Gospel: Mt. 2.13-23

Today we celebrate the oldest feast dedicated to Mary; yet the reading does not strongly to point to the Theotokos, and her role in the emergence of our faith. This is not entirely surprising – Mary is mentioned rarely in the Gospels (though by comparison more than Joseph), and when she is, only in glancing passages such as are found in today’s reading. This, for who could easily be described as the second most important figure in the Christian story, is noticeably odd. Why?

First let us consider the purpose of the Gospels – they are not merely an account of the life and teachings of Jesus, they are also accounts of how the first communities responded to, and were transformed by, the example and teaching of the Master. These are concise, pithy texts. Jesus is, of course, the central figure and it is only natural in this type of literature that interesting side characters only appear in so far as they elucidate the image and themes of the central figure – Jesus. With the exception of John, the Gospels are not concerned with the theological development that emerges later in the life and experience of the community of faith – as a result of our encounter with Christ, and our exploration of events and issues in light of his teaching and example. The Gospels present us with the building blocks of theology – not “theology” itself. Given these two points, it is therefore, reasonable to hold that while Mary is not an insignificant figure in the Christian story, beyond the moments leading up to the incarnation, she is not central to further building blocks of our theology.

There was however, a very early (second century) text the Protoevangelion of James, from which we derive most of our major Marian feasts, and which while not a part of the canon of Scripture, was quickly received as part of that canon by tradition – because it was the only widely received, text on the life of Mary before the fourth century when the Dormition narratives began to take shape. The widespread, early acceptance of this text demonstrates that the early church appreciated the value of Mary’s contribution to our tradition, more than two centuries before the emergence of today’s feast in the first decade of the fifth century, and three centuries before the sixth century explosion of Marian cult and devotion.

The emergence of today’s feast, originally known as the Feast of the Memory of Mary, became in the first decades of the fifth century a celebration of the fact that without Mary – the Theotokos, salvation could not have happened. It is important that we not misinterpret this as some prefiguration of the emerging Roman Catholic doctrine of Mary as “co-redemptrix” – for this is an aberration. Rather it is a celebration of the meaning of salvation itself – God and Man together. It is Mary’s willingness to cooperate in the divine plan that brought about the Incarnation – for God does not force himself upon us. It is our own willingness to delve into the mystery of a relationship with the divine that brings about our own enlightenment – our fulfilment in faith.

Our tradition, from its patristic roots, strives for what might be termed “cosmic balance” – a casual examination of the divine Liturgy bears this out quite clearly. This drive for balance is also borne out in the figures involved in bringing about the means of salvation – God and man, created and uncreated, male and female. Thus, when in today’s reading we see the phrase repeated: “the child and his mother” the unity of the subject is rather striking, through the efforts of the “child” and the cooperation of “his mother” we are all saved.

Yesterday we celebrated the incarnation of the Logos, and his coming to meet us in the World, today we celebrate the woman who through her wisdom and her trust in God, became the vehicle of the divine.