The Fullness of Time

What would you say if someone asks, can you prove that God exists? Can you provide an empirical, scientific or mathematical proof of the existence of God? St Thomas Aquinas understood that strict proofs in the empirical sense are not possible, he would point out that theological or philosophical arguments, while not strict “proofs,” point to important things. Here is another question: can you prove the existence of love? I’d be surprised if you can offer a consistent, repeatable, and full proof of love, but I have no doubt that you can offer experiences, insights, and examples of the incarnation of love in one’s life. Neither can I prove that God or love exists – all I can do is reflect upon the world that God created and see the argument for God and love in life itself.

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Coming into the World

“When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman” (Gal 4:4).

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God a part of the Octave of Christmas. We continue to celebrate the birth of God into the World. The Word come into the world, fully God, fully human – not on the great rolling thunder clouds with the heavenly hosts at full strength. Rather, Christ came into our lives at the end of a very human process: conception to birth – i.e., When the fullness of time had come… Continue reading

The Queenship of Mary

Crowned Madonna Della Strada in the Church of ...

“Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy….”  So begins one of the prayers from our Catholic treasury.  Have you ever wondered why we use the title “Queen” for Mary?

The beginning of the concept that Mary is a Queen is found in the annunciation narrative.  For the angel tells her that her Son will be King over the house of Jacob forever.  So she, His Mother, would be a Queen.  While in our age we are quick to think that “queen” means wife of the king, the meaning in ancient Israel also included the mother of the king, the “Queen Mother.”  The first formal definition and basis for the later title “Mary Queen of Heaven” developed at the Council of Ephesus, where Mary was proclaimed as “theotokos” (lit. “God bearer”) or in English, the Mother of God.  The Council fathers specifically approved this version against the opinion that Mary is “only” the mother of Jesus.  Nobody had participated in the life of her son more than Mary, who gave birth to the Son of God. Continue reading