Saint of the day for January 1, 2021: the story of Mary, Mother of God

Saint of the day for January 1nd
Mary, Mother of God

The story of Mary, Mother of God

The divine motherhood of Mary broadens the spotlight of Christmas. Mary has an important role to play in the incarnation of the second person of the Holy Trinity. He agrees to God's invitation given by the angel (Luke 1: 26-38). Elizabeth proclaims: “You are blessed among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? ”(Luke 1: 42-43, emphasis added). Mary's role as the mother of God places her in a unique position in God's redemptive plan.

Without naming Mary, Paul states that "God sent his Son, born of woman, born under the law" (Galatians 4: 4). Paul's further statement that “God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying 'Abba, Father!'” Helps us realize that Mary is the mother of all of Jesus' brothers and sisters.

Some theologians also insist that Mary's motherhood of Jesus is an important element in God's creative plan. God's "first" thought in creation was Jesus. Jesus, the incarnate Word, is the one who could give God the perfect love and worship for all creation. Since Jesus was the "first" in God's mind, Mary was the "second" in that she was chosen from eternity to be his mother.

The precise title of "Mother of God" dates back at least to the third or fourth century. In the Greek form Theotokos (bearer of God), he became the touchstone of the Church's teaching on the Incarnation. The Council of Ephesus in 431 insisted that the holy Fathers were right in calling the holy virgin Theotokos. At the end of this particular session, crowds of people marched down the street shouting: "Praise the Theotokos!" The tradition reaches up to our days. In its chapter on Mary's role in the Church, Vatican II's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church calls Mary the "Mother of God" 12 times.

Reflection:

Other themes come together in today's celebration. It is the Octave of Christmas: our memory of Mary's divine motherhood injects a further note of Christmas joy. It is a day of prayer for world peace: Mary is the mother of the Prince of Peace. It is the first day of a new year: Mary continues to bring new life to her children, who are also children of God.