Mary, the Mother of Jesus—the Mother of Every Christian

12/29/2022  |  Images of Faith

Matthew and Luke begin their Gospels by celebrating how God visits His people in the birth of Jesus. A young Jewish girl, Mary, is found worthy and chosen to bear in her womb, the Son of God. Mary is undoubtedly a young virgin, but in God’s plan for the redemption of human race, youth or virginity is never a barrier.

In the Gospel, Mary’s virginity is important, because it points to the truth of who her child is: “So the child will be holy and will be called the son of God.” (Luke 1:35) Having a child is not Mary’s idea; it is God’s.

John captures this more eloquently: Jesus is “born not out of human stock or urge of the flesh or will of man but of God.” (1:13) Being the mother of Jesus is not something Mary can arrange for herself; it is something arranged by God. The child Jesus does not come as an answer to her longing and prayer but comes as the new creation of God. Mary can say yes or no to God’s choice of her. And today, we celebrate Mary’s fiat, her yes to being the mother of Jesus, the mother of God.

In becoming the mother of Jesus, Mary does the same as any mother—nurturing within her womb the great process of a little one taking shape. Another human being is formed in the mother’s body, but the mother can never keep the child within her. Motherhood means not only having a baby but letting go of the baby. Birth is not possessive; it is letting another life take its rightful place in the world. Birth is the act of painful separation—when the mother must let her child go for the first time. And as mothers know, giving birth is only the first of many times when mothers must let go. Parents cannot have their children all the time, for the time comes when they must foster not only their presence but foster their going. Trust them to make their own lives in their own way. That is something which Mary must do, not only nurturing Jesus in His growing, but eventually letting Him go His way to make His appointed future. Jesus is Mary’s son. He is her own, but not her own. He belongs to her, but also to many. Mary must do what the Father did—let go of His beloved Son. And that is what Mary does: she does not anxiously clutch Jesus to herself but gives Him to us. She asks us to do what she does: share Jesus with everyone. Give Him as life to others. This should make our New Year’s resolution: share the life of Jesus with others and live out his values.

Happy New Year!