January 1, 2006: Feast Day of Mary, Mother of God

Traditionally, Catholics celebrated January 1st as the "Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord," considered significant because through his circumcision, Jesus not only followed Jewish religious law but also first spilled his blood, thereby symbolically linking both old and new covenants.

The second time that he spilled his blood occurred a couple of years later when he tripped and skinned his knees, but this blood shed seems to have held little soteriological resonance.

Medieval theologians, however, not only found the circumcision blood significant but the holy foreskin as well, known as the "Holy Prepuce," which circulated among various churches, working miracles and causing trouble.

Other theologians, however, argued that the foreskin had left the earth when Jesus ascended into heaven. According to Wikipedia, the Early Modern Catholic theologian "Leo Allatius in De Praeputio Domini Nostri Jesu Christi Diatriba ("Discussion concerning the Prepuce of our Lord Jesus Christ") speculated that the Holy Foreskin may have ascended into Heaven at the same time as Jesus himself and might have become the rings of Saturn, then only recently observed by telescope."

I wonder what happened to the nail clippings from his fingers and toes. Apparently, these did not ascend to become detritus in the asteroid belt but remained behind as holy relics -- along with trimmings from his hair, drops of his blood, and the dried-out length of his umbilical cord.

But this has moved rather far along a tangent, and I've commited today's blog entry to Mary since this is her official feast day. Because Mary is called the "Mother of God," I've chosen for today's image the Vladimir Theotokos (1131), a madonna-and-child icon housed in Moscow's Tretyakov Gallery, which also holds the even older Theotokos of Blachernae (7th century). Both of these icons come from the hands of Greek Orthodox artists and have ended up in the hands of Russian Orthodox believers, and I could have chosen a Catholic image, but celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas makes for a time of ecumenism.

With that ecumenism in mind, let's return to the Catholic Church and raise a solemn glass to the mother and child.