Mary
in Christian Tradition
The Solemnity
of Mary, the Mother of God. (January 1)
Madonna
and Child - Bellini
This feast, closely
connected to the feast of Christmas, is the most important and oldest
of the major feasts of Mary. It is based on the source of her privileges:
her motherhood. Jesus Christ, God's Son " born of a woman," (Galatians
4,4) came to deliver us from sin and make us children of God. He is
also Mary's Son, and she, his mother, helps bring his blessings to the
world. She is
"truly
the Mother of God and of the Redeemer...not merely passively engaged
by God, but freely cooperating in the work of our salvation through
faith and obedience."
(Lumen Gentium,53,56)
Mary was not simply
a passive instrument in God's hands; rather she discovered and accepted
new dimensions to her motherhood as her life unfolded. Scripture indicates
signs of her new unfolding motherhood.
At the marriage
feast in Cana in Galilee, where Jesus worked his first miracle, Mary
is "the Mother of Jesus" who manifests
"
a new kind of motherhood according to the spirit and not just according
to the flesh, that is to say Mary's solicitude for human beings, her
coming to them in the wide variety of their wants and needs. At Cana
in Galilee there is shown only one concrete aspect of human need,
apparently a small one and of little importance ("They have no wine").
But it has a symbolic value, this coming to the aid of human beings
means, at the same time, bringing those needs within the radius of
Christ's messianic mission and salvific power."
(Pope John Paul 11, Redemptoris Mater 21)
Mary's care for
humanity and its needs would not limited to her earthly life; it lasts
"without interruption until the eternal fulfilment of all the elect.
(Lumen Gentium, 62)
Whether in her
own lifetime or from her place in heaven, Mary's solicitude for human
beings looks, above all, to making known the messianic power of her
Son. At Cana in Galilee she told the servers at table, "Do
what he tells you." (John 2,5) In all her care for
others, she points out Jesus to them.
Throughout her
life, then, Mary was a follower of her Son. At the foot of the cross,
her motherhood reached a new maturity when Mary experienced her Son's
redeeming love for the world. Her spirit was touched and refined by
the mystery of his death and resurrection.
From his cross,
Jesus, seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing there,
said to Mary, "Woman, behold your son."(John 19,25-27)
"The
words uttered by Jesus signify that the motherhood of her who bore
Christ finds a 'new' continuation in the Church and through the Church,
symbolized and represented by John. " (Redemptoris Mater,
24)
Before Pentecost,
awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus, the disciples
"continued with one mind in prayer with the women and Mary, the mother
of Jesus, and with his brethren."(Acts 1,14) "Thus Mary who is present
in the mystery of Christ as Mother becomes- by the will of the Son and
the power of the Holy Spirit- present in the mystery of the Church.
In the Church too she continues to be a maternal presence, as is shown
by the words spoken from the cross:'Woman, behold your son.' 'Behold,
your mother.' "
Readings for
the feast
The principal
reading for the feast, from St. Luke's gospel, describes the shepherds
coming to Bethlehem where they
"found
Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger."
(Luke 2,16-21)
Mother and son
are found together. She presents her Son to them. In fact, she will
always point to him. As a pilgrim of faith, she "treasured
all these things and reflected on them in her heart"; at the
same time, she invites other pilgrims to treasure and reflect on the
mystery of Jesus Christ.
Along with the
Byzantine and Syrian churches, which celebrate the feast of the Mother
of God (Theotokos) on December 26, the Roman church celebrates this
primary feast close to the feast of the Birth of Jesus Christ. For
"only
in the mystery of Christ is her mystery made clear."
(Redemptoris Mater)
The
Immaculate Conception of Mary (December 8)
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