The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
1 st January
The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
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The human mind can never fully comprehend all that is contained in the title “Mother of God”. It is the title by which the faithful love to address Mary. The Church has sanctioned it by her infallible authority. All the beauties of nature, all the riches of grace, all the splendors of glory pale before the majestic grandeur of such a title as this. For, by the very fact of having conceived the “Word made Flesh”, Mary has been united to God by the same ties which unite a mother to her true son.
The dignity of Mary belongs to a superior order, on account of her position as Mother of God. This title is precisely the source and the measure of all those gifts of nature, grace and glory wherewith the Lord was pleased to enrich her. This title is not only the source of incomparable greatness in her – it is also a potent means to ground us firmly in the true faith, and to bring us to a more perfect knowledge of the divine attributes. What glory accrues to the Goodness of God from the Divine Maternity of Mary! For, in predestining Mary to be the Mother of the Word, God also decreed to give her to us as our Mother. He willed that she should accomplish in union with her Son the work of our Redemption, and that by regenerating us to the life of grace, she should become our Mother in the spiritual order.
The Divine Maternity is the starting point of the work of our salvation. In believing Mary to be the Mother of God, we also believe that the Word was made Flesh.
By engendering the Word, Mary conceived and brought forth from her chaste womb that same Son, whom God the Father has generated from all eternity of His own substance. It is due to Mary that the Son of God, being Himself God, could say that He received from the Father the command to die for us; to Mary the Father owes His authority over the Son.
The Body of Jesus was formed of the pure substance of Mary’s body. What intimacy in their intercourse: Mother and Son.
The relation of Mary toward the Third Person, the Holy Spirit, is that of His fruitful Spouse. By her consent to become the Mother of God, she consecrated the gift of her own self to the Holy Spirit, her Heavenly Bridegroom. Mary never ceased to direct all her actions, thoughts and aspirations to the Holy Spirit; and He on His part let no moment go by in which He did not exhibit the signs of His peculiar love toward the Bride of His Heart, Mary.
