Basilica of St Mary Major

At the Council of Ephesus, in 431 A.D. Mary is declared the Mother of God. In honor of this pronouncement Pope Sixtus built a Church, which stands today, honoring Mary as the Theotokos, or God-Bearer. For many centuries this church has stood dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, recalling her Fiat, or unconditional 'Yes' to God. It remains also as a challenge to the Church to remain faithful to God, and to continue to seek what is true and good.

In his Caritas in Veritate, Benedict XVI calls to mind for us that the Church has in effect, "A mission of truth to accomplish in every time and circumstance, for a society that is attuned to man, to his dignity, to his vocation. ..." (#9) Benedict will go on to state that in it's mission and ministry the Church has this ongoing search for the Truth, and when it finds it, must proclaim and pronounce it. The Holy Father declares that Truth is divine. The Word of God establishes all of creation, and continues the salvation of the world, through the mercy of God, and the Paschal Mystery. Jesus Christ states in John's Gospel, 'I am the Truth.' To be sure our search for Truth begins and ends in the teaching and preaching of Jesus.

In our post-modern world it seems that everyone has found the 'truth.' Whatever answer we come up with is always the right answer. I remember a young girl in my freshman high school class wondered why we needed rules or teachings. She made the point everyone should be able to do what they wanted; whatever lifestyle was comfortable to them. But after several minutes of questions and discussion, she had to admit that there were some standard 'rights' and 'wrongs' in life. Today many are hostile to the foundational virtues and values we find in our faith tradition.

Twentieth century Yves Congar would often write about the power and the working of the Holy Spirit in our Church today. While Congar could be thought of as a bit of a theological radical, his understanding of the guidance of the Spirit gives us pause. In seeking this Truth, we have to listen to the voice of God, especially in our daily ministry. Doing Church, or doing church work, opens us to receive the direction of God. Perhaps this is why monastics have this wonderful balance of prayer, work, and study. In all of this they are to cease from unnecessary talking.

Remember Paul's letter to the Colossians (3:1-5,9-11) last week? Paul argues that we need to set ourselves on 'higher goods.' He alludes to some of the virtues which draw us closer to God's holiness. A church in Rome reminds us that we are called to be Church in every time and place. Like Mary we need to have the courage and strength to "Proclaim the greatness of the Lord." Our journey of faith desires to be fed and nourished on the word of God and the love of the Father in the context of the Church community.