The confession of Mary as “Mother of God” presents a
stumbling block for some non-Catholic Christians, but curiously it never did
for me.
I think it was back in the Fall of 1992 when I was sitting in
a course in Ancient Church History at one of the best Calvinist seminaries in America. Our professor, a devout Dutch Calvinist (like
most of us students), was lecturing on the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus AD
431, the council that recognized Mary as “Theotokos,” “Mother of God” (or more
literally, “Bearer of God”). He began to
address the question, Can Calvinists confess Mary as “Mother of God”? He answered in the affirmative, granted that
one understood this not as a claim for Mary’s motherhood of divinity itself,
but in the sense that Mary was mother of Jesus, who is truly God. And that, of course, is precisely how the
Catholic Church understands the term.
So far from being a cause of division, the common confession
of Mary as “Mother of God” should unite all Christians, and distinguish
Christian orthodoxy from various confusions of it, such as Arianism (the denial
that Jesus was God) or Nestorianism (in which Mary mothers only the human
nature of Jesus but not his whole person).
Happy feast day to all!
A brief commentary on the Readings:
Two themes are present in the Readings: (1) the person of
Mary, and (2) the name of Jesus.
1. The First Reading is Numbers 6:22-27:
The LORD said to Moses:
"Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them:
This is how you shall bless the Israelites.
Say to them:
The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon
you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and
give you peace!
So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites,
and I will bless them."
This is one of only two times that the Book
of Numbers is read on a Lord’s Day or Feast Day. Here’s a little background on the Book of
Numbers:
The Book of Numbers is a little
less neglected than Leviticus among modern Christian readers, if only because,
unlike its predecessor, it combines its long lists of laws with a number of
dramatic narratives about the rebellions of Israel against God in the
wilderness, which create literary interest.
The name “Numbers” is, perhaps, already off-putting for the modern
reader—it derives from the Septuagint name Arithmoi,
“Numbers”, referring to the two numberings
or censuses, one each of the first and second generations in the Wilderness,
that form the pillars of the literary structure of the book in chs. 1 and
26. The Hebrew name is bamidbar, “In the Wilderness,” which is
an accurate description of the geographical and spiritual location of Israel
throughout most of the narrative.
The
Book of Numbers has a strong literary relationship with its neighbors in the
Pentateuch. In many ways it corresponds
with the Book of Exodus. Exodus begins
with the people staying in Egypt (Exodus 1-13), then describes their journey to
through the desert (Exodus 14-19), and ends with them stationary at Sinai
(20-36). Numbers begins with the people
staying at Sinai (Num 1-10), describes their journey through the desert (Num
11-25), and ends with them stationary on the Plains of Moab. Sinai and the Plains of Moab correspond: at
each location the people will receive a covenant (see below on
Deuteronomy). Furthermore, there are
strong literary connections between the journeys through the Wilderness to and
from Sinai (Ex 14-19; Num 11-25). Both
these sections are dominated by accounts of the people of Israel “murmuring”
(Heb. lôn), “rebelling” (Heb. mārāh), or “striving” (Heb. rîb) against the LORD and/or Moses,
together with Moses’ need for additional help to rule an unruly people (Ex 18;
Num 11:16-39), and God’s miraculous provision for the people’s physical needs
(Ex 15:22-17:7; Num 11:31-34; 20:1-13).
This is evidence of careful literary artistry: the central Sinai
Narrative (Exod 20–Num 10) is surrounded by the unruly behavior of the people
wandering in the desert.
Numbers
also has a close relationship with Leviticus.
If Leviticus established a sacred “constitution” for the life of Israel,
exhibiting a logical, systematic order concluded, like a good covenant
document, with a listing of blessings and curses (Lev 26), Numbers is more like
a list of “amendments” to the “constitution,” together with accounts of the
historical circumstances that led to their enactment. And like the lists of amendments on many
state and national constitutions, the laws have an ad hoc, circumstantial character, with little logical connection
between successive “amendments.”
Finally,
Numbers “sets the stage” for the Book of Deuteronomy, providing us the
necessary information about Israel’s geographical and moral condition when they
arrived at the “Plains of Moab opposite Jericho” in order to appreciate Moses’
extended homily and renewal of the covenant that he will deliver at this site
in the final book of the Pentateuch.
The specific text we have in this First Reading is the famous
Priestly Blessing of Numbers 6. The
formula for blessing given to the priests involves the invocation of the Divine
Name (YHWH) three times over the people of Israel.
A Little Excursus on the Divine
Name
“If
they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say?” “God said to Moses, “I AM
WHO I AM,” say … “I AM has sent me to you” (Ex 3:13-14). The revelation of the divine Name to Moses
(Ex 3:13-15) is one of the most theologically significant passages of the Old
Testament. By revealing himself as “I
AM”, God distinguishes himself from the other gods of the nations, which “are
not.” He is the only God who truly
is. Furthermore, the name “I AM”
stresses that God exists of himself; unlike all other beings he does not take
his existence from some other cause.
Later philosophical language will describe God as the one necessary
being. While lacking technical
philosophical language, the ancients did have the concept of self-existence: in
Egyptian religion, the sun-god Amon-Rē “came into being by himself” and all
other beings took their existence from him.
However, God reveals to Moses that it is He, the LORD—not Amon-Rē or any
other Egyptian god—who is the ground of being and the source of existence.
The
actual word given to Israel to serve as the Name of God is spelled YHWH in the
English equivalents of the Hebrew consonants. It is not the full phrase “I AM
WHO I AM” but rather an archaic form of the Hebrew verb HYH, “to be,” with the
meaning “HE IS.” Out of respect for the third commandment, Jews after the
Babylonian exile (c. 597–537 BC) ceased to pronounce the divine name at all,
but instead substituted the title “Lord,” in Hebrew adonai, in Greek kyrios. Thus the God of Israel is
called ho kyrios, “the Lord” in the
New Testament. This sheds light on the
meaning of the phrase, “Jesus is Lord!” (Rom 10:9; 1 Cor 12:3).
The
Hebrew language was written without vowels until the middle ages, when Jewish
scribes developed a vowel-writing system.
The form YHWH, however, was written with the vowels for adonai, the word Jews actually pronounced. The English translators of the King James
Version did not understand this system, and in a few instances combined the
Hebrew consonants of YHWH (called the tetragrammaton, lit. “the four letters”) with the Hebrew vowels of adonai to form the erroneous name “Jehovah.” Catholic tradition addresses God with neither
the mistaken form “Jehovah” nor the ancient pronunciation “Yahweh,” but uses
“LORD” to refer to the God of Israel, in keeping with the practice of Jesus and
the Apostles. In most English Bibles,
“LORD” in caps represents YHWH in the Hebrew text, while “Lord” in lower case
represents the actual Hebrew word adonai.
The concept of “name” in Hebrew culture was of great
significance. The “name” represented the
essence of the person, and invoking the name made the person mystically
present. Therefore, God will speak of
the manifestation of his presence in the Temple as the “dwelling of his Name”
in various places of the Old Testament.
The invocation of the Name of God over the people of Israel
communicates God’s presence and Spirit to them at least a mediated way.
In post-exilic Judaism, the Divine Name (YHWH) was never
pronounced except on the Day of Atonement (Yom
Kippur), when the High Priest would make atonement for the whole nation in
the Holy of Holies, and then exit the Temple in order to bless the assembled
people in the Temple courts. There, he
would pronounce the blessing of Numbers 6, including the vocalization of the
Divine Name. Every time the people would
hear the Name pronounced, they would drop prostrate on the ground. This is recorded in Sirach and in the Mishnah:
Sir. 50:20 Then Simon came down, and lifted up his
hands over the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, to pronounce the
blessing of the Lord with his lips, and to glory in his name
(Also see Mishnah Yoma 3:8, 4:2)
We read this passage of Scripture in today’s liturgy for a
variety of reasons. First, we gather as
God’s people around the world on this, the first day of the civil year, to ask
from God his blessing upon us. Second,
we commemorate (in the Gospel) the circumcision and naming of Jesus. For us in
the New Covenant, the Name of God continues to be a source of blessing and
Divine Presence, but the name we are to use is no longer YHWH but “Jesus.” Jesus is
God’s Name, the source of salvation.
When Paul speaks to the Philippians about the Name of Jesus, he may have
in mind the prostrations in the Temple at the Divine Name:
Phil. 2:10 At
the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the
earth …
2. The Second Reading is
Galatians 4:4-7:
Brothers and sisters:
When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son,
born of a woman, born under the law,
to ransom those under the law,
so that we might receive adoption as sons.
As proof that you are sons,
God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
crying out, “Abba, Father!”
So you are no longer a slave but a son,
and if a son then also an heir, through God.
This Reading has ties to the Gospel, which emphasizes Mary’s
role in Christ’s birth (“born of a woman”) as well as Jesus and his family
being obedient Jews, faithful to the Old Covenant in submitting to circumcision
(“born under the law.”)
This Reading also reminds us that Jesus calls us to Divine
sonship (or childhood, if gender neutrality is desired). Let’s not forget that this is unique to the
Christian faith. Christianity—unlike
Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Atheism—is a religion about becoming
children of God. In Judaism, Divine
childhood is metaphorical; in Islam, it is blasphemy. In Eastern religions, it is irrelevant,
because God is not ultimately a personal being, but rather an impersonal force
or essence that animates all or simply is All.
Christianity alone holds out the possibility of familial intimacy with
Creator as a son or daughter to a Father.
G. The Gospel is Luke 2:16-21, a well-known and beloved passage:
The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found
Mary and Joseph,
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known the message
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them.
When eight days were completed for his circumcision,
he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel
before he was conceived in the womb.
We note several things: Mary “kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.” This
is not only an historical indication of where St. Luke is getting his
information about these events (so John Paul II and the Catholic tradition
generally), but also a model of the contemplative vocation to which all
Christians are called. Especially during
this Christmas season, up until the Baptism (Jan 13), we should carve out some
time for quiet prayer, to meditate on the incredible events we celebrate and
allow their meaning to sink into our hearts.
Then we see the shepherds “glorifying and praising God for
all they had heard and seen …” This,
too, describes the Christian’s vocation.
Pope Francis in particular has been calling us to return to the aspect
of praise and joy that characterizes the disciple of Jesus. Our faith is experiential, it is not just a
philosophy. It is an encounter with a
person. All of us should know what it
means to come into contact with Jesus, to “hear and see” him. In his First Epistle (which we are reading
right now in daily mass), St. John sounds much like the shepherds:
1John
1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen
with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning
the word of life — 2 the life was made
manifest, and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal
life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us — 3 that which we have seen and heard we
proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our
fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing this that our joy may be
complete.
Observe the connection in this passage with “seeing” and
“hearing” and the culmination in proclamation and joy. This is what disciples of Jesus do: they
experience Jesus and then proclaim in joy what they have encountered.
Finally, we see the naming of Jesus at his circumcision. Christians no longer practice circumcision,
because Baptism is the “circumcision of the heart” promised by Moses that
surpasses physical circumcision (cf. Deut 10:16; 30:6; Acts 2:37; Col 2:11-12). Yet at our Baptism, the “circumcision of our
heart,” we still receive our Christian name.
The name given to Jesus is the Hebrew word y’shua, meaning “salvation.” In the Old Testament, we are more familiar
with the name under the form “Joshua,” who was an important type of
Christ. Just as Moses was unable to lead
the people of Israel into the promised land, but Joshua did; so also Jesus is
our New Joshua who takes us into the salvation to which Moses and his covenant
could not lead us.
Salvation is now found in the Name of Jesus, because
salvation means to enter into a relationship of childhood with God the
Father. It’s not that other great
religious leaders (Mohammed, Buddha, etc.) claimed to be able to lead us into
divine childhood, but couldn’t. It’s that they did not even claim to be able to
do so. Jesus is unique.
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