The Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God

By Tom Quiner

In the Catholic Church, January 1st celebrates “The Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God.”

Pope Paul VI described the celebration in his Apostolic Letter, Marialis Cultus:

“This celebration, placed on January 1 …is meant to commemorate the part played by Mary in this mystery of salvation. It is meant also to exalt the singular dignity which this mystery brings to the “holy Mother…through whom we were found worthy to receive the Author of life.” It is likewise a fitting occasion for renewing adoration of the newborn Prince of Peace, for listening once more to the glad tidings of the angels (cf. Lk. 2:14), and for imploring from God, through the Queen of Peace, the supreme gift of peace.”

The Church characterizes Mary as the Mother of God and the Queen of Heaven.

Over the past two thousand years, artists have strived to capture the significance and beauty of this singular woman.

Mel Gibson is one such artist. In the Passion of the Christ, he blended the savagery of Roman crucifixion with moments of deft tenderness in his depiction of Mary. Although Christ was the centerpiece of his masterpiece, he coaxed an extraordinary performance out of Romanian actress Maia Morgenstern as Mary. The Catholic Church believes that Mary leads us to Jesus.

The video above overlays scenes from Morgenstern as Mary in “The Passion” with the music of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “Pie Jesu” with extraordinary results.

I was particularly moved by the scene where Mary attempts to wipe up every sacred drop of blood spilt by Her Son at the hands of His Roman tormentors.

Mary is more than the Mother of God. She is the Mother of us all.

Be sure to attend Mass to honor this powerful intercessor, Mary, the holy Mother of God.

5 Comments

  1. Nathan on December 31, 2014 at 8:17 am

    I understand the reasoning behind the Roman Catholic Church’s view of Mary. As an evangelical/nondenominational protestant, I don’t believe it’s necessary.



    • lburleso on January 5, 2015 at 11:06 am

      Thanks for being willing to express your belief. What parts of the Catholic Church’s views do you find unnecessary?



      • Nathan on January 7, 2015 at 8:01 am

        -The necessity of a mediator (or trix) between Christ and Man.

        -The authority of the church

        Those are the biggest ones, anything else will devolve into a flame war



    • lburleso on January 7, 2015 at 10:39 am

      Nathan, I can’t recall any instance of flaming on this blog, so I will continue that tradition.

      When you refer to the necessity of her being a mediator, are you referring to a dogma that requires Mary for salvation, or are you referring to the incarnation? Two very different answers here.

      Regarding authority, would you mind fleshing this statement out a little more? I want to make sure I understand what you are saying.



  2. Tom Maly on December 31, 2014 at 4:45 pm

    Beautiful reflection, Tom! Thank you.