Festival of St. Mary, Theotokos
Posted on August 15, 2022 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 12:32-48 (NKJV)
12:32 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
35 “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; 36 and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. 38 And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. 39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 40 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
41 Then Peter said to Him, “Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?”
42 And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. 45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. 47 And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.”
Devotion
Today is the festival of St. Mary. Her title, Theotokos” (“God-bearer”), confesses that the Child which she bore is God in the flesh, so she is correctly called “the mother of God.” The Apology of the Augsburg Confession teaches that we honor the saints when we, “according to our several vocations, follow out the examples of their faith” (Article XXI). St. Mary’s faith was demonstrated in her being ready in her own calling for the Lord’s appearance.
St. Mary did not know she would be visited by an angel. She did not know the day of the Christ’s coming. But, when Gabriel appeared to Mary unexpectedly, he found her ready—that is, believing. “Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching,” says our text. Likewise, St. Mary is greeted, “Blessed are you among women!” (Luke 1:28), because she believed in the promised Christ and, by this faith, was ready.
St. Luke introduces St. Mary as “a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph” (Luke 1:27), which tells us she was chaste in her father’s house and faithful to her betrothed. In other words, she was quietly carrying out her vocation in the household. Her faith was manifest in quietly doing her duty, but doing it in faith. For this we honor her, and by God’s grace we patiently perform our own duties in anticipation of the Christ’s return.
Collect for the Festival of St. Mary, Theotokos
Almighty God, who didst show favor to the Blessed Virgin Mary, granting unto to her to be the mother of Thine only-begotten Son, we beseech Thee that Thou wouldst grant humility and faithfulness unto Thy Church to glorify Thee in the fulfillment of our labors that we who have been saved by grace through faith in Thy Son, might remain steadfast unto the end; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Let Thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of Thy humble servants; and, that they may obtain their petitions, make them to ask such things as shall please Thee; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
