of Mary, Mother of God
Jan. 1, 1983
Gal 4: 4-7
St. Vincent de Paul, Charlotte, N.C.
Having stolen a homily for yesterday from my friend Deacon Greg (see below), today I steal one from my own archive.
“When
the designated time had come, God sent forth his Son born of woman, … so that we
might receive our status as adopted sons” (Gal 4: 4).
This
passing reference is St. Paul’s only allusion to Mary, mother of the
Savior. In this verse, he makes 3
assertions that are important for us: 1)
God designated the time. 2) The Messiah was born of a human mother. 3) God
intended to adopt us as his children.
“When
the designated time had come….” God is
carrying out a plan, and of course that plan is his own and no one else’s. During the period of the Law, the times of
the OT, God was preparing us for our special calling. Now his chosen moment has arrived in human
history.
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| Virgin of the Grapes by Pierre Mignard |
“God
sent forth his Son born of a woman….”
Since we’re celebrating Mary’s motherhood within the context of
Christmas, this is our most important consideration today. God’s Son was born of an earthly mother. God has entered time and space in the most
direct and tangible form, and he has done so through the simplest, most
touching, most elemental way—by becoming a gurgling, crying, hungry, wet baby
boy born of a mother who had carried him for 9 months.
The
Eternal Father chose a young, virtuous country girl named Mary. Historically speaking, we know next to
nothing about her. She came from an
insignificant village in Galilee called Nazareth
We assume that Mary loved her son deeply, that she taught him to eat, talk, walk, and pray. She must
have kissed his bruises, nursed his illnesses, and soothed his childish
fears. She and Joseph taught him to work
and to appreciate the traditions of their people, to respect the village elders
and the rabbis, possibly to distrust the Romans and Herod and the tax
collectors. If we make the reasonable assumption that they were peasants, Mary
didn’t have to teach Jesus to clean his room because he didn’t have one; their
home would have had only one room for the 3 of them, and a workshop for Joseph.
By
making an ordinary girl—of course she was extraordinary in her sincere
piety—by making this otherwise ordinary girl his Son’s mother, the Almighty has
dignified not only that simple and holy girl but all mothers and all members of
the human race. Having a mother was an
important part of the experience of Jesus.
Having a mother demonstrates his humanity, his complete sharing in who
and what we are. That is why the Church
has always put so much importance on Mary’s motherhood.
“…so
that we might receive our status as adopted sons.” The Eternal Father has only one natural son,
and that is the one we call the Son of God, the 2d Person of the Trinity, the
one whose birth in the flesh as Jesus of Nazareth we celebrate. But why was Jesus born—born of an earthly
mother? Why didn’t he just appear like an angel or some kind of E.T.? Why he
shared our humanity, even unto death, was so that God might adopt us as his
children and his heirs in Christ. If the
Messiah is not human, he has no relation to us.
But he is, and he does. If he
isn’t truly God’s Son, he can’t make us his divine brothers and coheirs in Baptism
and Confirmation. But he is, and he
does. And Mary’s motherhood is the vital
necessary link, the divine and human interconnection in the unfolding of God’s
plan for our salvation.
May
God be praised for loving us and choosing to adopt us as his own sons and
daughters!
May
the Virgin Mary be praised for accepting her difficult and loving role in God’s
plan for us!
May
God bless each of us with obedience and courage like Mary’s to see and accept what he has in mind for us.
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