The Theotokos and Christmas

Merry Christmas! We are now in the fifth day of the Octave of Christmas.

The Holy Theotokos, a Greek that can be translated as “God-Bearer,” is a succinct yet profound title that The Church has used for Mary since at least the 3rd century. As Jesus was born into the world both completely human and completely divine, Mary’s bringing forth of Him into the world through her womb makes her not merely the mother of Jesus but the mother of God. Today, we celebrate the “Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.” On Wednesday, we will celebrate, as a Holy Day of Obligation, the “Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God.” Together with these two special days, The Church points to the special significance of God’s incarnation through Mary and His role in the human family.

At the Collect prayer on the Feast of the Holy Family, the priest prays: “O God, who were pleased to give us the shining example of the Holy Family, graciously grant that we may imitate them in practicing the virtues of family life and in the bonds of charity, and so, in the joy of your house, delight one day in eternal rewards.” Then, at the Solemnity of Mary, the priest prays at the Prayer after Communion: “We have received this heavenly Sacrament with joy, O Lord: grant, we pray, that it may lead us to eternal life, for we rejoice to proclaim the blessed ever-Virgin Mary Mother of your Son and Mother of the Church.”

Through these prayers, we can peer into why the Church has placed these two holy days within the Octave of Christmas. It points to Mary, in cooperation with her husband Joseph and them together aligning themselves with the will of God, bearing God Himself physically into the world in the form of a human person so that God may give to all of His creation instructions and an example to follow to get back home to Heaven.

At OLMC, we are working on plans to help equip you to build your Domestic Church: a way for your family to live liturgically and pray well together at home so that your family can better imitate that example of the Holy Family, bear the light of Christ the Truth into the world like Mary, and prepare for eternal life. Next week, as we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord, we will invite you to participate in a tradition of the Church throughout the world: the Blessing and Chalking of the Doors. Next week’s bulletin will contain information about this special way you can bring the tradition of the faith home, but in the meantime, you can prepare for it by making sure you have some chalk and holy water on hand.