On 1st January we celebrated the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God…. in Greek, Theotokos, which means God-Bearer. The 5th January this year marked the Epiphany of the Lord which is also a Solemnity. The title “solemnity” is reserved for the most important feasts celebrating the mysteries of faith. The title, “Mary, the Holy Mother of God,” is Our Lady’s greatest title, won by her when she said yes to God’s plan. From the Cross, Jesus shared His mother with us. Jan De Beer (early 16thc.) often paints Jesus, sans halo and sans swaddling clothes, and as Shakespeare’s Jaques would put it, “sans everything.” The Divinity of Christ breaks out of the bands of stuff and the humanity of Jesus is made manifest in this tiny infant reaching out to receive our gifts and the the gifts of the Kings.
With his characteristic eloquence and brilliance, the Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen presented a moving portrayal of the Blessed Virgin Mary that combines deep spirituality with history, philosophy and theology. All the major aspects and events of Mary’s life are lovingly portrayed in his book, “ The World’s First Love.” I would encourage teachers to read it. It is a never-failing source of information, consolation and inspiration. Bishop Sheen discusses various problems common to us all and suggests ways of resolving our difficulties. He understands the gifts of women and their ability to help heal the world’s problems. He is a pre-feminist! We need the Mother of God. Our pupils need her burning love. The Church gives us this wondrous feast on the first day of the year knowing the great and powerful role she can play in this often so confused modern world. In the course of the year, there will be other feast days marking different aspects of Mary’s influence in the life of the Church. In recent past years, Mary seems to have been side-lined, sadly even sometimes neglected by priests. We do so at our peril. How could we overlook such a loving Mother? William Wordsworth did not. He wrote a poem about her and called her, “Woman above all women. Our tainted nature’s solitary boast.” Even Martin Luther retained a great respect for Mary. She is highly regarded as the Mother of Jesus in the religion of Islam and is the only woman named in the Quran, Actually, she is mentioned by name more often in the Quran than in the New Testament!. The French poet, Henri Jordin puts words into the mouth of God saying, “When I sent my son on earth, he wasn’t hard to please, about food or lodging or state in life or anything – except his mother. But about her he was exacting. He wanted his mother to be a masterpiece.” There are not many recorded words of Mary in the Gospels so her valedictory words take on a huge importance. “Do whatever he tells you.” (Jn 2.5) She did. We should. Perhaps we could begin a class with the recitation of the Hail Mary. It doesn’t take long – but its fruits lasts long.
Monsignor Monaghan
