Welcome my brothers and sisters in Christ to today's celebration of the Holy Mass on the first day of the new year. How appropriate it is that on this first day of the calendar year, we celebrate the Feast of Mary, Mother of God. First came the Blessed Virgin Mary, then followed her only begotten Son, the eternal Lord God.

The title of "Mother of God" was first used by St. Elizabeth at the Visitation. At that moment, Elizabeth said, "And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?" [Lk. 1:43] Elsewhere in the Holy Bible, we read that Mary is the Mother of Christ [Mt. 1:18-25] and that Jesus Christ is Lord and God. [Jn. 20:28] Consequently we can logically conclude that Mary is the Mother of God.

The official dogma of Mary as the Mother of God was not proclaimed by the Catholic Church until centuries later. After Nestorius, the Bishop of Constantinople, wrongly stated that Mary could not be identified with the Son of God, the Council of Ephesus met in 431 A.D. to resolve the matter.

In the Second letter of Cyril to Nestorius, we read, "This is the account of the true faith everywhere professed. So shall we find that the holy fathers believed. So have they dared to call the holy virgin, mother of God, not as though the nature of the Word or his godhead received the origin of their being from the holy virgin, but because there was born from her his holy body rationally ensouled, with which the Word was hypostatically united and is said to have been begotten in the flesh." [The Council Of Ephesus - 431 A.D.]

In the Third letter of Cyril to Nestorius, we further read, "Therefore, because the holy virgin bore in the flesh God who was united hypostatically with the flesh, for that reason we call her mother of God, not as though the nature of the Word had the beginning of its existence from the flesh (for "the Word was in the beginning and the Word was God and the Word was with God", and he made the ages and is coeternal with the Father and craftsman of all things), but because, as we have said, he united to himself hypostatically the human and underwent a birth according to the flesh from her womb." [The Council Of Ephesus - 431 A.D.]

In conclusion, as proposed by Saint Cyril and accepted by the Council of Ephesus, it was decreed, "1. If anyone does not confess that Emmanuel is God in truth, and therefore that the holy virgin is the mother of God (for she bore in a fleshly way the Word of God become flesh, let him be anathema." [The Council Of Ephesus - 431 A.D.]

Therefore, the matter is no longer debatable. In those days, the title of Mary as Mother of God was formerly decreed to be an official teaching of the Catholic Church and a belief of the faithful.

During today's First Reading from the Book of Numbers [Numb. 6:22- 27], we heard of the Lord's blessing upon the Israelites. This blessing, in the form of a prayer, was frequently used by the priests when they blessed the people. What better words to apply during a blessing than the Sacred Words of God Himself!

When we heard the words, "the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you," [Numb. 6:25] this echoes a sign of the Divine pleasure, a time when the grace of God shines on the people. Then we heard, "The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace." [Numb. 6:26] These Words of God parallel a facial expression of approval, of support that results in peace.

Because of the long-term blessing that God was about to bring upon His people, the fulfillment of the promised Messiah, the Lord said that His Name would be put on the Israelites. Indeed, history tells us that the Name of the Lord has been placed upon the Israelites people through which bloomed the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, who gave birth to the infant Jesus. Through the Jewish people, the love and mercy of God was manifested. Through the Jewish people, salvation came upon mankind. Through the Jewish people, God has made His physical dwelling among us in the Holy Eucharist.

Today's Second Reading from The Letter of Paul to the Galatians [Gal. 4:4-7] affirms the Words of the Council of Ephesus that Mary is the Mother of God. "When the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son, born of a woman." [Gal. 4:4] When Jesus came into the world, He did not just appear out of Heaven. He was born of a woman like each and everyone of us, with one exception, He was "without sin." [2 Cor. 5:21]

Since the birth of Jesus, some people have believed that Jesus was like an angel, having a spiritual body. This belief was erroneous, opposing the teaching of the Holy Bible. In Jesus, all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell bodily. [Col. 1:19, 2:9] As Jesus said, "What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit." [Jn. 3:6] Spirits cannot be born of the flesh. Nor could Jesus have a spiritual body because He was born of an earthly Mother, just like you and I.

God's progressive Divine Plan that was manifested through the birth, life and death of Jesus served the purpose of accomplishing an eternal end result. Over and above redeeming us, Jesus did not save us so we could become eternal slaves of God. No! He redeemed us so we may be adopted as children of God. And to help us reach that goal by the love, grace and mercy of God, we were blessed with the indwelling Holy Spirit who cries out on our behalf, "Abba! Father!" By the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we are no longer slaves but children of God, and if children of God, then also heirs of the eternal Kingdom that awaits the righteous.

As children of God, we are called to be humble as Jesus was humble from the moment He was born. Jesus was not born as a king in a huge mansion who is surrounded by hundreds of servants. No, He was born in a manger. [Lk. 2:16] He chose to be born among the poor so the poor may discover the riches that are found in poverty. Poverty knows no sin. It cannot buy wealth! It cannot buy fame! It cannot buy pleasures of the flesh that destroy the soul! The poor live a simple life, always being thankful to God for what they have. The rich are too busy to think of God, often forgetting Who blessed them with their riches.

During today's reading from the Gospel of Luke, [Lk. 2:15-21] we heard the words of the shepherds who said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." [Lk. 2:15] How many times have we Catholic repeated similar words? How many times have we said, "Let us go to the Church to hear the Word of God which has been made known to us." As the shepherds went to Bethlehem to adore Jesus in His physical body, you faithful believers come to Church to adore Jesus Who is physically present in the Sacred Tabernacle. Your acts of adoration are a continuation of the footsteps of the shepherds. Your children shall continue in these footsteps. And so will their children and their grand-children, etc... all for the glory of God.

When the shepherds returned, they glorified and praised God for all they had heard and seen, as it has been told them. They glorified and praised God for the fulfillment of the promises of the Old Testament, believing that through Jesus, the promised Messiah had finally arrived.

We too have much to glorify and praise God for. We praise and glorify God because we now know beyond any doubt that Jesus was the Messiah. He fulfilled the hundreds of Old Testament prophecies that were made regarding His coming. He died for us. On the third day, He resurrected. He sent His Spirit to teach and guide us. He instituted the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church for our spiritual well-being. He gave us the Sacraments to feed our spiritual lives and to maintain our righteousness. What the shepherds faithfully hoped for, looking back in time, we now know that their hopes have been fulfilled.

As we continue with the celebration of the Holy Mass, let us be thankful to God for having revealed His many mysteries to us, the dogma of the Mother of God, His incarnation through Jesus, the wealth of spiritual blessings that are found in the Holy Church and the endless blessings that we received throughout our lives, some that we have seen, others that passed us without notice. Let us always be thankful to the Lord God who holds our lives in His hand.

"The Lord spoke to Moses: 'Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, 'Thus you shall bless the Israelites: you shall say to them,

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.'" [Num. 6:22-7]

"When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.

And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!' So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God." [Gal. 4:4-7]

"When the angels had left them the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.'

So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb." [Lk. 2:15-21]

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