Isa 7.10-14;
Ps 23;
Rom 1.1-7;
Mt 1.18-24
A virgin shall conceive and bear a son; His name shall be called Emmanuel.
In modern Turkey lie the ruins of Ephesus, once a great Roman trading port, and tradition holds that the Virgin Mary lived there after Jesus’ death. When Jesus entrusted Mary to John on the cross, he became Bishop of Ephesus, and Mary likely spent her last years there. A house believed to be hers was discovered in the 20th century, confirmed by archaeological finds and visions from a mystic nun.
Ephesus hosted the first church dedicated to Our Lady and the 431 AD Council of Ephesus declared her Theotokos, or Mother of God. Saint Cyril of Alexandria’s homily praised her, fitting for today’s Gospel about her role in salvation. Mary’s humble acceptance of God’s will initiated a new creation, marking her as the Ark of the Covenant and fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.
On this last Sunday of Advent, we honour and venerate the Mother of God. The devotion we pay to her is not an added extra. It is the very guarantee of our true understanding and belief in the Incarnation, holding together the two natures of Christ in one person. Like every other mother, Mary is not the mother of a natural mother. She is the mother of a person, of the Person born in that nature. And as her son is true God, so Mary is rightly called the Mother of God. This is the basis for all of Mary’s unique privileges. If she had not been the Mother of the Redeemer, but merely the mother of any human being, she would not have the role in our salvation that we believe she has, and so would not have the place in our devotion of which she is worthy.
Today, we honor her as Queen and Mother, essential to our faith, and ask for her help in preparing spiritually for Christmas, seeking purity, prayer, and grace.
Fr Joseph Osho