Solemnity of Mary,
the Holy Mother of God
(Number 6:22-27; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21)
Back in the fourth and fifth century many people –
bishops, professors, even the public – argued over theological issues. For example, it was important for them to
know whether God suffered on the cross. Some
like Archbishop Nestorius of Constantinople thought the idea ridiculous. “How
could humans cause the infinite, almighty God to experience torture?” he likely
asked himself. Nestorius figured that in
Jesus there were both two natures and two persons. For him Jesus’ human person with his human
nature died on the cross. His divine
person with his divine nature remained above such horror. Other bishops like St. Cyril of Alexandria objected. They realized that if Jesus were two persons,
one divine and the other human, and only the human person died on the cross,
then that death could not have redeemed humanity from its sins. The debate crystallized at the Council of
Ephesus in 431. The council gave its
determination in a rather unique way. It
declared Mary to be the “Mother of God.”
This means that Jesus was only one divine person with both a divine and
a human nature. It also means that we
are saved from our sins – that our selfishness, lust, and hatred are forgiven
when we cling to Jesus.
Today in celebrating Mary, the Mother of God, we are
indirectly celebrating our salvation.
The gospel suggests how we might do it well. We can identify three groups of people in the
passage. The first group is the shepherds
who come to worship the new born Savior.
However, they probably return to their pastures to talk about their
sheep, their families, and what is for dinner. Some of us are like them. We dutifully come to mass today and then busy
ourselves with football and other concerns.
The second group is the people the shepherds inform about what the
angels proclaimed to them. These people
are said to be amazed by the story. But
their interest ends there. They do not
go to worship the Savior even for hour. Many
people use the holidays only to “eat, drink, and be merry” like these men and
women whom the shepherds meet. The third
group is just one person – Mary. The passage
says that she reflects in her heart upon all that is happening around her. We should aspire to be like her. We should think about what it means that God became
human and died on the cross for us. We
will make this meditation part of our New Year program. More importantly, we will adjust our lives so
that selfishness, lust, and hatred never control our actions.
