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MOTHER OF GOD

As we pray the Hail Mary, we salute the chosen handmaid in the words of Angel Gabriel: “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.” We declare our belief in her divine maternity as we say “Holy Mary, Mother of God…” (Lk. 1:26-38). It might be good to understand how the greatness and dignity of that unassuming lady lies in her being the Mother of God, theotokos in Greek.

Catholic calendar

Let us scrutinize the Catholic calendar together, knowing fully well that debates are unending. The Lord’s birthday falls on December 25 because, exactly nine months before, on March 25, the day of the Annunciation, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. We assume that the Church, mater et magister, is teaching us on the fundamentals of our faith through dates. Here, the focus is on the birth of Jesus.

Our Lady’s birthday falls on September 8 having been conceived in the womb of St. Ann exactly nine months before on December 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Here, the focus is on the birth of Mary.

Drawing a parallelism, I venture to say that we cannot celebrate the Annunciation without celebrating the Immaculate Conception nor can we celebrate Christmas without celebrating the Nativity of Mary. Can a son be conceived without a mother? Can a son be born without a mother?

From the womb of Mary

The Annunciation, also known as the Incarnation of the Son of God or pagkakatawang tao ng Anak ng Diyos, is the most important event in the history of the world. The Son of God, the Second Person of Blessed Trinity, was destined to come down to earth by becoming the Son of Man in Mary’s womb. God’s invitation to save us, the human family, was closely linked to the personal decision of one woman set apart from all the rest.

By consenting to the Divine call and conforming to the Divine will (Luke 1:38), fiat voluntas tua, Mary, a daughter of Adam, became the theotokos. Heaven rejoiced as hell trembled in fear when the “Word was made Flesh” (John 1:14).

Blameless

Because she gave birth to the only blameless Man, Mary had to be without sin herself. Her Immaculate Conception is God’s way of preparing Mary to assume her role of the Motherhood of God. Again, the most significant role was theotokos, and all other events were preparations as it were. Nine hundred years ago, St. Anselm wrote about Mary:

“All creatures were dead, as it were, useless for men to praise God Who made them. The world was corrupted and tainted by original sin. Now the whole universe rejoices with new loveliness. All creation has been restored to its splendor, through a woman named Mary…who is immaculately conceived. The woes of our first parents have been transformed into joy. God, in desiring to save the whole of humanity, fell in love with a woman, and prepared her to become the MOTHER OF HIS SON.”

Latria, dulia, and hyperdulia

What must our attitude towards Mary be? Knowing that the Son cannot be glorified without the proper respect given to the mother, we cannot but keep in our heart a special affection for Mary, under the several titles. It is of great import here to clarify and clearly stress the meaning of special affection.

It is necessary to differentiate the Greek words latria, dulia, and hyperdulia. Latria refers to the worship made by the creature to his Creator, the adoration offered by the human being to the Divine Being. Only God alone deserves  worship and adoration, latria.

Dulia refers to the respect, affection, or honor of the creature to another creature closely related to God. Hence, dulia is what we duly give to St. Joseph, Saints Peter and Paul, San Lorenzo Ruiz, St. John Baptist de la Salle, St. Michael the Archangel, and the heavenly hosts, all other angels and friends of God in heaven.

Hyperdulia refers to the highest singular form of dulia, which is proper only to one special creature, the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a unique privilege due her for being theotokos, Mother of God.

Our Catholic Faith never taught us to worship her. We cannot in any manner give the impression whatsoever that we adore (latria) a human being.

Mother of the Church

Other than her Divine Maternity, we give Mary our most special affection because we have become her children through grace. If she is the mother of the Head, it necessarily follows that she becomes the mother of all Christian disciples, the People of God, the Body, the Church.

Our Lord Himself, as He hang on the cross, literally and symbolically entrusted His mother to His beloved disciple John who personifies and represents all Christians of all ages (John 19:26-27). Both her Divine Maternity and her spiritual maternity of all Christians are linked by logical necessity to the dogma of the Mystical Body (Jordan Aumann, OP).

Praying the Holy Rosary

The greatest way of honoring Blessed Mary is to pray the Holy Rosary. Each bead stands for a beautiful rose that we put at the feet of our Mother. The Rosary is also our weapon against the attacks of the evil one.

However, we are reminded, devotion to our Lady should not just end in praying the rosary but must be translated into the imitation of her virtues. Our Blessed Mother, for instance, demands froth her unmarried children purity, chastity, and virginity, and from her married children love of spouse and devotion to children.

ALL FOR GOD’S GREATER GLORY

When the first cable was installed between Europe and the Americas, much thought was given to what should be the first telegram message that would be sent to the New World through the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. At last a sublime decision was made, that is, to send the message of the words of the angelic hymn, Gloria in excelsis Deo (Glory to God in the Highest).

What a fitting message for a new human invention. Giving God all praise and glory is the primary purpose of everything, of creation, recreation, and procreation, of human labor, of prayer and sacrifice, and of our effort to stop corruption and practice Christian discipleship (1 Pet. 4:1). To honor God should be our only intention, when we commit ourselves to any decent work, and work hard for excellence.

A complete Family of eternal happiness

Let us give it a try to fathom the unfathomable, without being presumptuous. The glory of God may be understood in the splendor of the eternal goodness, the unfading beauty, and everlasting love of the Blessed Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To the glory of the Trinity, nothing is lacking and nothing can be added—hence everlasting goodness.

The Trinity is a complete Family of happiness. And because God is infinitely perfect (Matthew 5:48d), the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and end of all things (Revelation 22:13), God has no need of anything or anybody outside of Himself. Neither does God necessitate someone to complement what is lacking. In an absolute sense, God does not need any or all of His creation, inasmuch as the whole of creation is just one of His Divine whims (Revelation 4:11).

Louis XV, the ambitious king of France, was dazzled by his power, glory, and fortune that he took upon himself the alias of “the Sun King,” a proud title he thought might exalt him endlessly. The title, he thought, might put him equal to that of the brightest creation of the skies. When he died, the funeral oration was delivered by Jean-Baptiste Massillon, the sacred orator of worldwide fame. Standing by the coffin which was about to be lowered into the tomb, Massillon began his eulogy with these words, so touching in their utter simplicity: “Dieu seul est grand” (God alone is great!). “Mes frères et dans ces derniers moments surtout où il préside à la mort des rois de la terre.” And all the rest are nothing but mere reflections in comparison.

Bonum diffusivum sui

The reason why God created the universe out of nothing and the human person in His Image, that sole reason, can be found in His great love and goodness. God is perfect love (1 John 4:16) and love by its nature is intrinsically communicable. God is good and philosophers have reasoned out that bonum diffusivum sui (goodness tends to diffuse itself).

                                  

“Let them give glory to the Lord, and utter His praise in the coastlands” (Isaiah 42:12). In the first place, the goodness, beauty, and order of creation are a reflection of God’s own goodness, beauty, and order. The whole of creation talks, as it were, about God—if only we would care to pause, look around, and listen. The song I BELIEVE aptly communicates through melody the grandeur of God in creation: “I believe for every drop of rain that falls, a flower grows. Every time I hear a new born baby cry, or touch a leaf, or see the skies, then I know why… I BELIEVE.”

Our God is great!

The goodness in creation is nothing else but God-ness. Says St Paul, “For since the creation of the world His invincible attributes are clearly seen. His everlasting power and divinity are being understood through the things that are made” (Romans 1:20).

The Psalmist of the Old Testament summons the sun, moon and stars, the sea, land and plants, and all nations mountain animal and plants, and all nations to join him in praising the glory of God (Psalms 148).

Keppler (1571-l630) intones the following canticle at the end of his book On Harmony of the Worlds: “Our God is great, His power is tremendous and His mercy is infinite. Praise Him, heaven and earth, sun and moon and stars in your own language. Let my soul praise Him, the Creator, as much as it can… Lord and Creator, I thank Thee for having given me so much happiness in Thy creatures, so much joy in the work of Thy Hands.”

Special duty of human person

While the whole universe, creation in general, gives God the glory by reflecting His goodness and beauty, the rational creature, which means, us, thinking beings, are duty bound to give Him much more. The rational creature or the human person is created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27a). This could only mean that we share God’s nature and is capable of giving back to Him all things we have received from His goodness. We can do this through sincere, intelligent praise, and loving service, omnis gloriam Dei (all for the glory of God)... by “everyone who is named as mine, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made” (Isaiah 43:7).

We who claim to be created beings endowed with intellect and free will are called to share in the glory of the inner life of the Blessed Trinity. What a lofty vocation! Because we are specially created, extraordinary loving praise is expected of us. As St Paul reminds the first Christians of Corinth, “The fact is that whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, you should do all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). When drawing his map to the mount of perfection, St. John of the Cross wrote the following in the summit: “Here on this mount dwell only the honor and glory of God.”

           

No wonder that, during the Eucharistic celebration, we proclaim and sing together: “For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are Yours now and forever, Amen!”