Mary Mother of God

On January 1, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. The doctrine of the divine Motherhood is of highest importance and is the central belief concerning Mary as all other truths flow from it or towards it. Mary’s Immaculate Conception was to prepare her to become the Mother of God. The doctrines of Mary’s perpetual Virginity and Assumption are also linked to her divine Motherhood. 

Although the title of Mary as the Theotokos, namely “God-bearer,” was solemnly defined at the Council of Ephesus in 431, that is not when Mary began to be the Theotokos. She was already the Mother of God before that. Mary has been honored under the title “Mother of God” from the earliest times. The title Theotokos does not explicitly appear in the New Testament, but there are implicit references to it in the Gospels. In Matthew’s Gospel Mary is referred to as Mother of the Immanuel (God with us). Mary is also called “Mother of Jesus” (Jn 2:1, 3), “Mother of the Lord.” (Acts 1:14)  The solemn proclamation of Mary as the Mother of God in 431 was  mostly in part in response to the heresies of Docetism, Gnosticism, and Manichaeism. Docetism denied that Jesus had a true human body. Gnostics denied that the Child born of Mary was God. Manichaeism also maintained a similar position. 

In the fifth century, Nestorius preached that Mary should not be addressed as the Theotokos. He proposed that Mary should be invoked as Christotokos (Mother of Christ) rather than Theotokos (Mother of God). Nestorius teaching was met with opposition from the faithful who had been already invoking Our Lady under the title Theotokos. In 430, the teaching of Nestorius was condemned at a synod of Rome which was convoked by Pope Celestine I; and the term Theotokos was approved. Nestorius refused to back down. He remained obstinate in his error. In 431, a General council was convened in Ephesus by the Emperor Theodosius II in agreement with Pope Celestine I. The Assembly of Bishops, presided by Nestorius’ chief opponent St. Cyril, solemnly proclaimed that “Christ was the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity and that Mary was the Mother of God.” Nestorius was also deposed and stripped of episcopal dignity. The faithful rejoiced greatly of the outcome of the Council  to the point that they accompanied the Fathers of the Council to theirs  homes with lights and singing. The Council of Ephesus also contributed to an increase of Marian devotion in both the East and the West.

The title Mary Mother of God, is not only the central belief concerning Our Lady, but it has helped quell Christological controversies as well. The fundamental reason for the importance of the doctrine of the Theotokos is that the Christological doctrines rest upon it. The dogma of Mary’s divine motherhood was for the Council of Ephesus and is for the Church like a confirmation of the dogma of the Incarnation, in which the Word of God truly assumes human nature into the unity of His person, without cancelling out that nature.

As we begin the new year, we entrust ourselves, our families, our Parish to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother God,  in order that she may lead us to her Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. To Mary, Dawn of Salvation, we commit our journey through the new year, so that with her as guide we may grow closer to Christ, our Lord and Savior who reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

Blessed New Year,

Fr. Robain