Homily for the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God

 

Nm 6:22-27

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

Gal 4:4-7

Lk 2:16-21

 

Christ the King Catholic Church, Iowa Park, TX

 

          Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. Now, when we call Mary the ‘Mother of God’ we must clearly understand we are not claiming that Mary is the mother of divinity itself. Rather, we profess that Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ, who is truly God. ‘Mother of God’ is a title given to Mary at the Council of Ephesus in A.D. 431, long before the schisms with the Eastern churches and our Protestant brethren. Therefore, honoring Mary as the Mother of God should be a point of unity among Christians, not a cause of division.

          In the Gospel reading, we hear once again how ‘Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” This particular verse not only gives us the historical reference where St. Luke is getting the information to write his Gospel, but it also provides us the model for the contemplative vocation of prayer to which all Christians are called. All through the year, but especially in these last days of the Christmas season, we should be carving out time for silent prayer. We need to spend time with the Lord, meditating on these incredible events we are celebrating – the Annunciation, Incarnation, Nativity, Circumcision, Epiphany, and Baptism of the Lord; to allow their spiritual reality and meaning to permeate and enflame our hearts into a greater love of God.

          The Gospel tells us of the shepherds gathering at the manger, “glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard.” Their actions describe the culmination of the Christian vocation to prayer. Pope Francis has called for Catholics to return to the praise and joy that signifies a disciple of Christ. Our faith is not just philosophical – it is experiential. It is a faith to be lived and not merely kept inside. Like with the shepherds, our faith is about an encounter with a person – Jesus Christ. Our lived experience of the faith should flow from meeting Jesus Christ – from seeing Him and hearing Him. When we quiet our hearts and learn to speak intimately with God, using His native language of silence, we will indeed encounter our Lord. Such an encounter cannot help but inspire us to proclaim in joy and praise to others who we have encountered.

          Finally, we heard in the Gospel the naming of Jesus at his circumcision. We Christians no longer practice circumcision from a ritual standpoint because for us, Baptism is the circumcision of the heart spoken of by Moses. Like Jesus, at the circumcision of our Baptism, we receive our Christian name. In Hebrew, the name given to Jesus is Yeshua – ‘Salvation’ or ‘God saves.’ In the Old Testament, we know the more familiar version of this name – Joshua, who was a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ. Moses was unable to lead Israel into the promised land, but Joshua did. So too, Jesus is our new Joshua who leads us to the salvation that the old covenant of Moses could not.

          Salvation is the name of Jesus because salvation means to enter a relationship of childhood with God the Father. It is important to note that none of the other great religious leaders in history (Mohammad, Buddha, Confucius, etc.) were able to lead people into divine childhood. In fact, they did not even claim to be able to do so. Only Jesus makes this claim when He said “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one come to the Father except through me.” (Jn 14:6) Jesus is the only great religious founder in history to proclaim that God is a Father and we can become His children by following Him as His disciples. So, on this great solemnity, let us give thanks to God the Father, that through Jesus Christ His Son, He has made a way for us to become His adopted children. Through the sacrament of Baptism, we become God’s children and we receive from Him a new name (see Rev 2:17). This great, intimate, and personal relationship with God has been made possible only through the wiling cooperation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our mother, who became the mother of Jesus Christ, who is truly God and whose name is Salvation.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for Us!