blessings that God would like to give us today and the days to come during the course of the year, because God knows the intent of us and he will surely give us. Today, most of us are not in a position to receive God’s blessings, because we have not purified our hearts, minds, bodies and spirits so as to begin the New Year joyfully and peacefully. In one way or another, we have lost faith in God’s blessings for life renewal; we have become stubborn in heart and spirit to allow the Lord’s blessings to overshadow us; we have forgotten or failed to realize the presence of God in and around us. We have ignored the love of God and love of neighbours; we have taken for granted his blessings; we have conveniently chose what we wished or desired for, more than what God wants from us. 

The new year gives us another access and opportunity to obtain God's blessings in abundance, provided we prepare ourselves to receive God's blessings worthily. Pope Leo XIV very powerfully addressed saying, “We can still hear the faint yet ever courageous voice of Pope Francis as he blessed Rome, the Pope who blessed Rome, who gave his blessing to the world, the whole world, on the morning of Easter.  Allow me to extend that same blessing: God loves us, God loves you all, and evil will not prevail!  All of us are in God’s hands.  So, let us move forward, without fear, together, hand in hand with God and with one another other!   We are followers of Christ.” Yes, the blessings of God are always with us and he never fails to shower his blessings on us. Let us entrust into the hands of God for his blessings and we shall prosper in life. Let this New Year give us courage and confidence that God’s blessing is for sure to those who believe in him and rely on his power and providence. Let this year be a year of blessings for each one of us.

2.   God who fulfils his promises:

We all of us know very well that God never fails in his promises and God does not make empty promises as well. His promises are for sure and his promises come to fulfilment in an appropriate and appointed time. We read in the scripture that down through the ages God has promised us to save us in various ways, through many prophets and at last he has sent his only son to save us (Heb 1:1-3). Therefore we have a God who assures and  fulfils the promises that he makes to his people. We have a God who desires the salvation of entire human race created in his own image and likeness. That’s what we hear in the second reading from the letter of Paul to Galatians; God has sent his son, born of a woman born under the law so that we receive adoption as sons and daughters. Therefore, we are no longer slaves but sons and daughters.

Yes, we are not slaves of God rather we are children of God. God gives us that status, wherein we can be still more in touch with God and have an affinitty and bond that can be deeper and solid. It is not that God has sent his son Jesus into the air without any reasons rather God made the Son of God born through Mother Mary, to show the immense love of God over us. As a result of which Jesus takes our own form and nature to live among us to redeem us. That’s why Pope Francis would say, "Mother Mary is a road to travel to Jesus." Moreover, St. Paul as well exhorts us, "if anyone is in Christ he or she is a new creation." So let us pray that we centralize our lives in and around Jesus to celebrate this year meaningfully.

Indeed, we all of us are sons and daughters of God since the beginning of our conception. Today in a special way we are reminded to celebrate the sonship and the daughterhood that we have in God, through Jesus and by the intercession of Mary our Mother. There is nothing compared to the joy that we have when we are called as sons and daughters of God. What makes us or enables us to be sons and daughters of God is the Spirit of God. Today, let us allow ourselves to be led, moulded, guided and guarded by the spirit of God to begin the year happily and peacefully. Let us always remember that it is the spirit of God, which enable us to cry Abba Father. So let us cry out with joy to God our Father for assistance and assurance of help. We can be sure that God would come to our rescue, fulfil our needs, because our God is the God of fulfilment of what he promises.

If we could think and introspect to see, where we have lost of sonship and daughterhood in God, we would find that our lack of trust and intimacy in the power of God. We question God's presence; we become suspicious of God's power over humanity and the whole world; we let go our spirit of God due to the exaggerated importance to our own spirit at work in us. The Lord makes us realize this day that the more we trust the better would be our scope and standard of life. Let us then trust God who fulfils our promises always. 

Let us remind the message of Pope Leo XIV who very aptly shares while he preached humility on the occasion of the vigil of the Patronal feast of our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii. He said, “God never delays, we are the ones who have to learn to trust, even if it requires patience and perseverance. God’s timing is always perfect.” Yes, God never delays or procrastinates; God always assures and fulfills what he promises. That’s the greatness of God and we need to rely on his greatness faithfully and hopefully. Let us pray that this New Year becomes a means to place our plans and designs into the hands of God for a deeper communion with God and with one another.

3.   God who Promises a motherly care:

Nothing can be compared to the parental love and care or motherly or fatherly care in life. Much more than anyone in the world, we always show our affinity to our mothers in the family, because, she carried us for nine months in the womb and thereafter she continues to carry us on till the end of our lives amidst thick and thin of life. Today that motherly care of God is given to us through mother Mary, Whom Jesus has given as the mother of us all, a mother who selflessly gives us and a mother who intercedes for us constantly, so that we become part of the salvation that God has inaugurated in Jesus Christ.

At the time of annunciation, the angel appeared to Mary and shared the plan of God; before Jesus was born, the angel appeared to the shepherds and shared the great tidings of great joy that Jesus is born, the saviour, Christ the Lord. Further, we hear in the gospel reading of the day, that the shepherds shared all that has been told by the angel to Mary, Joseph and other. What is quite interesting and inspiring to reflect is that we also hear from the gospel of the day that mother Mary treasured everything in the heart.

What could have been Mother Mary treasuring in her heart? Could it be that what would be her future? Could it be that what Joseph would do? Could it be that what Jesus would do or could it be what God would with Mary? Could it be a negative or positive one? There could be many questions raised and pondered but we can be sure and be assured that Mother Mary would have been treasuring the goodness and good things that God has done to her. Because, Mother Mary was told enough and more about her role in the plan of God’s salvation for humanity. Thus, Mother Mary has to journey with God and co-operate with God’s plan.

Yes, we have a mother who can treasure everything in the heart. She knew the plan of God; she cooperated with the plan of God and she was ready to do anything for God. It is because of the purity of her heart. That’s why Pope Francis would say, "good things and goodness come from the heart." Yes, mother Mary a good hearted mother is a right and praise worthy mother to care for us and love us and take us all to the Father. Today we treasure unnecessary things in heart like worries, anxieties, cares and concerns of the world, the past, present and future of us, suspicion and doubt about life, negative vibes etc. All these become a stumbling block to see the blessing that God has given us, the promise that God has assured. So today we need to get rid of all the superfluous things that carry away our happiness and joys. As someone has very beautifully said, “Heart is not a dumping place to dump unwanted and unhealthy things rather it is a store-house to treasure healthy and hearty deeds or things,”

Yes, let us be born anew in Christ through the intercession of our Mother Mary. Let us begin the New Year with new thoughts and new feel, good thoughts and good feel, happy thoughts and happy feel, healthy thoughts and healthy feel. This is the way we can begin the New Year with enthusiasm, dynamism and optimism. Let us treasure in our hearts good things and good feel, healthy means and happy memories. I am sure that the New Year would be a happy and healthy year. May the Lord shine his face on us and that we may be a blessing to one another in the world.  

Respond:

Do we believe in the blessings of God and the promise of God?

Do we pick up ways and means to obtain the sonship and the daughterhood of God as God’s children?

Do we treasure good things or bad; positive vibes or negative?

So, let our lives be a blessing to someone. Let our lives be a promising one for others to live life happily. Let our lives be a time of caring for one another like Mary our mother. Amen

God Bless us all! Live Jesus!

Fr. Ramesh George MSFS

rameshvkmsfs@gmail.com

9500930968