MARY: Mother. of. God.

HOMILY: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Luke 2:16-21

1 January 2023

Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez, AA 

One of the most dreaded questions young children ask is “WHY?” It is easier to respond… “What’s this?” or “Who’s that?” It is harder to respond to a “why” question. The parents’ answer is often… “That’s it. That’s the way it is. Don’t be annoying.” Even as grown-ups, the “why” questions really force us to stop for a moment and think. I recall the very first question I was asked during my comprehensive exam in Theology was… “Why is it necessary for Jesus to have an earthly mother?” Now, go ahead, answer that!

When do we pray the words “Holy Mary, Mother of God…”? Yes! It’s the second part of the Hail Mary. We have prayed this many times in our life (I hope so…) and because we are overly familiar with these words, we oftentimes fail to appreciate the weight these words carry. It clearly states the special role of Mary in God’s plan of salvation and it affirms our belief in Jesus Christ as our Divine Lord. 

MARY. MOTHER. OF. GOD. The Greek word for the title is Theotokos, which literally means “God-bearer.” This is probably one of the most ancient titles for Mary by the First Christians in the First Century of the Church. The First Christians called Mary the “Mother of God” without hesitation. She carried Jesus, the Son of God, in her womb for nine months. Let’s think of it carefully — if Jesus is God and Mary is the mother of Jesus on earth, it cannot be denied that Mary is the mother of God. In English, if Jesus is God, and Mary is His mother, then Mary is automatically the Mother of God. This principle is called the “Communication of Idioms.”  Is it not? If I am the son of my father, and I am the son of my mother, both are undeniable truths and refer to the same person — ME. Jesus Christ is the Son of God but having been born of Mary, Jesus is also Mary’s Son. His two natures, the divine nature and the human nature, are united in Him. He is one divine person. 

Many non-Catholics today still raise an objection to the title “Mother of God” because they say that it implies that Mary was the “originator of God”. They say they can readily accept the title “Mother of Christ” but they cannot accept the title “Mother of God”. Is it okay? It is like saying that Jesus Christ is not God. This is the paradox of our Christian belief. We believe that Christ is 100% human and 100% divine. Not 50-50.  We do not say that Mary is the mother of God the Father. She is the mother of God, the Son, who is God nonetheless.  In the council of Ephesus in 431 AD, the Church resolved that ancient heresy by affirming that Jesus is one divine person, with two natures — “his mother’s human nature and his Father’s divine nature”. Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ, both God and man. This is what we profess every time we say the Creed. 

Let’s go back to the earlier question… “Why did Jesus have to have an earthly  mother?” The answer is because He had to be human. Who among us here were not born? You may not be human. We are all born into the world. This is how we come to be in this world. We are born through our mothers. In my case, I had an adoptive Mama who raised me but I had a different Nanay who gave birth to me.  So, I am sure I am human. Jesus had to become human so he could be one of us. That was the plan. Christmas is the celebration of the incarnation. Sabi nga ng isang Christmas Carol na kinanta ni Jose Mari Chan… “Mary’s boy child Jesus Christ was born on Christmas Day…” But it does not end with his birth. He had to be cared for and nurtured until He grew up and was ready for His mission. And so, on the first day of the New Year we honour Mary for being the perfect mother for the Son of God, the Saviour of humankind.  

Why is this important to us today? Mary’s mothering of Christ is the beginning of our salvation story. Jesus Christ taught us the way back to the Father — He reconciled humanity with the Father and re-opened the gates of heaven for humanity. By the actions of Mary’s Son, we have gained the status of children of God; brothers and sisters to Jesus Christ. By extension, Mary becomes and is our mother, too. As she bore Jesus physically, Mary bears each one of us spiritually.  Her love is unconditional like the love of Jesus. She is always there, loving us deeply even when we don’t pay her attention and assisting us quietly even when we don’t ask for help. Such is the love of a great mother.

We are at the beginning of a new year. We don’t know what awaits us. There are good things and of course, sad and unpleasant ones to expect.  Let us not fear. This is life. Let us be grateful that we have made it to 2023 and let us remember with fondness those who have gone ahead of us in the past year.  As we honour Mary as the “Mother of God” we see her as a model of how we, at the beginning of this year and every day thereafter, should remain prayerful, open, attentive and accepting of what God asks of us, even when we do not yet understand fully His plan for us. We entrust ourselves to our loving Mother Mary and we continue to hope and trust in the love and care of God for all His children.