If Jesus is God and Mary is his mother, then Mary must be the Mother of God. After being conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and until He was born, Jesus was carried in her womb.
Gabriel the Archangel appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced to her that she would be the mother of the Son of God. Then, Mary’s relative Elizabeth referred to her as “the mother of my Lord” at the Visitation.
In the Nicene Creed which was composed in response to heresy, Catholics profess their belief that Jesus is God, not created but begotten of God the Father and the same substance; true God from true God.
Calling Mary the Mother of God reinforces the belief that Jesus is both God and Man. His human nature and divine nature are united in one person. Mary gave birth to that person.
As the Mother of God, one of the oldest and most common titles for the Blessed Virgin Mary is Theotokos, which means “the God-bearer” in Greek. Of all of Mary’s titles, Mother of God is the greatest.
The Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God each year on January 1, a holy day of obligation for Catholics.
The angel Gabriel announced that Mary would be the Mother of God:
Jesus is God and He has a mother:
Mary is the mother of God, who became man:
“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of David his father, and He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God”
Luke 1: 31-35
A mother conceives and gives birth to a person:
Mary gave birth to a person:
Jesus is Son of God and Son of Man:
Called in the Gospels “the mother of Jesus”, Mary is acclaimed by Elizabeth, at the prompting of the Spirit and even before the birth of her son, as “the mother of my Lord”. In fact, the One whom she conceived as man by the Holy Spirit, who truly became her Son according to the flesh, was none other than the Father’s eternal Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Hence the Church confesses that Mary is truly “Mother of God” (Theotokos).
Catechism of the Catholic Church 495
God created his own mother to bring him into the world for our salvation:
Truly the Mother of God:
“Hail, holy Mother! The Child to whom you gave birth is the King of heaven and earth for ever”. With this ancient greeting, today, the eighth day of the Octave of Christmas and the first of the year 2002, the Church greets the Blessed Virgin Mary, invoking her as Mother of God. In her the eternal Son of the Father took our very flesh and through Her became “son of David and son of Abraham”. Thus Mary is his true Mother: the Theotokos, Mother of God! If Jesus is Life, Mary is the Mother of Life. If Jesus is Hope, Mary is the Mother of Hope. If Jesus is Peace, Mary is the Mother of Peace, Mother of the Prince of Peace. Entering the new year, let us ask this holy Mother to bless us. Let us ask Her to give us Jesus, our full Blessing, in whom the Father blessed all history once and for all, making it become the history of salvation.
Pope John Paul II, Homily, 1 January 2002
The highest title for Mary:
The second most important person in the manger scene:
The Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of the Catholic Church
Meeting needs and offering hope:
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