St Mary Major: Honoring Mary as Mother of God and Grace – Aug 05 – Homily – Fr John Lawrence

 

Fr John Lawrence gives the homily at Bloomington, IN, on Aug 05, 2025, on the Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, emphasizing Mary's title as Mother of God and her role as mediatrix of grace, symbolized by snow.

Father celebrates the dedication of St. Mary of the Angels, dedicated by Pope St. Sixtus III around A.D. 435, four years after the Council of Ephesus affirmed Mary as the Mother of God, a truth that upholds Christ's divine and human unity, making His death on the cross sufficient for salvation. The church, built on a site established by Pope Liberius, was adorned with mosaics depicting martyrs processing toward the altar, symbolizing their triumph through Mary's intercession. Father cites St. Augustine’s letter to Sixtus, stating, "What else but His gifts does God crown when He crowns our merits?" emphasizing that grace, mediated by Mary, enabled the martyrs’ victories. The ancient prayer Sub tuum praesidium, found on a 3rd-century Egyptian papyrus, reflects early Christians’ reliance on Mary’s intercession (CCC 2616). Father contrasts Luther’s view of grace as merely covering sins with St. Peter’s teaching that grace makes us "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4) and St. Paul’s renewal of the "inward man" (2 Corinthians 4:16). He connects snow to purity, citing Daniel’s vision of God’s snow-white clothing (Daniel 7:9), Christ’s transfiguration (Matthew 17:2), and Isaiah’s promise of sins becoming "white as snow" (Isaiah 1:18). The legend of snow in August, linked to Mary’s Immaculate Conception (CCC 490), underscores her unmatched purity. Father concludes that Mary’s mediation, as mediatrix of all graces (CCC 969), empowers us to overcome sin and strive for holiness.

For Further Reading:

2 Peter 1:4 - NAB - Partakers of the divine nature - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2peter/1?4
2 Corinthians 4:16 - NAB - The inward man is renewed - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/4?16
Daniel 7:9 - NAB - God’s clothing snow white - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/daniel/7?9
Matthew 17:2 - NAB - Christ’s transfiguration white as snow - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/17?2
Isaiah 1:18 - NAB - Sins become white as snow - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/1?18
Catechism of the Catholic Church #2616 - Prayer to Mary - http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p4s1c1a2.htm#2616
Catechism of the Catholic Church #490 - Mary’s Immaculate Conception - http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p122a3p2.htm#490
Catechism of the Catholic Church #969 - Mary as Mediatrix - http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a9p6.htm#967
Catholic Encyclopedia - Basilica of St. Mary Major - History of the basilica - https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11361c.htm

YouTube Chapters (12 Topics)

00:00 - Introduction to St. Mary Major
00:45 - Dedication by St. Sixtus III
01:30 - Council of Ephesus Dogma
02:15 - Mary as Mother of God
03:00 - Christ’s Unity and Salvation
03:45 - Mosaics and Martyrs’ Procession
05:15 - Sixtus’ Poem to Mary
06:00 - Grace Through Mary’s Intercession
06:45 - Sub tuum praesidium Prayer
07:30 - Snow as Symbol of Purity
08:15 - Legend of August Snowfall

Ave Maria!

Mass: Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major - Opt Mem - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_di_Santa_Maria_Maggiore
Readings:  - http://usccb.org/bible/readings/080525.cfm
1st: rev 21:1-5
Resp: jth 13:1, 8, 19
Gsp: luk 11:27-28

More on the Readings: https://airmaria.com/r?m=1124

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