Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God
In today's Solemnity we celebrate many feasts, both secular and religious. Most people know this day as New Year’s Day. It is a day of rest where we spend time with family and friends. It is a day where we continue our looking forward in hope to the upcoming year, especially as we begin trying to make good on our New Year's resolutions.
For both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches, it is a celebration of Mary's motherhood of Jesus. ‘Mother of God’ is a western derivation from the Greek: Theotokos, the God-bearer. Another religious meaning the feast has been given is the ‘World Day of Peace’ which was instituted by Paul the VI, and first celebrated on January 1, 1967. The feast brings life to John the XXIII’s document, “Peace on Earth.”
This day also celebrates the Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord. Celebrating the octave, the eighth day is an ancient custom that is reflected in both Passover and Chanukah. It is first found in the "Feast of Tabernacles." "On the eighth day you will have a declared holy day. You shall offer an oblation to the Lord." (Lev. 23:36b NAB). The ritual for this Jewish celebration has families building booths to dwell in as a remembrance of their dessert sojourn of forty years. This feast helped them recall the blessings of the harvest and the Promised Land.
As Christians, we interpret this dwelling in a booth in a new way. Jesus came and ‘tabernacled with us.’ (John 1:14) Our world is the booth in which God came to dwell. Like Mary, we are to become the vessel in which God comes to dwell. We too, are to bring the Light that shatters the darkness. We too, must continue to recognize the blessings we receive and hold them firmly in our hearts, so that like Mary, we can be faithful to the Lord.
"Ever loving God, we praise you for sending Your Son to come and dwell among us. We praise You also for Mary, who in bearing Your Son gave us a perfect model of discipleship. Help us to like Mary, ever mindful of our blessings, so that we too, may be God-bearers and instruments of Your peace. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen!"
- Michael Montgomery