In the first half of the 3rd century, the Eucharistic prayer and the baptismal profession of faith preserved for us by the Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus of Rome contain Marian references. The Eucharistic Prayer, in the part devoted to thanksgiving to God through the Son, refers to the primitive theme of the Virgin: “Sent from heaven into the womb of the Virgin, conceived in her womb, he became flesh and was manifested as her Son, born of the Spirit and of the Virgin[1] “. The mention of the Incarnation will succeed in later Eucharistic prayers, to the point of becoming one of the most authoritative and constant reminders of Mary, at the very heart of the Eucharistic celebration. Similarly, the baptismal profession of faith says: “Do you believe in Christ Jesus, Son of God, who was born through (of) the Holy Spirit of the (former) Virgin Mary…?”[2] . This formula is then found in other Churches in Italy and Africa. All the ancient professions of faith are Christological and mention the Incarnation of the Word; furthermore, most of them make explicit reference to the virginal conception.
In the 3rd century, the prayer Sub tuum praesidium, (Under your protection) appeared, considered the oldest prayer addressed to Our Lady. It is a collective invocation, liturgical in nature, to the Blessed Virgin Mother of God. It was written in Greek, but has come down to us on Egyptian papyrus[3] . The importance of this text derives from the fact that the concept of divine maternity appears there under the technical term ‘Theotokos‘. This venerable prayer has since spread throughout both Western and Eastern rites.
The hymn Akathistos[4] deserves special mention. It is a great liturgical hymn of the ancient Greek Church, a long poetic composition celebrating the mystery of the Mother of God. Its date of composition fluctuates between the second half of the fifth century (400 A.D.) and the early sixth century (500 A.D.). This hymn takes us back to the earliest expressions of worship to Mary, and is one of the most beautiful Marian hymns of all time. In the Byzantine liturgy it still has a privileged place.
The cult of Mary is adequately expressed in the festivities celebrated in her honour. Almost all of the earliest Marian festivities found their origin in the East, from where they then, by various routes, arrived in the West, reaching as far as Rome, which was usually the most reluctant and the latest to welcome them.
Later, under the influence of the Gallic liturgy, the octave day of Christmas additionally assumed the character of the feast of the Circumcision of the Lord. The new Roman Calendar of 1969 restored the ancient Marian feast, dropping the late feast of 11 October, instituted by Pius XI in 1931, and giving the 1 January celebration the name Solemnity of St Mary Mother of God.
In the overall liturgy renewed by the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council, Marian feasts are presented in the current arrangement of the Roman Calendar as a reflection of the feasts of the Lord: “In celebrating the annual cycle and the mysteries of Christ, the holy Church venerates with special love the blessed Mary Mother of God, indissolubly united with the saving work of her Son” (Sacrosanctum Concilium no. 103). In the liturgical reform promulgated by the decrees of the Second Vatican Council, there is no Marian cycle with its own consistency. The Church commemorates Mary in the celebration of the cycle of the mysteries of Christ and in intimate relationship with them: in the Liturgical Year. In fact, the current Roman Calendar assesses the importance of Marian celebrations (solemnity, feast, obligatory memorial, optional memorial) according to the degree of Our Lady’s association with the work of her Son, as it appears in the mysteries celebrated.
The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is placed in this context.
This solemnity is fixed on 8 December with reference to the nativity of Mary on 8 September. It is by its very nature the memory of a salvific event. The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception arose from a deepening of faith, nourished by reflection on the Gospel. The fact that it falls in Advent then facilitates its Christological framing: Mary is a precious fruit of the Redemption, applied to her beforehand to prepare her for her salvific mission.
This solemnity makes Christians meditate on the person and life of Mary of Nazareth. Indeed, a certain devout spirituality has ensured that Mary of Nazareth has remained somewhat removed from the daily life of God’s people in various historical eras, even though they have continually recommended her to intercede with God.
Let us try to reflect: Mary was a girl born in Nazareth, the least appreciated country in Israel: it was a demerit to have been born there. God chose a girl from the most despised country.
In Israel, being born into a rich, noble and esteemed family was a sign of God’s blessing. Mary was born into an ordinary family, to parents no one talks about, into a family one would say was insignificant. Mary marries a carpenter: an insignificant man. One day it was said in Nazareth: to the carpenter a child was born! Joseph’s family lived the daily life of the other families in Nazareth for thirty years in total secrecy. No one spoke of them.
In the society that counts, Jesus’ family was not known. Yet, Jesus the only one who could choose which family to be born into, in which country to be born, freely chose the carpenter’s family…..
At the beginning of this new Liturgical Year, let us reflect on whether we daily try, even if with difficulty, to share the life of Jesus, made up of silence, everyday life and listening to the Father’s will.
Let us be careful not to fall into the trap of self-referentiality; of wanting to let those who want to know and those who don’t know know know the good that we presumptuously think we have accomplished, when it is always the work of the Holy Spirit and we are only his labourers in his building site.
Let us be very careful to be ourselves and not our caricature that we have covered up with lies, so that we can continue to maintain the reputation that we have built up and not deserved. The Virgin Mary has shared a life that is the net opposite of all this, let us invoke her to help us to always be ourselves and not to appear to be what we are not.
By Fr. Giorgio Bontempi c.m.
[1] HIPPOLITUS OF ROME, The Apostolic Tradition, 4; ed Botte, Münster, W, 1963 pp. 12-13.
[2] Ibid. 21: pp. 48-49.
[3] G. GIAMBERNARDINI, ‘Sub tuum praesidium,‘ and the title ‘Theotokos’ in the Egyptian tradition. “Marianum‘ 31 (1969) 224-362.
[4] E. Toniolo, Akátthistos, in Nuovo Dizionario di Mariologia, ed. S. De Flores and S. Meo, Rome 1985, p. 231.
