It's a new year and a new day. 2013 has finally arrived, and with it we celebrate the solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. For some, this seems blasphemous. Why would we set aside a day to elevate the Virgin Mary as the Mother of God? How can God, who existed before time began and who created her, be said to have a mother? These are good questions, and the answers provide cause for reflection as we enter the new year on our relationship with Christ.
It is Catholic teaching that Jesus is God. Not that he came to spread the word of God, but that He is God. He is 100% God, and 100% man. It is out of the great love that God has for humanity that He allowed Himself to become one of us, living a life here on earth from moment of conception to death on a cross. What was infinite and limitless in power allowed himself to be made finite and powerless in order to be fully united with His creation. That is our teaching, and it is what I believe to be true.
We arrive at the conclusion that Mary is the mother of God by applying algebraic logic. If A=B and B=C, then A=C. If Jesus is God, and Mary is the mother of Jesus, then Mary is the mother of God. Very simple, straightforward logic. It isn't expressly spelled out for you in the Bible, but it can be extrapolated from the things you know about Christ. This is the reason Catholics do not rely on scripture alone - you often overlook very obvious truths hiding in plain sight.
We begin the New Year by celebrating this great gift of God's love for a people who so often go astray. We celebrate a God who loves us so much that He is willing to become one of us, and we celebrate the one who by her own humility allowed this gift to be made manifest. In short, this Solemnity isn't as much about Mary as it is about what she represents - the outrageous love of God for His creation. For what God from any other religion ever cared so much about mankind? He wasn't content to simply come in the appearance of a man, but wanted so much to connect with us that he came as a zygote originally, developing as all children do in the womb of his mother into an embryo and then a fetus and later being born in the manner of all men.
He was willing to suffer the indignities of being unable to walk, to feed himself, to control his bowels or bladder. He was willing to be helpless, dependent upon others for help, to feel hunger and thirst, to feel cold and heat and all the things that human beings feel over a lifetime. Yes, today is a good day to reflect on the awesome love our God has for us, to give Him thanks and praise, and to make the most important resolution of all: to live our lives in such a way that everything we do is a thank you to our God.
It is Catholic teaching that Jesus is God. Not that he came to spread the word of God, but that He is God. He is 100% God, and 100% man. It is out of the great love that God has for humanity that He allowed Himself to become one of us, living a life here on earth from moment of conception to death on a cross. What was infinite and limitless in power allowed himself to be made finite and powerless in order to be fully united with His creation. That is our teaching, and it is what I believe to be true.
We arrive at the conclusion that Mary is the mother of God by applying algebraic logic. If A=B and B=C, then A=C. If Jesus is God, and Mary is the mother of Jesus, then Mary is the mother of God. Very simple, straightforward logic. It isn't expressly spelled out for you in the Bible, but it can be extrapolated from the things you know about Christ. This is the reason Catholics do not rely on scripture alone - you often overlook very obvious truths hiding in plain sight.
We begin the New Year by celebrating this great gift of God's love for a people who so often go astray. We celebrate a God who loves us so much that He is willing to become one of us, and we celebrate the one who by her own humility allowed this gift to be made manifest. In short, this Solemnity isn't as much about Mary as it is about what she represents - the outrageous love of God for His creation. For what God from any other religion ever cared so much about mankind? He wasn't content to simply come in the appearance of a man, but wanted so much to connect with us that he came as a zygote originally, developing as all children do in the womb of his mother into an embryo and then a fetus and later being born in the manner of all men.
He was willing to suffer the indignities of being unable to walk, to feed himself, to control his bowels or bladder. He was willing to be helpless, dependent upon others for help, to feel hunger and thirst, to feel cold and heat and all the things that human beings feel over a lifetime. Yes, today is a good day to reflect on the awesome love our God has for us, to give Him thanks and praise, and to make the most important resolution of all: to live our lives in such a way that everything we do is a thank you to our God.
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