👑Instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1931, the feast of the Maternity of Our Lady commemorates the 1500th anniversary of the Council of Ephesus (431 A.D.), which solemnly proclaimed the dogma of Mary as Theotokos, "Mother of God." This truth of faith does not exalt Mary for her own sake, but above all to safeguard the genuine doctrine on the Person of Christ, true God and true Man. The divine maternity is the source of all her graces and privileges. As Saint Augustine teaches, Mary "is the Mother of the members of Christ, which we are, because she cooperated with her charity so that the faithful, who are the members of that Head, might be born in the Church" (De sancta virginitate, 6, 6).
🎶Introit (Is 7:14 | Ps 97:1)
Behold, a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and His name shall be called Emmanuel. Ps. Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things. ℣. Glory be to the Father...
📖Reading (Ecclus 24:23-31)
As the vine, I have brought forth a pleasant odor: and my flowers are the fruit of honor and riches. I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope. In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue. Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits. For my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb. My memory is unto everlasting generations. They that eat me, shall yet hunger: and they that drink me, shall yet thirst. He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting.
✝️Gospel (Lk 2:43-51)
At that time, when they returned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem; and His parents knew it not. And thinking that He was in the company, they came a day's journey, and sought Him among their kinsfolks and acquaintance. And not finding Him, they returned into Jerusalem, seeking Him. And it came to pass, that, after three days, they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard Him were astonished at His wisdom and His answers. And seeing Him, they wondered. And His mother said to Him: Son, why hast thou done so to us? behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And He said to them: How is it that you sought me? did you not know, that I must be about my Father's business? And they understood not the word that He spoke unto them. And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them.
🕯️Reflections
❤️🩹The Gospel reveals the depth of Mary's Maternity, which is not exempt from anguish and misunderstanding. Her sorrowful search for Jesus shows the reality of her maternal love, while the Child's response—"Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business?"—underscores His divine identity, which transcends earthly bonds. Saint Ambrose explains that this response is not a rebuke but an invitation to a higher faith, teaching that although He was her son according to the flesh, He was primarily the Son of the heavenly Father. Mary, by keeping these words in her heart, exercises her spiritual maternity, meditating on the mystery that dwelt within her and growing in understanding of her Son's mission (Expositio evangelii secundum Lucam, 2, 61-63).
🍇The Church prophetically applies the words of Divine Wisdom from the book of Ecclesiasticus to Mary. In her, as in a fruitful vine, blossomed the fruit of salvation, Jesus Christ. She is, indeed, the "mother of fair love" because she gave us the One who is Love itself. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux teaches that, just as Wisdom invites all to be filled with her fruits, Mary invites us to draw near to Jesus through her. She is the celestial "aqueduct" through which the grace of life and truth flows from the Heart of Christ to humanity, fulfilling the promise: "In me is all grace of the way and of the truth" (Sermon on the Aqueduct).
📜The documents of the Magisterium, especially the encyclical Lux Veritatis by Pius XI, reaffirm that the dogma of the Divine Maternity, defined in Ephesus, is the foundation of all Marian prerogatives and the guarantee of faith in the hypostatic union of Christ. This title does not confer divinity upon Mary but affirms that the person born of her according to the flesh is truly the Word of God. From this unique maternity derives her cooperation in the work of Redemption and, consequently, her spiritual maternity over all the members of the Mystical Body of Christ, making her the sure channel through which all divine aids are distributed to the Church (Encyclical Ad Diem Illum Laetissimum, Pius X).
➡️See English version of the critical articles here.
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