God sent his Son, born of a woman: Num 3, Gal 4, and Mary, Mother of God, in Lk 2.

## The Solemnity of the Mother of God (January 1st)**Scriptural Readings:*** **First Reading:** Num 6:22-27 – The Lord commands Moses to instruct Aaron and his sons in blessing Israel with these words: “The Lord bless you and keep you… The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.” This ancient blessing, central to Jewish and Christian liturgy, is a threefold promise of protection, light, and peace. Aaron’s blessing foreshadows the blessing brought by Jesus, whose name means “The Lord saves.”* **Second Reading:** Gal 4:4-7 – Paul proclaims the theological truth of Christ’s Incarnation: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman… to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption as sons.” He emphasizes the Spirit’s role in confirming our status as adopted children of God.* **Gospel:** Luke 2:16-21 – The Gospel recounts the scene after Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. Angels appear to shepherds, who then go to the manger and behold the Child lying there. Mary, present but silent, “treasured up all these things in her heart.” This passage highlights the mystery of God’s nearness: the Word made flesh, a child born of a woman, and a Mother who contemplates Him.**Mariology:**The Solemnity of the Mother of God celebrates the unique role Mary plays in revealing God’s plan of salvation through her Son, Jesus Christ. The readings highlight several key aspects:* **Two Natures:** Both readings affirm the dual nature of Christ – fully God and fully man – born of a woman yet divine.* **Maternity Divine:** Galatians 4:4 explicitly states that Mary is the “Mother of God,” affirming her unique position as Mother to the Second Person of the Trinity.* **Mystery of God’s Nearness:** The readings depict God’s profound intimacy with humanity through the Incarnation, the blessing bestowed upon Israel, and the scene in Bethlehem where angels and shepherds encounter the Child Jesus.This feast day is not merely about Mary but about the mystery made flesh – the divine-human union that makes salvation possible.The shepherds hurried to Bethlehem and found Mary, Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger (Lk 2:16). Upon seeing them, they shared what had been told about that child, and all who heard were amazed at what the shepherds reported (vv.17-18). “But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (v.19). When the eight days for circumcision were completed, they named him Jesus, the name given to him by the angel before his conception (v.21). Verse 19 is one of the densest passages in Luke’s Gospel: while the shepherds speak and the listeners are amazed, Mary keeps and ponders. The verb “keep” implies active conservation, not passivity: she collects the events and keeps them alive. The verb “meditate” implies that she confronts and articulates what she sees with what she knows, the angel’s words, Simeon’s prophecies, and biblical texts. Mary is the first theologian: one who thinks faith from what she saw and heard.IV. Mary, Mother of GodJanuary 1st is the feast day par excellence for Mary because the title “Mother of God” (Theotókos in Greek, Dei Genitrix in Latin) is the most radical and dense title that Christian tradition has given to Mary. Radical because it goes to the root: it does not simply say that Mary is holy, beautiful, pure, or exemplary, but that the Son she generated is God. Dense because it contains all of Christology: if Jesus is God and Mary is his Mother, then Mary is Mother of God. Ephesus (431) defined this title not to exalt Mary but to protect faith in Christ against those who separated the human Jesus from the divine Logos. Gal 4 says that “the Son of God was born of a woman”: that woman did not just generate a nature, she generated a Person, and that Person is the eternal Son of the Father. Num 6 asks that the Lord’s name be placed on Israel: the name Mary gave to the Son, Jesus, is the saving name. Lk 2:19 shows us Mary keeping and meditating: she is the model of the faithful who not only celebrate the mystery but let it grow within them. On this first day of the year, the Church places under Mary’s motherhood all the time that unfolds: she who kept the Son for nine months, presented him to the world at Christmas, and intercedes for us every day of the new year beginning.