Abbot Christopher Dillon: Mary, Mother of God. What an extraordinary concept, that God should have a mother! And that that mother should be a human being like one of us! This noblest of Mary’s titles says much about the graciousness of God, about the identity of the boy and the man, Jesus, and also about God’s regard for humankind and most of all about God’s regard for Mary herself. All of it expresses the realisation of the blessing which Aaron was ordered by God to invoke on humankind, the graciousness of God brought to fruition in this gift to us of God’s very self in the person of Jesus Christ; this gift which ennobles us as children of God, daughters and sons as beloved to the Father as the only begotten Son is beloved; and heirs with him to all that he is heir.
We have been resting with the majesty of this mystery over the past week, some of us, perhaps, more than others. We can and really should continue to ponder it in the weeks and months to come, along with Mary and indeed with Joseph, her most remarkable companion and spouse.
By devoting this first day of the year to the achievement of this solemn blessing of us by God, we acknowledge, at the same time, the splendour of God’s cosmic creation project in our regard in the very meaning of our existence, namely, that God has become human in the person of Jesus, so that we humans may become God. Now, that is something to ponder with Mary; something to ponder through the year!