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Mary the Mother of God & New Year 2021Today, our mother Church celebrates the feast of “Mary the Mother of God” which is a very appropriate way to begin a new year. This celebration reminds us that the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, is our heavenly mother. Today we all are called to pray that God may bless each and every family here in this New Year with his peace and joy, and we in turn share his peace and joy with one another.‘Mary is the Mother of God’ is one of the four dogmas on Mary given by our mother Church. In fact, this dogma is the key from which the other three dogmas flow from such as Virginal Birth, Immaculate Conception and The Assumption. The name ‘Mother of God’ caused controversies in the early church. So based on the references in the New Testament and on the traditional belief of the early Church, the Council of Ephesus affirmed in 431 AD that Mary was truly the mother of God because “according to the flesh” she gave birth to Jesus who was truly God from the first moment of His conception by Mary. Twenty years later in 451 AD, the Council of Chalcedon affirmed the motherhood of Mary as a dogma, an official doctrine of the Holy Catholic Church. This council gives us a simple logical teaching: “Since Jesus is God and Mary is his mother; she is the Mother of God.” Now Let us look at the biblical background for this doctrine of, Mary the Mother of God’. We learn the great truth that Mary is the Mother of God in various places in the bible. First, from St. Luke’s gospel in the message given by the angel to Mary: “Behold, you shall conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall name him Jesus and he will be called the Son of the Most High” (Lk 1:31-32). Second, when Blessed Virgin Mary visited Elizabeth, she greeted Mary, “Why this great thing should happen to me that my Lord’s mother comes to visit me?” (Lk 1:43). Third, the Holy Scripture teaches us that Jesus was fully God and fully man and therefore John’s gospel says: “The Word of God became flesh and living among us” (Jn 1:14). Finally, St. Paul refers to this dogma when he writes to the Galatians, “God sent forth His Son, ‘born of a woman” (Gal 4:4). Thus, Scripture passages give us ample evidence that Mary is the mother of God because God chose her to be the mother of Jesus. So, I would say after Eucharist, Mary is the most precious gift our Lord has given us. As Jesus was dying on the cross, he gave us this precious gift of his own mother to be our heavenly mother. She is always with us to protect us and to intercede for us. Therefore, we have to pray through Mary our mother and the mother of God every day.2020 was a very difficult year for all of us. But I like to take some of the positive sides of the ‘pandemic controlled year’. It enhanced the family life. Parents could spend more time with their kids. Kids got lots of time to learn from their parents. We could explore the possibilities of modern technology especially information technology and digitalization, and avoid unnecessary travelling and get togethers.A reduction in air pollution and emission of CO2.A reduction in crime and road accidents.A rise in the use of PDF documents to 50% in place of paper. Let us take it positive and understand God is asking us to learn something from all these. Our first reading from the Book of Numbers which is the blessing given to the Israelites by God through Moses, gives us three special blessings on this New Year’s Day. 1. The Lord will bless you and keep you safe! 2. The Lord will let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you! 3. The Lord will look upon you kindly and give you peace! ................
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