Today is the Feast of the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast takes precedence over the usual Sunday of Trinity-tide.
The central focus of this feast is, ultimately, the Person of Jesus Christ. The Creeds of the universal Church teach us that the Incarnate Son of the Father is one divine Person in two natures, divine and human. Jesus Christ is fully God and fully Man.
In the early centuries of the Church there were those who resisted calling the Blessed Virgin Mary Theotokos—“God-bearer,” or “Mother of God,” Mater Dei in the West. They preferred to speak of her as the mother of Christ according to His humanity. But the Church recognized that something far greater than Marian devotion was at stake. The question concerned the identity of Jesus Christ Himself.
The Blessed Virgin did not give birth merely to a human nature. She gave birth to a Person—and that Person is the eternal Son and Word of God.
Thus the Council of Ephesus in A.D. 431 solemnly affirmed the ancient title Theotokos. The title safeguards the mystery of the Incarnation: the One born of Mary is the same divine Person who is eternally begotten of the Father. His divine and human natures are united in His one Person without confusion or division. Mary is therefore rightly called the Mother of God—not because she is the source of His divinity, nor because she existed before God, but because the One whom she conceived, bore, and brought forth is truly God the Son incarnate.
If this sounds challenging, it is because the Incarnation brings us before one of the deepest mysteries of our faith. The God who created heaven and earth truly entered His creation. The eternal Son did not merely appear to be human, nor did He temporarily inhabit a human body. He assumed our humanity and made it His own.
And He embraced human life in all its humility.
The Son through whom all things were made consented to be carried in His Mother’s womb. He was born as we are born. He was held in His Mother’s arms and nourished by her. S. Luke gives us the beautiful picture of the Holy Family at Nazareth, telling us that Jesus “was subject unto them” and that He “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”
There is something astonishing here. The eternal Son, who is eternally with the Father, entered a human family and submitted Himself to the ordinary pattern of human growth. By embracing human family life in this way, Our Lord reveals its dignity within the purposes of God. The family is not merely a convenient social arrangement. It is the communion in which love is naturally fruitful, in which new life is received as gift, and in which that life is nourished and brought toward maturity. In this sense, the Christian family can become an icon of divine love: love which gives itself, receives the other, and bears fruit in communion.
Motherhood therefore possesses a particular dignity. In the Blessed Virgin we see motherhood raised to its highest created expression. She receives life from God, bears that Life within herself, brings Him forth into the world, nourishes Him, protects Him, and remains faithful to Him even to the foot of the Cross.
The Feast of the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary was established by Pope Pius XI in 1931, on the fifteenth centenary of the Council of Ephesus. It recalled the Church to the great Christological truth proclaimed at Ephesus and, at the same time, held before Christian people the dignity of Christian motherhood.
That witness remains especially important in our own time. In a culture increasingly uncertain about the meaning of marriage, family, and even the significance of motherhood itself, the Church continues to proclaim what she has received: marriage is a holy vocation ordered toward a communion of faithful love and the gift of new life, and motherhood is a sacred vocation through which that life is received, nurtured, protected, and formed.
The Feast of the Motherhood of Mary therefore points beyond Mary to the mystery at the heart of our salvation.
God truly became Man.
The Virgin truly became His Mother.
And because the Son of God entered human life through a family, even the ordinary realities of marriage, motherhood, childhood, home, obedience, sacrifice, and love have been touched and sanctified by His presence.
We may therefore take comfort in knowing that the Blessed Mother, who cared for the Holy Family at Nazareth and stood faithfully beside her Son at Calvary, continues to intercede for the families of the Church and for the life of the world.
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God Never Rushes but He is Never Late: What to Do when Heaven seems Silent
BY: Christy Romero.
“With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you.” 2 Peter 3:8-9
Last week, I had to call a doctor’s office. Instead of a human being, I was greeted by the digital receptionist of modern healthcare: the automated phone menu.
“If this is a medical emergency, hang up and dial 911. If you are a physician, press 1. To make an appointment, press 2. To change an appointment, press 3. To cancel an appointment, press 4. For prescriptions, press 5. If you are calling for any other reason, press 6.”
I pressed 6, which unleashed a sub-menu with five more options. In a fit of sheer desperation, I hit 0 to escape. Not surprisingly, it sent me right back to the beginning.
When I finally broke through to a holding queue, I was treated to an hour of soothing elevator music, occasionally interrupted by a polite robot assuring me I was “number 6 in the queue.” Agonizingly, I slowly moved up to number 1. I waited 15 minutes at the summit… and then the line disconnected.
At this point, I was ready to throw my phone through the wall. It brought back painful memories of calling the IRS back when I worked as a tax accountant—except this wasn’t the government. This was a doctor I urgently needed to reach.
Could you imagine if reaching Heaven worked like that?
“Thank you for calling the Kingdom. To speak to Jesus, press 1. For a message to Mary, press 2. For Saint Joseph, press 3. If you are praying for patience, please remain on hold—your wait time is currently 40 days and 40 nights.”
I don’t know about you, but I would lose my mind. It would take more than Gregorian chants to soothe me.
Thankfully, God doesn’t operate a call center. He doesn’t make us navigate menus, press 0 in frustration, or put our souls on hold. We have a direct line to Him, 24/7—and He picks up on the very first ring.
Yet even though God is instantly accessible, He doesn’t always respond on our preferred timetable. He answers the call and listens attentively, but He often takes His time in delivering the answer.
During a recent episode of the Breaking Bread radio show, a phrase struck me: “God never rushes, but He is never late.” Even when an answer doesn’t come immediately, we can rest in the assurance that He is working behind the scenes.
Years ago, after graduating with an accounting degree, my husband set out to find a job. He was ready to move on from a small local accounting firm, but this was before the era of online job boards. The primary way to job-hunt was through the Sunday newspaper classifieds. Every weekend, we would pour over advertisements, draft cover letters, and mail them out by Monday morning.
Most of those letters went completely unanswered. Occasionally, he received a rejection letter where reading just the first sentence told us everything we needed to know.
An entire year went by without success. I stormed Heaven, leaving messages for Our Lady, St. Joseph, and an entire army of angels and saints to intercede for him.
Finally, exactly one year after graduation, he got a breakthrough. He landed an interview, and as divine providence would have it, the interviewer was a good friend of one of his cousins. The old saying, “It’s not what you know, but who you know,” proved true. He was hired as the company Comptroller.
Next year, he will celebrate 40 years with that same company—having worked his way up all the way to Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Although he officially retired three years ago, his boss couldn’t bear to let him go entirely, so he still serves in an advisory role.
God did not rush to answer our initial prayers for a job. He took a full year. But He was holding out for the perfect opportunity—a place where my husband could build a lifelong career at a company that truly prioritized family, faith, and values. God did not rush, but He was definitely not late.
Non-Catholic friends and family often ask me why I pray to Mary, St. Joseph, and the saints when I can go straight to God. It’s true: I can always “press 1” and connect directly to Jesus. He is always listening. But just as my children used to come to me when they wanted to ask something of their father—knowing the request might sound a little sweeter coming from Mom—I often go to Mama Mary first, and I ask her to intercede on my behalf.
I know Jesus listens with special affection when a request comes through His Mother. At the Wedding in Cana, Mary interceded for the bride and groom. Jesus did not want to get involved: “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me?” He responds when she tells Him: “They have no wine.” But in the end, He couldn’t refuse her request, and He ends up performing His first public miracle.
As for my doctor, I eventually reached him via email. Thankfully, we don’t need to send emails to the Almighty. Whether we speak to Him in quiet prayer, write Him letters in a journal, or sit in silence before Him in the Blessed Sacrament, He is always present.
If you feel like your prayers are currently lingering in a heavenly queue, take heart: you are not on hold. He is already working on your request. Even in the silence, trust the timing:
God never rushes, but He is never late.
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What Are Angels, Really?
BY: Dr. Valerie.
When did angels first appear?
“Angels ‘appear’ as the first aspect in the mystery of creation, which makes them superior to human beings within the hierarchy of being.”
Were there angels in the Old Testament?
Angels existed in the Old Testament as messengers (????????, malak) of God, emphasizing both the Lord’s salvific presence and His transcendence in the form of an angel distinct from the Lord yet closely linked to him.
What was Hebrew thought on angels?
In Hebrew thought, one became an angel through function rather than essential nature, and biblical texts sometimes blur the line between human and superhuman messengers.
The angels in the Old Testament are “intermediaries between God and mankind,” present in both a descending and ascending sense. The descending angels flow from God to man, including destroying angels and guardian angels who protect individuals or nations. In contrast, the ascending angels intercede for man and bring his prayers to God.
How are angels defined?
The historical development of our understanding of angels is that “Angels are not just a metaphor to indicate the action of God; angels first appear as real beings with personhood, whose nature was more clearly understood over the centuries of theological reflection.”
In the New Testament, angels are “spirits at God’s service,” serving as messengers between God and men who reveal God’s glory in the economy of salvation.
What are the two groups of angels?
The first group is the cherubim, who assist God, and the second is the seraphim, who praise God.
What roles do angels fulfill?
Angels serve in many roles throughout Scripture. They are “ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation.” (Heb 1:14) They are also described as “mighty ones who do his word” and “ministers that do his will.” (Ps 103:20–21) In the New Testament, angels act as messengers, guardians, and protectors; members of the divine court; companions of Christ as judge; witnesses to events of salvation; and agents of both healing and destruction.
What are angels theologically?
Theologically, angels have no bodies, do not die, and do not suffer illness or fatigue. Their memory, knowledge acquisition, and will differ from those of humans. They are not distinguished by their material nature but by their function.
Do angels have names in the Bible?
Only three angels are named in the Bible: Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. Michael acts as “one of the chief princes” (Dan 10:13), while Gabriel comes “in swift flight” to deliver messages of wisdom and understanding. (Dan 9:21–23). Raphael serves as the divine healer and protector.
What is Christian tradition about fallen angels?
Christian tradition also acknowledges fallen angels—those who disobeyed God—with Scripture warning that “God did not spare the angels when they sinned” and describing a cosmic battle between Michael and Satan’s forces.
What are guardian angels?
To begin, “each person has their own guardian angel, which is not transferred to another upon the individual’s passing,” with “the total number of spiritual beings likely far exceeds that of human beings,” since only some angels are tasked with the role of guardian angels.
The concept of guardian angels began in the Old Testament (cf. Ex. 23:20; Deut. 10:13, 12:1), and continued into the New Testament (cf. Matt. 18:10; Rev. 1:20). Individuals, as well as “entire peoples and countries,” have guardian angels. Guardian or protector angels are considered “one expression of God’s merciful providence to assist people on their way to salvation, and to protect them from all evils both material and spiritual” (cf. Thomas Aquinas).
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the Church has never defined the fact that “every individual soul has a guardian angel.” Therefore, it is not an “article of faith; but it is the ‘mind of the Church,’ as St. Jerome expressed it: ‘How great the dignity of the soul, since each one has from his birth an angel commissioned to guard it.’”
What did Pope Francis say about Guardian Angels?
On October 2, 2014, Francis provided a “Morning Meditation in the Chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, “We all have an angel.” The speech focuses on the importance of acting as “docile children” in our relationship with our guardian angel, “who is always beside us, who never abandons us, and helps us not to lose our way. And if we know how to be like children, we can avoid the temptation of being self-sufficient, which leads to arrogance and even to extreme careerism.” Francis highlighted two passages: (1) Exodus 23:20-23, concerning the Lord’s indication to follow the angel, and (2) Matthew 1-5, 10, regarding the importance of eliciting the docility of a child in obeying angelic guidance.
Pope Francis summarized the Morning Meditation by stating that our guardian angel is always with us and that we do not “walk alone.” He continued by saying that sometimes we do not listen to the angel; however, “it’s dangerous to drive away our travel companion because no man, no woman, can advise him/herself: I can give advice to another, but I cannot advise myself.” Francis closed by stating, “It is the Holy Spirit who advises me; it is the angel who advises me, and this is something we need.”
And, finally, who is Mother Mary in relationship to the angels?
Mary is the queen of the angels (Regina Angelorum, Latin). Her title is linked to her Maternity: the Holy Spirit came upon her at Nazareth after the Angel Gabriel announced the coming birth, and our Lord was later born at Bethlehem. As His Mother, she is closer to Him than any angel—even the seraphim who surround Him and continually cry, “Holy, Holy, Holy.”
The title Queen of the Angels refers to Mary’s role as mother of Jesus, King of Heaven, and her close association with angels. Although she is naturally inferior to them, she surpasses them in dignity because she holds the highest dignity—that of Mother of God. Her close connection with Jesus in the Incarnation made her an associate of the angels.
GFK
