SOLEMNITY OF MARY
January 01, 2023

The foundation for today’s feast dates to 431 in Ephesus. There had bee a debate over the role of Mary in salvation. Some said she was NOT the Mother of God; but the mother of a child adopted by God. Others argued that she was, in fact, the Mother of God. Those who believed this won the day. This is so important that we have this Holy day.
It is important because declaring Mary the Mother of God says something about Jesus. It says that he was fully human, that he became one of us, lived like us; learned, sweated, and grew like us. His life was typical of the day. He was born into a working class, was identified with the poor, loved his faith, and practiced it fully.
Eden Paul gives us the reason this simple and common birth was so important; Jesus was born under the law so that as one of us, he could free us from the law. And he did more than free us. He also opened the way for us to be adopted by God and taught us to address God as our Father.
As always, a feast day is really rarely about Mary. This feast is about Jesus and his humanity. Because of Him, we too should know what it means to be fully human – to care about others and to bring peace into people’s lives. As we begin a new year, let us commit ourselves to this too.