Today is the feast of the Holy Family.
I realize today is the feast of the Holy Family but I want to jump forward a few days and comment about Wednesday’s feast, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
In the early Church there were two big controversies. First was the question of Gentiles being followers of Christ and whether they had to become Jews first. The other one concerned the nature of Christ. Some said He was divine, some said He was a spirit or angel, while others said He was human, but a special kind of human.
To resolve this issue the emperor Constantine called a meeting of the Church in Nicea. A good bit was decided there and we recite the creed that came out of that meeting at most Sunday and Holy Day Masses.
There were follow up meetings (ecumenical councils) in Constantinople in 381 and in Ephesus in 431. The creed we profess today was tweaked after Constantinople. In Ephesus another question concerned Mary. It was there that she received the title of Theotokos (God bearer) and was referred to as the Mother of God. Both of these are more about Jesus than Mary. It simply affirmed that Jesus was God incarnate.
Sometimes people who didn’t grow up Catholic bristle at referring to Mary as the Mother of God. I suggest if that gives you trouble to simply add the word “incarnate” to your understanding and it should be fine. Jesus was God Incarnate and Mary was His mother. It was through Mary that Jesus received His humanity. This is also why Mary’s Immaculate Conception makes so much sense. Would God choose a sinful creature to give His Son His human nature? Not likely.
There is also precedent in the Old Testament for Mary to be the Queen Mother. As such she is mother of the Church and our spiritual mother.
So, as we celebrate the Holy Family let’s also realize that Mary plays an important role as the Mother of Jesus, God Incarnate, and in our own spiritual family. There is no better intercessor than Mary for us poor creatures. It is yet another of God’s great gifts we received when we said yes to God’s invitation to be one of His people and adopted children.
That’s it for now.
I hope you had a great Christmas and will have a happy, healthy, and holy New Year.
Peace, Bob
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