Mary Mother of God Homily

Merry Christmas to all of you! At the heart of the Christmas season is the event of the Incarnation which is the moment when the Word became flesh and thus came to dwell among us. As we begin this new calendar year we celebrate with joy the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God which again, found at the heart of this day is the event of the Incarnation which is the moment when the Word became flesh and thus came to dwell among us. This celebration brings to a close the octave of Christmas in the same way that it began on December 25th in a manger where God came to dwell among us. For this reason we refer to Mary as the Mother of God or as the Theotokos which is Greek for the Godbearer. We profess that it was through this spotless vessel that God chose to come and to dwell with us out of love and thus to release us from our bonds towards sin.

As we depart upon this new year may we always remember the importance of our blessed Mother's intercession upon us and upon our families. It is easy to get caught up in the actions of our life to the point where religion and thus Christ has been pushed far from our midst. As we enter into this new year we do not yet fully know what joy or hardship awaits us around the corner. But no matter what it is that we must bear during this new year may we always be brought back to Christ through our Blessed Mother's intercession. She always leads us towards the path that will eventually lead us to discover her Son, Jesus Christ. In the midst of every joy that will arise in our life we need Jesus Christ and with every hardship that is forced upon us we need the rock of our faith who is Jesus Christ. If we enter into this new year exempt from this reality we will never truly be able to encounter true joy nor will we ever be able to overcome the hardships that arise in the course of this year.

Before the creation of time itself God desired to take on our human flesh. He therefore chose our Blessed Mother to be the spotless vessel that would usher the second Person of the Holy Trinity into the world. Mary was conceived without sin and tradition holds that at a young age she was left at the temple to be raised in both scripture and wisdom. She had full knowledge of the coming of the Messiah and thus understood the urgency that came with the Angel Gabriel's greeting. In her great humility she lowered herself to God with her "yes" given to the angel. She then raised her Son into adulthood when He would depart upon His public ministry which would eventually lead to the cross. When He hung upon the cross she was there and it was here that He states to all of us this day in the words of Saint John's Gospel: "Behold your mother."

 

May we indeed behold our mother this day. She desires to never lead us away from her Son, but instead always leads us towards Him. As we get bogged down with the busyness of life we cannot forget our Mother whose heart was always centered upon her Son. As we experience joys in this upcoming year we cannot forget our Mother whose joy was fully felt when God chose her to become the God-bearer. When we run into hardship we cannot forget our Mother who looked upon the bruised body of her Son who had died upon the cross for our salvation. From the time that stretched from the Annunciation to the crucifixion Mary joins with each of us in every joy and sorrow that we can ever come to endure. Indeed may we always take to heart our Lord's words from the cross "Behold your mother" because these words lead us to the fruit of her womb which is her Son, Christ our Lord."

Mary's vocation as being a mother has not ended with the death of her Son, but instead her vocation continues with each of us. As we depart upon this new year may we not do so without her who desires for us to come and know her Son. Where sin is found we cannot claim that we have fully come to know her Son. Where despair is found we cannot claim that we have fully come to know her Son. May we continue to rejoice at the reality that is the Word made flesh as we allow our Blessed Mother to aid us in coming to discover her Son. We are now left to look at the year that now lays behind us and to look forward to the year that lays ahead as we do so through our Blessed Mother who leads us not towards the pride of our self centeredness, but instead towards the humility that is encounter with the event of the Incarnation which is the moment when the Word became flesh and thus came to dwell among us.