Articles / Special

The Madonna del Rosario (c. 6th century or earlier), perhaps the oldest icon of Mary, in Rome (Credit : Asia, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

The Council of Ephesus in 431 confirmed a truth very dear to the Christian people: Mary is the true Mother of God, insofar as she is mother of Jesus, true God and true man: two natures in one Divine person, without confusion, without change, without division.

The Octave of Christmas falls on New Year’s Day. Given the fact that the pagans used to celebrate this day through dissolute activities and superstition, the ancient Church helped believers begin the new year with a “new spirit” through the practice of days of fasting and penance.

Mary’s divine motherhood broadens the Christmas spotlight. Mary has an important role to play in the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. She consents to God’s invitation conveyed by the angel (Luke 1:26-38). Elizabeth proclaims: “Most blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:42-43, emphasis added). Mary’s role as mother of God places her in a unique position in God’s redemptive plan.

Without naming Mary, Paul asserts that “God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4). Paul’s further statement that “God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out ‘Abba, Father!’” helps us realize that Mary is mother to all the brothers and sisters of Jesus.

History of the feast

In 431, during the Council of Ephesus that concluded on 22 June, the dogma of faith regarding “Mary’s divine maternity” was declared. Thus, in 1931, on the Council’s 15th centenary, Pope Pius XI established the liturgical feast that we already find celebrated in the 7th century. It is a day laden with meaning and contains many messages: the Octave of Christmas recalls the day Jesus was circumcised and given His name, it is the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, and it is also the day on which the World Day of Peace is celebrated (established by Pope Saint Paul VI in 1968).

Reflection

There truly are many messages to be received on this first day of the year. We are invited to learn from the Virgin Mary to “keep” the Word in our hearts, and to ask ourselves what the Lord Jesus wants to say to us as the days go by, knowing that God’s blessing always accompanies us, as the First Reading from Numbers reminds us.

It is the Octave of Christmas: Our remembrance of Mary’s divine motherhood injects a further note of Christmas joy. It is a day of prayer for world peace: She is the mother of the Prince of Peace. It is the first day of a new year: Mary continues to bring new life to her children—who are also God’s children.

- Article by Catholic Time Staff