Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
It is easy to get confused on what is important during the season of Christmas. There is nothing wrong with presents, decorations, Christmas music, or parties, but all of these mean nothing compared to the great gift which is Christ our Lord. Sometimes I believe that we have a hard time grasping just how important this great gift which is Christ truly is.
Therefore, do we truly believe or even thought about the fact that Christ is God made Flesh, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity? We can use the title, Son of God, which is true, but at the same time we must remember that He is both fully divine and fully human. This baby who lays in the manger, thou weak and powerless, is not just any child, but is God made Flesh. Sometimes I feel that we stress Christ’s humanity to the point that we entirely forget about His divinity. When we go back to the Gospel of Saint John we are told that Christ is the Word and that the Word was God.
Some get confused on calling Mary the Mother of God. There is nothing wrong with this title. Rather this title proclaims exactly who her Son is. Her Son is God made Flesh. He who came down from Heaven out of love in order that He could take on our flesh and eventually embrace the cross in order that we could be freed from the grasp of sin. Prior to Christ many sacrifices had been made, but none of them were perfect. The sacrifice that Christ offers upon the cross is perfect only because He is God made man. If Christ were another human like you or me the cross would mean nothing.
Mary has been given many titles throughout the course of history. One of these titles is that of the ark of the new covenant. This title reflects the fact that the ark of the covenant held the presence of God. Therefore, the ark of the new covenant holds the presence of God made flesh. It was this pure and spotless vessel which was called upon by God to bring forth His divine presence. Again we are reflecting the fact that Mary is the Mother of God which is a reflection of who her Son is.
We need to reestablish proper devotion to our Blessed Mother within our homes. Just as the title, Mother of God, reflects who her Son is, so too does devotion to her flow to her Son. Devotion to Mary never overshadows Christ because devotion to her always flows through her and towards her Son. We must reestablish within our homes the praying of the rosary especially the praying of it as a family. The rosary allows us to join with our Blessed Mother who according to scripture held all these things within her heart. With her, then, we join to contemplate Christ and His life on this earth in order that we may hold all these things in our heart and model our life after His.
