"Mary, Mother of God"

Dear Parishioners,

Happy new year! And what better way to celebrate it than with the solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God? She has been given many titles, but this one really puts the focus on what is the most important, and that is… wait for it… not her! It would seem that this is a Marian feast, and it is in a way. But, the title is one of the oldest for Mary, for it was a title given her as a way to make clear the identity of Jesus.

A controversy arose in the late fourth century about the identity of Jesus. What Jesus truly the unity of God AND man (also called the “hypostatic union”), or was he two separate “persons”in one body. So in 431 AD, the Church held an Ecumenical Council, now called the Council of Ephesus, which affirmed that Jesus was truly the God-Man, one person with two natures that are indivisible.

Okay! That’s pretty geeky, and today we don’t bat an eye at this truth. But in the early Church, there were many thoughts about which proposed a way to understand who Jesus was. So, the Council condemned “Nestorianism,” as this heresy became to be known (A bishop named Nestorius proposed this idea and had many followers) affirmed that Jesus was mystically the union (they use the word, “hypostatic union”) of divinity and humanity. And since this was the case, the Council of Ephesus decided to formalized the ancient title for Mary which proclaimed this truth. Yes, she can be called Mary, mother of Jesus in his human nature, but it was also, therefore, important to make even more clear that she was, in Greek, Theotokos, which literally means, “God-bearer.” If she was not bearing God in her womb, then that would mean Jesus was not truly God incarnate, that is God-made-man.

So, if your head isn’t already spinning, just rejoice in the wisdom of the early Church which put to rest and made clear who Jesus is. It is, therefore, right and just to also call Mary the “Mother of God” since Jesus is also God. Be aware, however, that other later reformed Protestant traditions are very uncomfortable speaking about Mary in this way, since it appears to be lifting her too high, akin to a god or even higher than Jesus. Of course, this is not what this title means nor are we to elevate our Blessed Lady beyond human. But, it is right to recognize her as the singular Saint who bore God in her blessed womb. This is a good reason to celebrate this solemnity at the beginning of the year, to remind us not just of Mary’s privilege, but more importantly, from whom that privilege was given: God! God is more important! Mary even makes this clear in the Scriptures. All praise and worship be to God as we begin 2023. May God bless you and be with you in every moment of this new year!

Blessed New Year,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Image: The Madonna of the Lilies, 1899 by William Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905)

Questions About The Eucharist. Part II

Dear Parishioners,

Here is the second round of of questions related to the Eucharist.  If you didn’t catch the previous ones, go to my previous blog entry.

Question: “Is it okay to just receive the Eucharist in the host or chalice?”

Answer:  Yes.  The Church has always believed that at Mass, the bread and wine become the very presence of Christ’s Body and Blood.  Furthermore, they don’t change afterwards, but remain so.  That is why we have a Tabernacle where we place the remaining hosts and carefully make sure the contents of all chalices are consumed before Mass concludes. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that Christ’s true presences "endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist" (no. 1377).  “Species?”  What is that you might ask?  The term for the two appearances of the Eucharist are each called, “species.”  At Mass, we bring forward bread and wine.  These two are consecrated by the priest and are then considered the “species” of the Eucharist. It is good and permitted to receive both species at Mass, though sometimes it is best not healthy to receive both species depending on one’s situation.  If you are sick, I ask that you receive the host only and in the hand.  Reception on the tongue, while noble and reverent, also introduces the high probability of communicating a virus from toungue-to-hand-to-toungue. In addition, I would recommend not receiving from the chalice.  This is simply in view of prudential judgement and the reduction of scandal for those who are concerned about their health especially during the cold season.  Have you ever noticed that all our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion sanitize their hands before coming forward for their ministry during the Rite of Communion?  Yes, we are all trying to be good about the reality of communicable diseases and the health of our parishioners, most especially the elderly.

Question: “Is Christ’s body only present in the host and his blood only in the chalice?”

Answer: No. We believe that Christ’s true presence, his Body and Blood, are present in both species.  That means a person can receive either species and know that they have received the fullness of the sacramental presence of Jesus Christ.  Sometimes a person is alcoholic and will not receive from the chalice, but instead receive only the host.  Sometimes a person suffers from Celiac’s disease (is allergic to the gluten in wheat) and will not receive the host, but instead receive from the chalice. This has always been our belief, but it was more formally define in the Council of Trent and reiterated in our current catechism (Council of Trent, Session XIII, Canon III as quoted last week, Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1377).  Another way of viewing this is that Christ’s essence or glorified humanity cannot be divided, but is always one, though found in varied presences.  For example, Christ’s humanity and divinity are two natures, but indivisible in what the Church has described as a “hypostatic union.” That term can be reflected another time. Be assured, though, that Christ’s body, blood, soul, and dignity are found in each of the species of the Eucharist.

Again, I hope this helps.  Next week’s question: “If the priest is alcoholic or has Celiac’s disease, how can he offer the Mass?”  Do you think you could answer this one?  Return next week and find out.


Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor