In a particular kingdom, there
existed this custom of the prince taking a wife before he inherits the throne
of the father. After the death of the ruling king, the Prince was faced with the
task of choosing a wife before his coronation as the next king. The Prince had
to make it open for every young girl in the kingdom to exhibit her qualities
and draw his attention. Several young girls started wearing sexy clothes to
seduce the Prince but he was not moved.
Some began to wear wonderful hairstyles but the Prince was not moved.
Others prepared delicious meals and presented them to the prince but he was not
delighted. Every young girl made an attempt in several ways but the Prince was
not moved not because he was very difficult to be pleased but because they did not know what
exactly he so desired of a woman more so of a wife. Only one woman had a perfect knowledge of this. This woman was like the rest of
women in the kingdom, while some valued her, others despised her. She was very
dear to the Prince because of her glaring personality, but no one dared to
consult her or win the Prince’s heart through her.
To continue read more
One day, a young lady desirous to have
the Prince as a husband came to this woman with an inferior dish containing
some poorly prepared food. She requested the woman to help her pass the food to
the king. This woman took the food, transferred it into a royal plate,
garnished it with the type of vegetables and fishes the Prince likes and
presented it to the Prince as a gift from a lady seeking to please him. The king
was surprised to discover this girl who could meet his taste and hurriedly
married her. This girl was only successful because she went through the Prince’s
mother who prepared the way for her and who knew what exactly the prince needed.
Today, we celebrate the motherhood
of a woman who knows best how to please God because through her co-operation
with the will of God, she became the Virgin Mother of God. The solemnity of
Mary, Mother of God reminds us of the great role she played in the history of
salvation and the privileges she has. In the first reading, we see the
blessings God gave to Aaron and his sons. They were the mediators between God
and the people and through them God blessed the people. In Mary we see a
mediatrix and through her all nations have been blessed. In the second reading,
we see the reconciliation Mary brought through her son, reconciling us to God
not just as sons of God but also as heirs to His kingdom.
The Ecumenical Council of Ephesus
in AD 431 declared Mary Theotokos
meaning Mother of God. Today’s date was formerly the feast of Jesus’
circumcision but following the second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI decided to
change it to the solemnity of Mary mother of God to honor the role of Mary in the mystery of salvation
and at the same time to sing the praises of the unique dignity thus coming to
"the Holy Mother...through whom we have been given the gift of the Author
of life" (cf. Paul VI, Marialis
Cultus, Feb. 2, 1974, no.5). This solemnity of Mary’s motherhood speaks no
less about the personhood of Christ. Christ is of both divine and human natures
but one person. So when we speak of Mary as the Mother of God, we refer to the Incarnation
of Christ as God who was conceived by the Virgin Mary as God and given birth to
as God and not to the Godhead of the Father. The title Mother of God is the
highest privilege given to her and just as she is the Mother of Jesus, she is
also our mother. We explore the close relationship between Jesus and Mary. Just
as Christ is the king of peace, Mary is the queen of peace. That is why today
we celebrate her motherhood of God is also the world day of peace. As Jesus is
the shortest way to the Father, Mary is the shortest way to Jesus. She knows
exactly how to please the Son who knows exactly how to please the Father. Jesus
is the gate of heaven and Mary is the entrance to the gate. Jesus is the bread
of life and Mary is the bakery where this bread is produced.
Today we are invited to imitate the
spirit of Mary – the spirit of collaboration with the will of God. Mary is a
testimony of God’s omnipotence. Today’s solemnity is a triumph of grace over
nature. The gospel says Mary pondered all these things in her heart. She
treasured the Word of God which later took flesh in her womb. It is also an
invitation to treasure the Word of God in our hearts and know that with God all
things are possible.
As we celebrate the Divine
Motherhood of the Virgin Mary, we should ask ourselves how docile we are to the
will of God. Do you really appreciate Mary’s Motherhood of God? Do you trust in
her powerful intercession and assistance? Do we honour her? No amount of honour
will be too much for her because by honouring her, we are glorifying the Son who
chose to be borne by her. This should be a period of greater devotion to Mary
and a moment of intensified prayer. She is there as the help of Christians only
waiting for us to come to Jesus through her. She is ready to help us actualize
our dreams just as the Prince’s mother helped the young lady to actualize hers.
Are you ready to co-operate with her? Are you ready to make her your own
mother? Perhaps a daily recitation of the holy rosary might be a good starting
point. The choice is yours.
No comments:
Post a Comment
DISCLAIMER: Comments, remarks and observations are allowed to enable my readers freely express their opinions concerning issues raised in this post. However, while I recommend the observance of the rule of courtesy for every comment, comments on this post do not in any way express my personal opinion. They are strictly the opinions of those who made the comments.