The Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God
- Fr. LE Polansky
- Jan 1
- 3 min read
Not too long ago, I read a story about a village, where most people had a peculiar, yet odd, custom of walking by a section of a dirty wall surrounding the village, blessing themselves. This went on for some time until finally several townspeople formed a group to clean the wall. When they came upon the area where the blessings occurred, they discovered that beneath all that dirt and grime, etched in the wall, was a most beautiful icon of Mary holding the Christ Child.
Entrance: “Hail, Holy Mother, who gave birth to the King, who rules heaven and earth for ever.”
First Reading: Num 6:22-27 – “They shall invoke My name upon the Israelites and I will bless them.”
Psalm: Ps 67:2-3, 5. 6, 8 – “May God bless us in His mercy.”
Second Reading: Gal 4:4-7 – “God sent His Son, born of a woman.”
Alleluia: Heb 1:1-2 – “Alleluia, alleluia. In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; in these days, He has spoken to us through His Son. Alleluia, alleluia.”
Gospel: Lk 2:16-21 – “They found Mary and Joseph and the infant. When eight days were completed, He was named Jesus.”
Communion: Heb 13:8 – “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and for ever.”
As time continues to move onward, God is always present to bless us. In order to realize this, we need to broaden our vision by not dwelling on the past, particularly on those events and things that we cannot change. Rather, we must move forward where a possible future of renewed hope awaits us in the Lord.
In all times and circumstances, God bestows blessings upon us. The Book of Numbers, a combination of law and history, relates the experiences of the Israelites from the end of their encampment at Sinai to their arrival at the Promised Land. As they departed Sinai, the Lord instructed Moses to tell Aaron and his sons to bestow a special blessing on the people. This blessing, often referred to as the “Blessing of Aaron,” has been handed down through history and is the one Saint Francis of Assisi imparted to everyone: 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."
As adopted sons and daughters, we receive not only the Lord’s blessings, but we also inherit the promise. Being like us in all things except sin, Jesus frees us from the yoke of the law. Therefore, we are freed from anyone / anything that takes our attention away from focusing upon the Spirit of God, who is “Abba.” Jesus came, born of a woman and subject to the law, in order that we may have life to the fullest. In this statement lies the inherited promise of our salvation, and no worldly entity can bring us to that realization if they do not share in this fundamental belief. The greatest blessing that we receive is the salvation achieved for us by Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary. Thus, Mary’s motherhood not only affects the Church but also plays a vital role throughout all of history: past, present, and future.
Mary treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart. As Mary was God’s blessing for Jesus, she, in turn, is a blessing for us. In giving birth to the Son of God, she not only fulfills the promise, but she continues to reflect upon that tremendous mystery with us. Mary ponders over the troubles that affect our world as well as our personal lives. She is present to help us remove any obstacles or uncertainties that might interfere with our desire to see the effects that her Son has on all life. As Mother, Mary continually reflects on love and fills our hearts with the expectation that God will provide us with an understanding of the fulfillment of the promise. Mary joins in removing all dirt, grime, and debris that exists behind the walls of false ideologies and helps us to ponder her statement to the waiters at Cana, “Do whatever He tells you!”
As we honor Mary as Mother of God today, may we realize our constant need to celebrate the Supper of the Lord. May the coming of Jesus into our bodies and hearts enable us to live our lives close to the Son of Mary now and always.
Comments