Homily, 1-1-24; Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God:
Our gospel just concluded with these words: “When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” When I was a boy, we celebrated the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ on New Year’s Day, the eighth day of Christmas. In 1969, however, the Roman Calendar was revised, and now we celebrate the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. But the two themes are inseparable.
In the previous chapter of Luke’s gospel we hear also of the circumcision of John the Baptist. Zechariah prophesizes about his son John, and calls him the prophet of the Most High; the angel appeared to Mary and announced Jesus as the Son of the Most High. It is important for Luke to note that both of these two, the prophet of the Most High and the Son of the Most High, were circumcised to show their connection to the Israelite community and their connection to the Old Covenant.
In Genesis we hear God tell Abraham: “On your part, you and your descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you that you must keep: every male among you shall be circumcised. [Circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and that shall be the mark of the covenant between you and me.] Throughout the ages, every male among you, when he is eight days old, shall be circumcised … Thus my covenant shall be in your flesh as an everlasting pact.”
Jesus is God. Jesus is human. As God, Jesus issued the covenant. As man, Jesus accepts the mark of the covenant. He is fully divine; and He is fully human. And He received his humanity through Mary, the Mother of God. The angel Gabriel told Mary: “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son.” St. Athanasius wrote about the importance of these words: “so that we might know by faith that her child originated within her and from her.” Mary is the God bearer, the Mother of God. She did not just give birth to a human nature; she gave birth to a human person.
Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of Mary. St. Paul tells us: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” Because Jesus ransomed us, we are adopted sons and daughters of God the Father. God is our Father and Mary is our Mother as well.
C. S. Lewis suggests this exercise. He says that when we pray the Our Father before we go to bed, stop and think about what those first words mean: “Our Father.” We realize that we are not the Son of God, but we are sons and daughters of God through baptism. We do not act like the Son of God whose will and interests are at one with those of the Father; we are bundles of self-centered fears, hopes, greeds, jealousies, and self-conceit. We fail to follow the Father’s will, but Jesus and Mary did. And often when, in our weakness, we fail, we respond by offering the excuse that we are only human. But the reality is that we are imperfectly human. Jesus and Mary are our models. They demonstrated what it means to be perfectly human; the perfection we should strive for and grow in.
We have been given two wonderful models of perfect humanity, of perfect virtue, Jesus and Mary. As we start the new year, let us not get all caught up in making complicated resolutions. Let us have one resolution, and that is to grow in perfection following the example of Jesus and Mary. Let us pray to them so that we can know the Father’s will and follow it as they did. As your Big Brother, know that Jesus will always be at your side to help you out in a pinch. Mary, who has been raised higher than the angels, is the perfect mother. She will comfort all of her children; she will love us, look after us, and protect us. Get to know her and her Son a little bit better this year.
Accept my wish for a happy New Year with the blessing of Aaron. May the LORD bless you and keep you! May the LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! And may the LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!