Early on, the feast of Mary the Mother of God was celebrated in the East before it was celebrated in the West. However, by the fifth century the feast of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was being celebrated in Spain and France on the Sunday before Christmas.
In 1914, the feast was added to the calendar for Portugal, and given the date of 11 October. In 1931, Pope Pius XI extended the feast of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the universal Church and maintained the date of 11 October.
Following the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI removed the feast of the Circumcision of Christ from 1 January and added in its place the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
The title "Mother of God" is the western derivation of the Greek word "Theotokos" - the God bearer. The term "Theotokos" was adopted at the Council of Ephesus (A.D. 431) as a way to assert the divinity of Christ. As Christ is God, Mary is the Mother of Christ - the Mother of God. The title "Mother of God" celebrates Mary in both a Mariological and Christological manner at once.
As the Mother of Christ, Christ chose to dwell in Mary; Mary's womb sheltered the Creator of the Universe--He who is not contained by time or space dwelt within Mary. As the Mother of Christ, Mary is the exemplar of Christian love: dedicating Herself to the love and service of Christ her son and Our Lord.
As this new calendar year begins let us raise our eyes to Mary, our example of Christian love, and ask that by her intercession we too may follow her perfect example of the love of Christ in our lives in this new year and always.
Prayer
O most glorious Ever-Virgin Mary,
Mother of Christ our God,
accept our prayers
and present them to thy Son and our God,
that He may, for thy sake,
enlighten and save our souls.
Amen.
IMAGE: Kenneth D. Dowdy, Byzantine Iconographer.
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