The Mother of Us all

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. God is one. Amen.

We celebrate today the first great feast of the Church’s new year—the birth of our most holy Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary. Just as the Church begins a new year, so the birth of the Theotokos was a sign that a new beginning would be coming soon for humanity. Consider the reflection of Father Theodore Micka, who was Abbot of the Bulgarian Orthodox Holy Cross Monastery in California until he fell asleep in the Lord in 2014. He wrote of the Mother of God, and I quote: “When she … gave birth of Christ Jesus, the Redeemer of Mankind, she became the Mother of us all…. From her Jesus Christ received His humanity … and thus [Holy] Mary represents us all…. When she worthily received the Holy Spirit of God during the Annunciation, Mary prepared the ground from which our salvation is promised.” concluded the abbot.

I find that a challenging reflection from Abbot Theodore—that the Mother of God is “the Mother of us all” and that she “prepared the ground from which our salvation is promised.” Now, of course, today, we are not celebrating either the Annunciation when Holy Mary was visited by Archangel Gabriel nor the birth of Jesus Christ. However, I think it is today that our celebration of the Incarnation and the birth of Christianity properly begins. Holy Mary was born as a human being just as all of us; she was raised by her parents Joachim and Anna, and then from a young age in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Holy Mary was to become the link between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, between the old Temple that would soon be razed to the ground by the Romans and the new Temple of God, Her womb.

The remarkable saint, John Maximovitch, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, who lived from 1896 to 1966, wrote of the Theotokos in his book, The Orthodox Veneration of the Mother of God; and I quote: “God the Father chose her, God the Holy Spirit descended upon her, and God the Son dwelt in her, submitted to Her in the days of His youth [and] was concerned for Her when hanging on the Cross,” concluded St John. That is a beautiful description of the Theotokos: “God the Father chose her, God the Holy Spirit descended on her, and God the Son dwelt in her.” It is good that today we have an opportunity to venerate Her—that is, to treat her with great respect and awe for what She has given to humanity and to each of us.

Let us turn now to the Gospel reading today from the end of the 10th chapter and the beginning of 11th chapter of the Gospel of St Luke. This Gospel tells us about Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus. You will recall that Mary often “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to His teaching,” while Martha was busy serving Him and His disciples. Christ praised Mary but was not critical of Martha. I recall one wife of an Antiochian priest at a recent conference saying in a discussion group, “I’m so busy being Martha, I have no time to be Mary.” I suggested that being Martha was good and necessary. She replied, quite profoundly I thought, “Yes, but I want to be both!” I think that is why the Church has chosen this gospel reading to welcome the birth of the Theotokos who was indeed both profoundly contemplative like Mary and profoundly active like Martha.

St Augustine reflected on what Martha and Mary were doing whenever the Lord Jesus Christ visited them. Of Martha he wrote, and I quote: “Martha was busy satisfying the needs of those who were hungry and thirsty. With deep concern, she prepared what the Holy of Holies [Jesus Christ] and His saints would eat and drink in her house. It was an important but transitory work. It will not always be necessary to eat and drink, will it?” asked St Augustine. He continued: “When we cling to the most pure and perfect Goodness [Christ Himself], serving will not be necessary,” concluded St Augustine.

Of Martha’s sister, Mary, St Augustine wrote, and I quote: “What was Mary enjoying while she was listening? What was she eating? What was she drinking? Do you know? Let’s ask the Lord, who keeps such a splendid table [with the Eucharist] for His own people, let’s ask Him. He says [in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 5, verse 6] ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they shall be satisfied.’” St Augustine continued by reflecting on Mary’s ability to listen; and I quote: “It was from this wellspring, this storehouse of righteousness, that Mary seated at the Lord’s feet, was in her hunger receiving some crumbs. You see,” continued St Augustine, “the Lord was giving her as much as she was able to take. But as for the whole amount, which He was going to give at His table of the future, [His Body and Blood in the bread and the wine], … [Christ] said [in the Gospel of St John chapter 16, verse 12] ‘I still have many things to say to you, but you are unable to hear them now,’” concluded St Augustine.

Today, we share with the Theotokos and Mary and Martha the possibility of praying more deeply and drawing closer to the Lord. Yes, the Lord will give us only what we are able to take. However, each day, each week, each year, in our lives as Orthodox Christians, we can draw closer to Christ and the righteousness that He seeks to give to all people everywhere.

And so, we ascribe as is justly due all might, majesty, dominion, power and praise to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, always now and ever and unto the ages of ages.              Father Emmanuel Kahn