HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD
Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi
When God willed to come as a human being, He came through Mary. And now, as we go into the year 2019, we go through Mary. Our blessed Mother Mary becomes then the first channel of our journey just as she was the Ultimate channel of God’s journey into the world at the incarnation. We celebrate Mary who was the woman that gave birth to Jesus. This means that the human flesh of Jesus was gotten through Mary. But remember that according to our faith, Jesus is a divine person, the second person in the Blessed Trinity. In him is one person but two natures - the human and the divine. Thus, the humanity and the divinity of Jesus Christ are inseparable as they are eternally united in the one divine person, Jesus Christ.
Here comes the easily perceptible syllogism which goes this way: 1. If Christ is a divine person (and therefore, God), but has both inseparably united human and divine natures. 2. And Mary is the mother of Jesus, the woman through whom He got the human nature. God sent his son, born of a woman (cf. Second Reading; Gal. 4:4-7). 3. Then, Mary is also the mother of God since one cannot bisect the two natures neither can one disregard Christ as a solely divine person. This is the solemnity we celebrate today; that Mary is the Mother of God. But this does not in any way imply that Mary is the source of the existence of the second divine person who existed with the Father and the Holy Spirit from all eternity. Her title as the Theotokos (mother of God) implies that she is the mother of the God incarnate; the woman who taught us how to abandon ourselves to God’s will. And so, we must begin with her. We begin with Mary because she taught us the virtues of patience and calmness. We begin with her because through her we got saved that each new year ought to remind us of the new era when God stepped into time and space in human form. We begin with our Blessed Mother because in her is an assurance of walking in the right path and not stumbling.
The Gospel Reading (Luke 2:16-21) told the story of the birth of Jesus, the visitation by the Shepherds who had come to confirm the message the angels had given them concerning the birth of the Messiah. They found Mary and Joseph, and the Baby lying in the manger. As for Mary, she treasured all these amazing things in her heart. Luke’s narrative tried to show Mary’s reaction to the astonishing experiences that came with the birth and growth of Jesus. He also used this statement while writing about the reaction of Mary when Jesus was found in the temple in Luke 2:52. This showed how quiet and peaceful the heart of Mary was. She is a mother to reckon with; never garrulous with her speech, but always contemplative in total abandonment to the divine will. The humility and peaceful aura of Mary attracted God’s grace and blessings to her.
The picture this passage presents of Mary is the one of a humble and trustful heart. Even though she knew that she would give birth to the messiah, the awful happenings in her and around since the message of the angel Gabriel have been so overwhelming; starting from her visit to Elizabeth, the surprising reaction of Joseph in accepting a pregnancy that was not his, the exhaustion of giving birth without the best medical and human attention in a manger, and now to the visit of some haggardly dressed shepherds with an incredible story of the appearance of angels. These were just too much on her to begin to speak about. She only pondered in her heart what was happening. Sometimes, do we not ponder without much words and worries like Mary when things in life seem complicated? We must reserve for ourselves some periods of contemplation and reflection for a healthy life. The questions that easily come to mind here are: have we made our new year resolutions? Have we reflected on how we lived our lives this year? Have we reflected upon the mistakes we made this year? Have we tried to count the blessings of God this year? Answering these questions can really make us step into the new year with even more greater joy, courage and hope.
Through the life and decision of Mary, the whole world welcomed the saviour. Through her, we are blessed; blessed to face the troubling moments of life. As a mother, she carries us and makes sure we do not bring harm to ourselves. Her maternal care and the blessings that come with her warm embrace can be clearly understood in the light of the blessing God gave to the household of Aaron through Moses in the First Reading (Numbers 6:22-27). It is a three-fold blessing: the Lord bless you and keep you; may He let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you, and may he be kind to you and give you peace. In the spirit of the new year, we must claim these blessings for ourselves, our friends, our families and our parishioners. May we through these blessings be unstoppable in the faith we share and be truly rich in the Holy Spirit; rich in joy, rich in hope, rich in love, rich in service and rich in everything good. Happy new year. I wish you all the best that 2019 has got to bring. God bless you.
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