2022-23 January #1: Mary the Mother of God
Happy New Year, His Little Way Family!
We think the best way to start the new year is with our Blessed Mother and so does the Church!
And as always, if you have any questions, suggestions, or anything to share – please email us!
Tiny Treasures
Page 1:
Mary the Mother of God
This Solemnity is celebrated January 1st. Solemnities are the celebrations of greatest importance. They are the most important days of the Church year because they celebrate the core teachings of the Catholic faith. Each Solemnity begins the evening before. On these days, both the Gloria and the Creed are recited at Mass.
Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation that are Solemnities in the Catholic Church:
- Solemnity of Mary Mother of God
- Ascension
- Assumption
- All Saints
- Immaculate Conception
- Christmas
Other examples of Solemnities include:
- Solemnity of St. Joseph (March 19)
- Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Friday after the Feast of Corpus Christi)
- Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul (June 29).
Page 2:
Mary is the Mother of God
Believing that Mary was NOT the Mother of God was a heresy in the Church in the fifth century (431 AD). This was proven false at the Council of Ephesus, when it declared Mary the “Theotokos”, or “God-bearer”, hence, “Mother of God.”
The Council of Ephesus, while correcting this heresy, was confirming what was already revealed in the New Testament writings, which reveal Mary as the Mother of God. Luke 1: 31, 35 give us Gabriel’s words to Mary at the Annunciation:
And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus… therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. (emphasis added)
Other scripture passages reveal Mary as the mother of Jesus, who we know to be the God-Man. (See Mt. 2:13, Jn. 2:1, Acts 1:14.) And St. Paul vividly describes Mary’s role in the Incarnation in Galatians 4:4:
“But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman…” (emphasis added)
Even before Ephesus, Tradition formulated the words of the creed that declared: “[Jesus] was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.”
Mary is truly “Mother of God” since she is the mother of the eternal Son of God made man, who is God himself. (CCC 509)
In the September #2 booklet on page 2 of the Archangels, Archangel Gabriel came to Mary to ask her if she would be the Mother of God.
Talk with your littles about how you think Mary felt when Gabriel said this to her? (Happy, surprised, excited).
Page 3:
Jesus is both Man and God
The unique and altogether singular event of the Incarnation of the Son of God does not mean that Jesus Christ is part God and part man, nor does it imply that he is the result of a confused mixture of the divine and the human. He became truly man while remaining truly God. Jesus Christ is true God and true man. (CCC 464)
The Incarnation is the assuming of the human nature by the Son of God in order to accomplish our salvation. (CCC 461)
When the Council of Ephesus decreed Mary as the Mother of God, it reaffirmed the two natures of Christ found in one Person: that Jesus is both human and divine. (Later known as the “hypostatic union.”) Anything outside of that unity makes Jesus into two persons, one human and one divine, which is heresy. So, we see in this instance, how a Marian doctrine actually flows from and protects the truth about her Son!
Jesus is ALL God and ALL “like us”.
Talk with your littles about what they think about Jesus being both God and like us.
- Do you think He felt sad, happy, lonely, and tired like us?
- Do you think He felt it when he scraped His knees or elbows when He fell?
- How do you think He felt like us and like God at the same time?
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is the first saint to be born in the United States. She was born in New York City in 1774 and was raised in the Episcopal faith. She married a wealthy businessman, William Magee Seton, at 19 and they had five children together (with the death of 2 more). Her husband died of tuberculosis when she was 29 in Italy and there, she discovered the Catholic faith. Three basic points led her to become a Catholic: belief in the Real Presence, devotion to the Blessed Mother and conviction that the Catholic Church led back to the apostles and to Christ. When she came back to her home in the U.S., she decided to enter the Catholic church. This led to rejection of her Episcopal community.
She moved to Maryland and opened a school for girls to provide money for her family. This became the first American parish school. Also, through this, she started the first American religious community for women called the Sisters of Charity.
She suffered great trials of sickness, misunderstanding, and death of loved ones. She died January 4, 1821 and became the first American-born citizen to be beatified (1963) and then canonized (1975). She is buried in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton is a Patron Saint of:
Catholic Schools
Educators/Teachers
Loss of Parents
Widows
(source)
Page 4:
Find and circle the letters
After your littles find and circle the letters to “Mother”, see if they can recognize and say the sounds of each of the letters in the puzzle.
Social/Emotional Learning
Can you pray the prayer with the words the Angel Gabriel said the Mary?
Hail Mary, Full of Grace, The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.
Days to Watch for
- Jan 1 -Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God
- Jan 4-feast day of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Extras
Our featured word for this booklet to indicate the page numbers is BABY. We chose this because Jesus came to us as a baby. When Jesus was born, Mary became the Mother of God.
Book + Recipe/Blog (St. Elizabeth Ann Seton):
Elizabeth Ann Seton: Mother for Many (Saints and Me!) by Barbara Yoffie
Elizabeth Ann Seton: Mother for Many tells the story of Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first US native-born citizen to be canonized, who established the first Catholic school and had seven children of her own.
The biographies in this new series help the young reader develop an understanding of our real-life heroes, the saint and introduce children ages 4-9 to the concept that saints are people who live all around us, and who can inspire us to become more like Christ. Elizabeth Ann Seton is one of 6 saints in the Saints of North America set, part of the Saints and Me! series.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Colonial Brown Bread (from Catholic Cuisine)
The following cookbook suggestion and recipe for feast of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton on January 4th was shared by Monique Holmes, in Wyoming.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Colonial Brown Bread
Oven Temp: 350
need a greased 9 X 5 loaf pan
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 c. + 3 T flour
1 c. brown sugar, packed
2 t. baking soda
2 c. buttermilk
Mix all dry ingredients. Slowly add the buttermilk, stirring until well blended. Pour into a greased 9 X 5 loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
Turn pan at once and cool on a wire rack. The bread may be eaten warm. Turn the bread on the side for easier slicing.
Variations: I use all whole wheat flour and turbinado sugar.
Cautions: Don’t use any other type of flour. I used whole wheat pastry flour once and it didn’t turn out near as good. Edible but not great!
Digital Resources
If you are a subscriber for the 2022-23 His Little Way booklets, visit our Subscribers page for access to your digital resources (including a digital version of all booklets)! Can’t remember your password? Email us!
Don’t forget to check out our Teacher’s Guide for more information on how to use your booklets in the classroom!
And in case you need it again… here’s our Prayer Table Starter Guide.
