Holy Mary, Mother of God

Holy Mary, Mother of God This article examines the theological foundation of the divine motherhood of the Virgin Mary, the first and most fundamental of her great privileges, in relation to which the other gifts and singular graces bestowed upon her by God acquire their meaning and significance. Beginning with the Christian faith in Jesus Christ, true God and true man, it explains why Mary is truly the Mother of God without being the source of Christ’s divinity. It examines the meaning of the title Theotokos, its solemn recognition at the Council of Ephesus in 431, and its presence in Sacred Scripture, Tradition, the Second Vatican Council, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the prayer of the Church. The article concludes by showing that Mary’s divine motherhood is inseparable from the mystery of the Incarnation and that recognizing this truth constitutes, above all, a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God made man.