Happy New Year!
As we continue to celebrate the birth of Jesus, we turn our attention today to his mother Mary, but we continue to focus on Jesus. We give various titles to Jesus such as Savior, Christ, Messiah, Lord, or Son of Man, and each of these titles expresses an aspect of our understanding of Jesus. In the same way we give many titles to Our Lady – there is a long list of them in the Litany of Our Lady of Loreto – and the title we celebrate today, “Mother of God,” and the title “Blessed Virgin,” are the two oldest titles given to Our Lady. In one sense, the title Mother of God says more about Jesus than it does about Our Lady. That is why I said we continue to focus on Jesus today.
What does the title Mother of God say about Jesus?
It means that the humanity and divinity of Jesus are united in Jesus.
There is not a separate human Jesus and a separate divine Jesus, there is one Jesus with a human nature and a divine nature, true God and true man, and because there is one Jesus, we say Mary is Mother of God.
As we begin this New Year, we venerate Mary the Mother of God, who was specially prepared by God to be the perfect sinless mother for Jesus while he grew in her womb for the nine months before he was born, “our tainted nature’s solitary boast.” It is indeed correct to call her Mother of God because there is one Jesus, with a human nature and a divine nature. We ask God to bless our year ahead in the words which God himself asked priests to use in the temple:
“The Lord bless you and keep you
The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you
The Lord looks upon you kindly and give you peace” (Num 6:24-26)
Grateful Heart
I don’t know about you, but I cannot stop counting all of the blessings of 2022 that I have already received from Him. I remember them and am grateful. One of them is you, the parishioners of St. Genevieve – St. Maurice. I am blessed to be a part of this faithful community, and I want you to know that I am grateful for EACH OF YOU! You are a gift to me. But I also want to THANK YOU, for all of your Christmas prayers, wishes, cards, cookies, and gifts (including SHHH… 😉 – that was a huge surprise!) I will continue serving and praying for all of you, helping you to know and love Jesus more.
In a special way, I would like to express my gratitude for all of your prayers for my brother Matthias, and his family. Please continue these prayers!!! If God wants him to suffer still, may He give him strength for that, but if Jesus wants him to be miraculously healed, may He grant him that Grace. For Him everything is possible. In everything may Jesus’ name be praised. Jesus, we trust in You.
Feast Day of Our Patroness
You are all invited to celebrate with us our Patroness, St. Genevieve! January 3rd, at 7 pm Mass we will honor her and her holy life. After Mass, you will have a chance to be blessed with her relics.