Feast of Mary, Mother of God

 Of all the feasts in the Church calendar this is the one that brings home the truth of the Incarnation and the mystery of the Holy Trinity. However you put it, "God bearer" or "Mother of God," the fact remains that Jesus of Nazareth, who existed before all time as the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, was born of Mary, an historical person, who gave birth to him. Someone recently relate to me that another had commented how St Paul never spoke of Our Lady! Yet, we read in Galatians: "But when the fulness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if  child then also an heir through God." (Gal 4: 4-7) The logic is inescapable. Jesus is both Son of God and son of Mary. We, who have been baptized in Christ, have God as our Father, thus, we can also call Mary, "Mother." She is Mother of Jesus, who is God and Head of the Church, and Mother of the Church, which is the assembly of the baptized united as the Body of Christ. Truly, this is a great mystery when we ponder its implications both for the lowly handmaid of Nazareth and for ourselves as sinful and weak human beings afflicted by suffering. The feast today recognizes the glory of Our Lady s Mother of God and that shall not be taken from her.