She brought Christ into the world.
Name: St. Mary, Mother of God
Lived: First century
Feast day: Multiple celebrations
What an awesome experience it is for a mother to bring a child into the world! When we call St. Mary the Mother of God, we, too, are recognizing her as the young woman who opened her heart and carried Jesus in her womb; who brought our fully human, fully divine Lord and brother into our world. Some people mistakenly think that Catholics and Orthodox believe that Mary created God, somehow. Not so! God, of course, created St. Mary, as God creates all of us.
It is a deep mystery, an occasion of awe, something beyond our comprehension, that Mary was able to nurture and form Jesus, her son, who was both fully God and fully human.
Mary not only is called Mother of God; we also call her the Mother of the Church. When her son was crucified and rose, it was Mary, the first disciple, who was seen as a leader among the other disciples as they gathered and formed the Church.
In that sense, she is the mother of all missioners. She freely accepted Jesus, Word of God, brought him into the world, nurtured and encouraged him, and ultimately followed him, and brought people together around him. Now missioners are called to follow in her footsteps, taking in deeply the Word of God, bringing it in Eucharist, Word and assembled worshipers to form the church and carry it “to the ends of the earth.”
Prayer
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us that we may conform more perfectly to the will of your son, our divine Lord, Jesus. Inspire us to open our hearts and be bearers of Christ into the world. Let us see in you the path of all missioners.
More Missioner Saints
Jesus Christ
St. Juan Diego
St. Mary, Immaculate
St. Oscar Romero
Bl. Marie-Rose Durocher