MARY: VIRGIN and MOTHER

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SOLEMNITY OF MARY MOTHER OF GOD

Luke 2:16-21

To listen at the Australian Catholic Radio Online:
http://cradio.org.au/talks-and-resources/homilies/fr-vladimir-echalas-solt/virgin-and-mother/ 

         Virginity and motherhood are the crowning glory of womanhood which also define the whole being of Mary. 

         When a young girl from a primary state school asked me how could Mary be a virgin and mother at the same time, I tried to answer it through the image of the Church since Mary is the model and icon of the Church.  The Church being the bride of Christ is and will always be a virgin: pure and undefiled; She is also a mother who continuously gives birth to the children of God.  Mary remained a virgin by the grace of God who at the same time became a mother to Jesus, to the New Humanity, the Church and a mother to us all.

         Mary’s motherhood started when She said her Fiat to the message of the incarnation by the angel Gabriel, but the wonder of wonders without the intervention of a human father.  But still another wonder when God preserved her purity through her undefiled virginity.  The peak of Mary’s motherhood was when She ended her being the mother of Jesus and became the Mother of the Church beneath the cross: “Woman behold your son… behold your mother….” (John 19:26-27).  She was with the Church in prayer (Acts 1:14) and will always give birth to the new children of God until the end of time (Revelation 12).   Because of Her virginity She was and will always be a mother:  that defines Her role in the history of salvation.  Because it defies human reason, we will always stand in awe before its wonder which can only be conceived by the Wisdom of God.

         Maybe the word “beautiful” which has been used so many times to describe the grandeur and wonder of Mary, really pales in comparison to Her extraordinary life.   In our limited perception, we can only have a little glimpse of the splendor of Mary’s beauty which is just but a reflection of  Beauty made Man!

         If we have to look deep inside our hearts, there is a “spark” of Mary’s purity and fertility in each one of us.  It is the dwelling place of God in the depth of our being, as if the innermost chamber of a castle only known to God.  It may  may have been covered up or hidden by our sinfulness, but in the midst of the darkness of our souls, God's grace makes it possible to shine once again.  It is there that we encounter God.  This is the reason of the basic goodness in us: the presence of the divine which continues to glow as long as we live.   At the end of our earthly life, this “spark” will finally be united with the grand Light which is the source of Life. Mary is now at the centre of that Light drawing all of us Her children until She brings us together where we will shine forever.  We call it eternity!