Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings 1-01-03, Solemnity -Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

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Thou art blessed and venerable, O Virgin Mary, who with purity unstained was found to be the Mother of our Saviour. Virgin Mother of God, He whom the whole world was unable to contain enclosed Himself in thy womb, being made man.

-- Gradual, Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 1945

The Word Among Us

Wednesday, January 01, 2003

Meditation
Galatians 4:4-7

Mary, Mother of God

On this first day of the new year, we honor Mary as the Mother of God. “Mother of God” is a title given to Mary by the Council of Ephesus in 431. The Fathers of this council recognized that by giving Mary such a title, they were giving the highest praise to her son, Jesus. They were proclaiming him to be more than a holy man or an ancient prophetic voice. He is the eternal God, the second person of the Blessed Trinity.

This is the true miracle that we celebrate today—that the infinite, all-powerful God entered his creation through one of his own children. How blessed Mary was, for- ever to be remembered as the God-Bearer, Vessel of Grace, Ark of the Covenant! How blessed that, whenever we worship Jesus, we honor Mary also for her obedience and the fruit that it bore. Mary herself proclaimed, “All generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me” (Luke 1:48-49).

God wants to do great things for us as well. Each of us has a place in God’s plan for the world—a mission that we alone can fill. As we strive to fulfill that mission, God wants us to become as transparent a bearer of God as Mary was. Our mission is to be Christ-bearers to all those we come in contact with every day, to be “the aroma of Christ to God” and to spread the “fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere” (2 Corinthians 2:14-15).

Let us, like Mary, become vessels of grace. This can only happen as we persevere in obedience to the commands of God and as we strive to remain docile to the Holy Spirit. God wants to see us all work with him as he transforms our lives. As we submit to him, let us remember that his goal is that everyone who encounters us may come to see the life of God shining from within!

“Lord Jesus, thank you for your presence in me! Help me to bring this treasure to all those I will encounter this year. You are our hope of glory!”

**God wants to do great things for us as well.**

What do I think God wants to do for me in 2003?

**Let us, like Mary, become vessels of grace.**

How can I become a 'vessel of grace'?

From: Galatians 4:4-7

Divine Sonship

[4] But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of
woman, born under the law, [5] to redeem those who were under the law,
so that we might receive adoption as sons. [6] And because you are
sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying,
"Abba! Father!" [7] So through God you are no longer a slave but a son,
and if a son then an heir.

Commentary:

6. Abba is an Aramaic word which has come down to us with its
translation "Father". As can be deduced from Mt 14:36 (cf. note on Lk
11:1), this is the same word as our Lord used in his personal prayer.
However, it is not a word ever used by Jews to address God, probably
because it contains the kind of trust and tenderness that small
children have in their dealings with their father. Jesus, however, did
not hesitate to use it and to encourage his followers to use it. In
this way he invites us to relate to God with the trust and tenderness
of a child towards its father--as well he might, because by redeeming
us Christ not only freed us from the yoke of the Law but enabled us to
have a new relationship to God, to be God's sons and daughters. St Paul
echoes this teaching (cf. also Rom 8:16-17) and attributes to the Holy
Spirit that movement in man's heart which impels him to cry out, full
of love and hope, "Abba! Father!"

This all means that "if we have a constant relationship with the Holy
Spirit, we shall become spiritual ourselves, we shall realize that we
are Christ's brothers and children of God, and we shall not hesitate
to call upon our Father [...]. Words cannot go so far as the heart,
which is moved by God's goodness. He says to us, 'You are my son.' Not
a stranger, not a well-treated servant, not a friend--that would be a
lot already. A son! He gives us free access to treat him as sons, with
a son's piety and I would even say with the boldness and daring of a
son whose Father cannot deny him anything" (J. Escriva, "Christ Is
Passing By", 136 and 185).

In this verse we can see the roles of the three Divine Persons in man's
supernatural life. The Father sends the Holy Spirit, here called "the
Spirit of his Son", to help us activate our gift of divine sonship.

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: Luke 2:16-21

The Adoration of the Shepherds (Continuation)

[16] And they (the shepherds) went with haste, and found Mary and
Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. [17] And when they saw it they
made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child;
and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
[19] But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.
[20] And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all
they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

The Circumcision of Jesus

[21] And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was
called Jesus, the name given by the angels before he was conceived in
the womb.

Commentary:

15-18. The birth of the Savior Messiah is the key event in the history
of mankind, but God wanted it to take place so quietly that the world
went about its business as if nothing had happened. The only people he
tells about it are a few shepherds. It was also to a shepherd, Abraham,
that God gave his promise to save mankind.

The shepherds make their way to Bethlehem propelled by the sign they
have received. And when they verify it they tell what they heard from
the angel and about seeing the heavenly host. They are the first
witnesses of the birth of the Messiah. "The shepherds were not content
with believing in the happy event which the angel proclaimed to them
and which, full of wonder, they saw for a fact; they manifested their
joy not only to Mary and Joseph but to everyone and, what is more, they
tried to engrave it on their memory. 'And all who heard it wondered at
what the shepherds told them.' And why would they not have wondered,
seeing on earth him who is in heaven, and earth and heaven reconciled;
seeing that ineffable Child who joined what was heavenly--divinity--and
what was earthly--humanity--creating a wonderful covenant through this
union. Not only were they in awe at the mystery of the Incarnation, but
also at the great testimony born by the shepherds, who could not have
invented something they had not heard and who publish the truth with a
simple eloquence" (Photius, "Ad Amphilochium", 155).

16. The shepherds hasten because they are full of joy and eager to see
the Savior. St Ambrose comments: "No one seeks Christ halfheartedly"
("Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam., in loc."). Earlier on, the
evangelist observed that our Lady, after the Annunciation, "went in
haste" to see St Elizabeth (Lk 1:39). A soul who has given God entry
rejoices that God has visited him and his life acquires new energy.

19. In very few words this verse tells us a great deal about our Lady.
We see the serenity with which she contemplates the wonderful things
that are coming true with the birth of her divine Son. She studies
them, ponders them and stores them in the silence of her heart. She is
a true teacher of prayer. If we imitate her, if we guard and ponder in
our hearts what Jesus says to us and what he does in us, we are well on
the way to Christian holiness and we shall never lack his doctrine and
his grace. Also, by meditating in this way on the teaching Jesus has
given us, we shall obtain a deeper understanding of the mystery of
Christ, which is how "the Tradition that comes from the Apostles makes
progress in the Church, with the help of the Holy Spirit. There is a
growth in insight into the realities and words that are being passed
on. This comes about in various ways. It comes through the
contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their
hearts. It comes from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which
they experience. And it comes from the preaching of those who have
received, along with their right of succession in the episcopate, the
sure charism of truth" (Vatican II, "Dei Verbum", 8).

21. On the meaning and rite of circumcision, see the note on Lk 1:59.
"Jesus" means "Yahweh saves" or "Yahweh is salvation", that is, Savior.
This name was given the Child not as the result of any human decision
but in keeping with the commandment of God which the angel
communicated to the Blessed Virgin and to St Joseph (cf. Lk 1:31; Mk
1:21).

The Son of God became incarnate in order to redeem and save all men; so
it is very fitting that he be called Jesus, Savior. We confess this in
the Creed: "For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven."
"There were indeed many who were called by this name [...]. But how
much more appropriate it is to call by this name our Savior, who
brought light, liberty and salvation, not to one people only, but to
all men, of all ages--to men oppressed, not by famine, or Egyptian or
Babylonian bondage, but sitting in the shadow of death and fettered by
the galling chains of sin and of the devil" ("St Pius V Catechism", I,
36).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

Catholic Caucus: Where, when, and how did the Advent season originate?

Advent Calendar for Adults

Advent Calendar for Families

January 1
Resolve to pray as a family in the year ahead. Start today!

Happy New Year!

I will put enmities between you and the woman, and between your seed and hers. He shall crush your head. -Genesis 3:15

Refelction The Old Testament recounts the period of salvation history that slowly prepared for the coming of Christ into the World.
It brings into gradually sharper focus the figure of the Woman, Mother of the Redeemer, already forshadowed in the promise of victory over the serpent.-Vatican II: The Church 55

Prayer O Mary, you were chosen by God to be the Mother of the Redeemer. Protect me always from evil and obtain your eternal salvation for me in heaven with you and your Son Jesus.

From Mary Day by Day

Des,
That is beautiful. Thank you so much! Please post any time!

Salvation

Advent Calendar for Adults

January 1
Pray the Prayer for Peace with your family, friends, or colleagues before watching the parades or football games on this holy day dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Peace.

Happy New Year to you and yours! Do you have snow? Or just the cold winds that frequent your area?

You're welcome.

Have to go. Rose Bowl Parade Countdown...God's materials on display. All those flowers.

One Bread, One Body

<< Wednesday, January 1, 2003 >>

Mary, the Mother of God

Numbers 6:22-27
Galatians 4:4-7

Psalm 67
Luke 2:16-21

View Readings

“SILENT NIGHT”

“Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” —Luke 2:19

The world begins the year with noisemakers, fireworks, and cacophony. The Church begins the year at the manger with Mary, treasuring “all these things” and “reflecting on them in her heart.” The world begins the year with a noisy night; we Christians begin with “silent night.”

That which begins with a bang often ends in “dead silence.” That which begins in “live silence” often ends in a bang, which changes the world. The Lord commands us: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps 46:11, KJV). He assures us: “By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, in quiet and in trust your strength lies” (Is 30:15). The “better part” is to sit at the Lord’s feet and listen to His words (see Lk 10:39, 42). As we begin this new year, let us be “quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (Jas 1:19). In silence, there is revelation, joy, and peace. “It is good to hope in silence for the saving help of the Lord” (Lam 3:26). “Silence, all mankind, in the presence of the Lord! For He stirs forth from His holy dwelling” (Zec 2:17).

Prayer: Father, on this day of prayer for peace, make us peacemakers (Mt 5:9), even if we have to die for peace (see Col 1:20).

Promise: “The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!” —Nm 6:24-26

Praise: Praise Jesus, Son of Man, Son of Mary, and Son of God!

The snow is gone for the moment. THere are predictions of something like three days of snowfall starting this afternoon. I'll believe it when I see it. The weather guessers haven't been right yet.

With the rivers not frozen over, weather systems fall apart over the City/County. They serve as thermal walls. When the Missouri is frozen over, though, it can be brutal. The Mississppi is much deeper, so it takes longer, but both are flowing right now.

What a more beautiful way to start out 2003 than reflecting on our Lady! Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us!

The following is a little prayer that my Grandmother used to say:

The thought steals o'er me as I kneel before thy Son and thee,
That thou must suffer all thy life and He must die for me;
I look upon that lovely face, those eyes so sweet and mild
And gather courage as I gaze upon the Holy Child.

His little arms thrown round thy neck, as if to soothe thy fears,
Shows that thine infant Son is grieved to see His Mother's tears.
He knows that Simeon's prophecy rings ever in thy mind;
The sword has opened thy large heart to shelter all mankind.

Here may the weary mother come with her domestic cares;
Here may the anxious father seek advice in grave affairs.
The weeping child too runs to thee in sorrow and in pain;
No little one will have recourse to Mary's heart in vain.

Then for my guide and advocate, whom fitter could I choose,
Than one who never asks a thing that Jesus can refuse.
Dear Mother, whisper to thy Son a little prayer for me;
Thou knowest better far than I what that request should be.

It's a wonderful little prayer to honor Our Lady. I think it captures both her power as an intercessor and the underlying scriptural and theological reasons why God has granted her that power. The title of the prayer is "Jesus and Mary" and I have never seen it anywhere else. Happy Feast day!

Thanks for the ping. Our Assoc. Pastor gave a wonderful homily this morning about our "Gracious God". He reminded us that God would do great things for us if we'd only follow Mary's example and say YES to Him and His desires for us.