{"id":2763,"date":"2019-01-01T11:53:42","date_gmt":"2019-01-01T16:53:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/?p=2763"},"modified":"2019-01-01T11:53:50","modified_gmt":"2019-01-01T16:53:50","slug":"mary-the-holy-mother-of-god-homily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/mary-the-holy-mother-of-god-homily\/","title":{"rendered":"Mary, the Holy Mother of God – Homily"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mary, the Holy Mother of God<\/a>
Numbers 6:22-27
Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8
Galatians 4:4-7
Luke 2:16-21
January 1, 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we gather here today to celebrate a\nholy day, it is January 1st<\/sup>. \nIn our country it is New Year\u2019s Day. \nHowever, the fact that we are beginning a new year on the secular\ncalendar is not<\/em><\/strong> what our holy day is for. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our holy day today is the Solemnity of\nMary, the Holy Mother of God.  It just\nhappens to fall on January 1st<\/sup>.   There are countries in Asia that celebrate\ntheir secular new year at a different time but all Catholics celebrate this\nsolemnity today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 One\nweek ago we celebrated Christmas Day. \nOur Christmas season will continue till we celebrate the Baptism of the\nLord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During our Christmas season we celebrate\nmultiple feasts and solemnities.  This\npast weekend we celebrated the Feast of the Holy Family.  Next week we will celebrate the Epiphany.  Christmas will end with our celebration of\nthe Baptism of the Lord the following weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of our Christmas season, we\ncelebrate this solemnity of Mary today to honor her for her role as mother of\nJesus.  It is celebrated today, eight days<\/em> following his birth, in\nrecognition that in her role as a faithful Jewish mother, in accord with Jewish\ncustom, she saw that Jesus was circumcised on his eighth day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We call Mary the Mother of God.  Last year<\/a>, I spoke about how there was great debate in the early church whether to call her \u201cMother of Christ\u201d or \u201cMother of God.\u201d  We call her \u201cMother of God\u201d to recognize that Jesus was both human and divine.  In his divinity, he is consubstantial with the Father.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, I would like to look at Mary as\nmother of the human side of Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What did Mary do as Jesus\u2019 mother?  It started in her giving birth to Jesus.  However, this alone is not all she did as his\nmother.  After all, families adopt\nchildren.  In those families, mom is\nstill very much the mother even though she did not give birth to her\nchild.  The same can also be true for\nsome step-mothers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A mother is one who cares for her\nchildren.  A mother is one who is there\nfor her children in the good times but also in their struggles.  A mother is one who loves her children.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Jesus\u2019 mother, Mary saw that he was\nraised to follow all the Jewish customs. \nShe was an example of what it means to be a disciple.  Here is we also see Mary as our mother, just\nas she was for Jesus, she is the model disciple for what it means to be\nChristian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mary would have done whatever she could\nfor Jesus.  When there was nothing\nphysical she could do as at the foot of the Cross, she was present there and\nprayed.  As our mother, Mary intercedes\nfor us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mary was also an example to Jesus, and\nstill is for us, of what it means to be a person of prayer and reflection.  We see in it our gospel today when she\nlistens to what the shepherds say when it says, \u201cAnd Mary kept all these things, reflecting<\/strong>\non them in her heart.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are to be people who pray and\nreflect.  Here, I return to what I said\nat the beginning.  Today is New Year\u2019s\nDay on our secular calendar.  People will\nmake new year\u2019s resolutions.  Some might\neven keep their new year\u2019s resolutions.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Year\u2019s is not a religious occasion but\nwe can use it as time to think about what it means to be a good Christian\ndisciple.  Ask yourself what blessings\nyou received in 2018.  Have you given\nthanks to God for those blessings?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What sufferings did you face in 2018?  How was God present for you in those\nsufferings?  If those sufferings are\ngoing to continue into 2019, how might you seek God\u2019s help and presence in the\nsufferings?  What would you like to\nimprove in 2019?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask God to help you reflect on this.  For example, you could simply resolve to lose\nweight or you could ask God with Mary\u2019s intercession to help you take better\ncare of the body that he has given you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May Mary intercede for us as our mother\nand God bless us all as we begin 2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mary, the Holy Mother of GodNumbers 6:22-27Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8Galatians 4:4-7Luke 2:16-21January 1, 2019 As we gather here today to celebrate a holy day, it is January 1st.  In our country it is New Year\u2019s Day.  However, the fact that we are beginning a new year on the secular calendar is not what our …<\/p>\n

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