The Solemnity of Mary as the Mother of God, celebrated on January 1, is
the celebration of the doctrine solemnly taught at the Council of
Ephesus in 431 A.D. that the Word “united flesh to himself from his mother’s
womb and is said to have undergone begetting in the flesh in order to
take to himself flesh of his own”.
Mary, therefore, is truly, the Mother of God, “not certainly because the nature of the Word or his divinity had the origin of its being from the holy Virgin, but because from her was generated his holy body, animated by a rational soul, a body spiritually united to the Word; and thus it is said that [the Word] was begotten according to the flesh”.
The Solemnity of Mary as Mother of God highlights her “close and indissoluble bond” with Jesus in the history of salvation.
After the solemn definition of Mary as Birth-Giver of God at Ephesus in 431, a solemn feast celebrating Mary as Mother of God began in the East.
By the fifth century, the West celebrated the Feast in Rome on the Sunday before Christmas, though it was celebrated in Spain on Dec. 18 and in France on Jan. 18. In the Middle Ages, Jan. 1 became the feast of Jesus’ circumcision.
In 1751, Pope Benedict XIV established the Feast of Mary’s Divine Maternity for the first Sunday of May for Portugal and other counties. In 1914, the feast was moved to Oct. 11. In 1931, to commemorate the 15th centenary of the Council of Ephesus of 431, the feast was extended to the entire Latin rite.
In the liturgical reform of 1970, Pope Paul VI moved the feast back to the Octave of Christmas as it was originally celebrated in Rome. Its date was fixed for Jan. 1, and it was elevated to the highest liturgical rank of a solemnity.
The decision of Pope Paul VI to move the celebration of Mary’s Divine Maternity to the Octave of Christmas was a way to emphasize “the essential, vital, providential bond” that unites Mary to Jesus.
In honoring Mary as the Mother of God, we give glory to God who humbled himself to share our humanity, becoming incarnate in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Credits : Our Sunday Visitor
Mary, therefore, is truly, the Mother of God, “not certainly because the nature of the Word or his divinity had the origin of its being from the holy Virgin, but because from her was generated his holy body, animated by a rational soul, a body spiritually united to the Word; and thus it is said that [the Word] was begotten according to the flesh”.
The Solemnity of Mary as Mother of God highlights her “close and indissoluble bond” with Jesus in the history of salvation.
After the solemn definition of Mary as Birth-Giver of God at Ephesus in 431, a solemn feast celebrating Mary as Mother of God began in the East.
By the fifth century, the West celebrated the Feast in Rome on the Sunday before Christmas, though it was celebrated in Spain on Dec. 18 and in France on Jan. 18. In the Middle Ages, Jan. 1 became the feast of Jesus’ circumcision.
In 1751, Pope Benedict XIV established the Feast of Mary’s Divine Maternity for the first Sunday of May for Portugal and other counties. In 1914, the feast was moved to Oct. 11. In 1931, to commemorate the 15th centenary of the Council of Ephesus of 431, the feast was extended to the entire Latin rite.
In the liturgical reform of 1970, Pope Paul VI moved the feast back to the Octave of Christmas as it was originally celebrated in Rome. Its date was fixed for Jan. 1, and it was elevated to the highest liturgical rank of a solemnity.
The decision of Pope Paul VI to move the celebration of Mary’s Divine Maternity to the Octave of Christmas was a way to emphasize “the essential, vital, providential bond” that unites Mary to Jesus.
In honoring Mary as the Mother of God, we give glory to God who humbled himself to share our humanity, becoming incarnate in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Credits : Our Sunday Visitor
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