Sunday 1st January 2023 - Mary, The Holy Mother of God

Numbers 6:22-27/ Psalm 66(67)/ Galatians 4:4-7/ Luke 2:16-21

The celebration of Mary as ‘The Holy Mother of God’ may have more to say about God than it has to say about Mary. It is an almost unfathomable belief that God, the creator of all things, who has always existed and will always exist became like one of his own creations by being born of one of his creations. In the words of the anthem to Mary, Alma Redemptoris Mater, ‘Mother of him who thee from nothing made’ we acclaim that Mary is the God Bearer who gave birth to the God who created her from nothing therefore deserving of the wonderful title, ‘Mother of God’.

In the early days of the Church there were many discussions and disputes surrounding who Jesus is. Is he divine? Is he human? Is he a combination of divinity and humanity changing from one to another? The various disputes and ideas were definitively put to rest by the Council of Ephesus in 431 which defined Mary as God Bearer because Jesus was at once fully human, being born of Mary, but fully divine, being at one with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. There are not three God’s but three persons in one God. This is a mystery beyond our human understanding, but it is a matter of faith that Jesus is God who became human through the ‘yes’ of Mary.

From the Gospels it is not possible to establish how much Mary understood about her child Jesus at the time of his conception and birth. Having accepted the task given to her by God Mary found herself having to bring her child into the world a long way from home and in a place set aside for animals. How finding herself in this position challenged her faith we do not know. The Gospel of Luke tells us today that Mary treasured the things the shepherds had to say and ‘pondered them in her heart’. We know that Mary was a person of prayer. She had been brought up as a faithful Jew and was ready to accept the amazing message of the angel.

The ‘pondering’ Mary did is an example to us of contemplative prayer. We need to take time to just be in the presence of God and ponder the things we have heard and been taught. During Mary’s life on earth, she would have become increasingly aware of the fullness of the message of the angel. It is our lifelong mission to become increasingly aware of who Jesus is and it is Mary who shows us how to do this. We are also called to say ‘yes’ to the plan God has for each of us, to ponder prayerfully on what we hear and are taught so that we can follow Jesus obediently throughout our lives.

Our faith life and our relationship with God depends entirely on prayer. Not prayer of incessant entreaty but on contemplative prayer. Pondering on what we have come to know through our upbringing, what we have been taught, what we have heard and what we have tried to work out for ourselves. Prayerful pondering will allow us to make sense of what God is asking of us. The committed atheist knows much about scripture and the teachings of the Church but refuses to allow it to permeate into the heart and soul. Through the prayer of pondering these things will seep into our being and will start to make increasing sense of our lives. Consider the examples of when Jesus himself went off to a quiet place to pray. Mary was a person of faith who reflected and meditated on the things that happened to her. Mary was a person of prayer and a model for us of how to live a prayerful life becoming ever closer to God. God worked through Mary and because of her ‘yes’ to his request achieved our redemption so that we can return to the perfection he intended for us. God can continue that work through each of us if we also cooperate with his plan and say ‘yes’ to him.

Prayer can sometimes be left as a last resort when we have become desperate about something. In our busy lives any time we have for contemplative, pondering, prayer can be cut short or lost all together. If Mary, the Mother of God, grew in her understanding of what being that mother meant then we, who often struggle to make sense of our lives, can do no better than to follow her example. Prayer is not so much about reciting many words but is about just being in the presence of God. It is in this way that we can start to comprehend the things that otherwise appear to be incomprehensible.

As we ponder today the mystery of Mary being the Mother of God, giving human life to the God who created her out of nothing, let us follow her example of contemplative prayer giving God the opportunity to speak to our hearts and souls.

God Bless Brendan.