Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God [A]
January 1, 2023
Luke 2:16-21

After eight days (octave) we ponder the mystery of our Savior’s birth, we turn our eyes to the woman who gave birth to the Savior. Therefore, exactly on January 1, we celebrate the solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. It is once again an opportunity to clarify some misconceptions about this important dogma, as well as to deepen our understanding on her motherhood.

The title mother of God for Mary does not mean that she is a god-mother who created other deities. Neither she is a goddess-wife of God the Father. The Church always teaches that Mary is not a god, but a human being. To understand better, we look closely the word ‘mother’. A mother is someone who has a person in her womb and eventually give birth to that person. Mary had the second person of the Trinity in her womb, and in due course, gave birth to Him. Thus, as simple logical conclusion, Mary is the mother of Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity. In short, Mary is the Mother of God.

However, being a mother is not only about getting pregnant and giving birth. A true mother is a woman who also raises, nourishes and educates her children. Mary did not stop when she gave birth to Jesus in Bethlehem. She did not leave Jesus on the manger and went away. She did not abandon baby Jesus to the Magi or to Herod’s army. With Joseph, Mary protected, nurtured and ‘made big’ Jesus. In fact, Mary was faithful to follow Jesus to His cross and tomb.

How did Mary perceive her identity as a mother? We recognize that when Mary received Jesus in her womb, she was entering extremely perilous situations. She could lose her life because people may stone her, or Herod’s soldiers may arrest and kill her. She endured the life of exile in Egypt, and had to contain with life of poverty. But, did she regret her decision?

The answer we can get from Mary’s song, ‘Magnificat’. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior… (Luk 1:46–47)” In Hebrew language, the term ‘my soul’ or ‘my spirit’ is another way to say ‘I’. Thus, Mary said, “I magnifies the Lord, and I rejoices in God my Savior.” Interesting to note is the word ‘magnify’ or literally ‘make big’. What does it mean ‘Mary makes big the Lord’? The Greek word is ‘μεγαλύνω (- megaluno)’ and it is related to Hebrew word ‘גָּדַל’ (- gadal) which means to become physically mature. Therefore, what Mary said is that she physically nourishes the Lord in her womb as well as to make sure the Lord grow into maturity. And in her role as a mother of the Lord, she rejoiced exceedingly.

Mary becomes an antithesis to modern toxic maternity. In our time, many separate sexualities with pro-creation, and even consider fertility as disease. Many see being a mother and having a child are unnecessary burden that must be avoided and disposed. Mary saw things the opposite way. Despite life-threatening situations, Mary accepted her motherhood as integral part of her identity as woman. She saw Jesus in her womb as great blessing, and her participation in God’s will. She knew well only when she fulfilled God’s plan, she found her true joy.

Happy Mothers’ Day!
And
Happy New Year!

Rome
Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Nativity of the Lord (A)

December 25, 2022

Luke 2:1-14

For the ancient Jews, simply saying ‘thank you’ was never enough to express gratitude. As a token of gratitude, they would set aside the best produce from their fields or livestock and prepare it as a food offering. This offering must be real and tangible, otherwise it is meaningless. The more valuable the produce they offered, the greater the sign of gratitude. From this, we can understand why they offered their crops or livestock as sacrifices to God as a form of their worship. Since God gives us everything in life, He deserves the best that we have. The crops and livestock were the best offerings they could give as a sign of gratitude to God at that time.

If we recall the story of Cain and Abel, these two brothers were the first humans in the Bible to worship God by offering two types of sacrifices: crops and animals. Abel offered the best part of the animal sacrifices, but Cain only brought mediocre things to God. As a result, God was not pleased with Cain’s half-hearted effort. Unfortunately, Cain did not learn from his mistake, but chose to rebel against God by killing his own brother. (see Gen 4)

Now, what does this have to do with Christmas? We must first ask why God chose to become man and investigate the circumstances of His birth. He had the power to choose the best place on earth to be His birthplace, but He chose to be among the animals. Why? John the Baptist years later revealed Jesus’ identity, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (Jn 1:29)” He was born among animals because He is the “Lamb of God”. It is also interesting to note that Bethlehem was not far from Jerusalem, and many of the sheep and lambs raised in Bethlehem were eventually brought to Jerusalem and offered as sacrifices in the Jerusalem Temple. And just as the animals from Bethlehem’s pasture were offered in Jerusalem, Jesus, the Lamb of God, born in Bethlehem would be the perfect sacrifice in Jerusalem.

The celebration of Christmas connects us to the truth that nothing we have will ever be enough to express our gratitude to God. Even when we offer our lives, it is never enough. However, we do not despair, because God Himself provides the solution for us. Jesus became a man so that He could be the most acceptable offering to God for us.

Now, why do we call our worship liturgy the Eucharist? The word Eucharist from the Greek εὐχαριστία, means thanksgiving, and this basically relates to how our ancestors in the Old Testament worshiped and gave thanks to God. In the Eucharist, the body and blood of Christ, the effect of the sacrifice of the cross, become present, and we offer this Jesus as a perfect thanksgiving offering to God. Just as Abel offered a pleasing sacrifice, in the Eucharist, we offer a far more perfect sacrifice of thanksgiving. It is only when we participate in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that our gratitude has true meaning, and our worship is pleasing to the Father.  And this worship of gratitude is possible because of the mystery of the Incarnation in Christmas.

Whenever we celebrate Christmas, we rejoice not because we receive gifts, or have a long vacation. We rejoice because the baby Jesus has made possible our participation in the most beautiful mystery of thanksgiving. In every Mass, let us remember that what we offer to God is the same Jesus who was born in Bethlehem during Christmas.

Merry and Joyful Christmas!

Rome

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP