Reflections on Sirach 24:23–31 and Luke 2:43–51
Feast of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary – October 1st
Sabbato infra Hebdomadam XVII post Octavam Pentecostes
“As the vine I have brought forth a pleasant odour: and my flowers are the fruit of honour and riches.”
(Sirach 24:23)“Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?”
(Luke 2:49)
Introduction
The Feast of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, instituted in the Universal Church by Pope Pius XI in 1931 to mark the fifteenth centenary of the Council of Ephesus (431 A.D.), invites the faithful to contemplate Mary not merely as the Mother of Jesus, but as Theotokos, Mother of God. This title, defined dogmatically at Ephesus against the Nestorian heresy, safeguards the truth that the Divine Word, in assuming flesh, took that flesh from Mary — not as a mere instrument, but as a true Mother.
The readings assigned for this day in the traditional Roman Rite illuminate this sublime mystery from two complementary angles: Sirach 24, a poetic depiction of Wisdom dwelling among men, and Luke 2, the finding of the child Jesus in the Temple. In these texts, the Church Fathers discern the figure of Mary as both the Throne and Temple of Eternal Wisdom and the first disciple, who pondered all these things in her Immaculate Heart.
I. “I am the Mother of Fair Love and of Fear”
(Sirach 24:23–31)
This magnificent text from Ecclesiasticus, long understood by the Fathers as a prophecy of Christ under the name of Divine Wisdom, is applied liturgically to Mary, who bore Him in her womb. The inspired writer speaks in the person of Wisdom, whose “fruit is better than gold and precious stone” (v. 31), who was planted in the “holy dwelling place” (v. 12), and who gave forth “flowers like the lily” (v. 18). The Fathers, seeing the deep typology, identify this “holy dwelling” with the Blessed Virgin Mary herself.
St. Ambrose of Milan:
“Mary was the temple of God, not the god of the temple. The Son of Mary is not the work of her nature, but the fruit of divine grace. Therefore, the Virgin conceived by the Word, and bore the Word Himself.”
(De Mysteriis, cap. 14)
St. Augustine:
“She is more blessed in having received faith in Christ than in having conceived the flesh of Christ. But Mary did both.”
(Sermo 72A, 7)
Sirach speaks of the Law and Wisdom being poured forth “like prophecy among generations” (v. 33). In Mary, the Lawgiver Himself took flesh. She is, as St. Ephrem the Syrian proclaims, the ‘Land which received the Heavenly Manna’, the earth whose fruit is salvation.
St. Ephrem the Syrian:
“Mary bore the Shepherd of all, in whom all nations are shepherded. She gave milk to Him Who gives food to all living.”
(Hymns on the Nativity, 3:2)
In her, all the images of the Old Testament — Ark of the Covenant, Gate of Heaven, Seat of Wisdom — are fulfilled. The flowering of Wisdom in Mary’s womb is the flowering of redemption itself.
II. “And His Mother kept all these words in her heart”
(Luke 2:43–51)
In the Gospel, we behold a tender yet mysterious episode: the Child Jesus is “lost” and then “found” in the Temple. The sacred drama, however, unfolds more profoundly within Mary’s maternal heart. This is not merely a moment of anxiety for a parent — it is a theological sign, a foreshadowing of the Passion and Resurrection, and a revelation of Christ’s divine mission.
When Mary finds her Son and gently reproaches Him — “Son, why hast thou done so to us?” — the mystery deepens with His reply: “Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” (or “in My Father’s house”).
She does not yet fully comprehend — but she believes.
St. Bede the Venerable:
“Although she did not understand what He said about the temple, yet she kept His words, pondering them in her heart. For although she was ignorant of the mystery, she did not doubt that it would be fulfilled.”
(Homily I on the Gospels)
Here, we see Mary as the perfect model of faith. She does not demand explanation from God but embraces the mystery in silence. She is the first tabernacle, and now she becomes the first contemplative, entering the hidden life of her Son’s mission.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux:
“He was lost to you, but only according to the flesh. He remained with you in the divinity which is one with the Father. But He would teach you through this sorrow that He must suffer death for sinners.”
(Sermon on the Losing of the Child Jesus)
This encounter in the Temple reminds us that Mary is not only the Mother of Jesus but also His first disciple, the one who walks the path of obedience, interior suffering, and silent pondering — all under the shadow of the Cross that is to come.
Conclusion: The Maternity of Mary is the Matrix of Redemption
The Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is not a poetic flourish, nor a sentimental devotion. It is a doctrinal pillar — for to deny that Mary is Theotokos is to risk denying the unity of Christ’s divine and human natures. But this maternity is also a spiritual maternity extended to us.
From the Cross, Christ gave her to us as our Mother (cf. John 19:27). In celebrating her Maternity, we celebrate the birth of our own adoption in grace, for from her virginal womb came the New Adam, through whom we become sons of God.
Let us then, with St. Anselm, proclaim:
“O Blessed Lady, sky and stars, earth and rivers, day and night — everything that is subject to man — rejoice that through you they are in some sense restored to their lost beauty and are endowed with inexpressible new grace.”
(Oratio ad Sanctam Mariam)
Prayer
O God, who through the fruitful virginity of Blessed Mary didst bestow upon mankind the rewards of eternal salvation: grant, we beseech Thee, that we may feel the powerful help of her intercession, through whom we have been made worthy to receive the Author of life, our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son.
– Collect of the Feast of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1962 Missal)