Mary, Mother of God

CatholicExchange.com ^ | 12-31-06 | Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D.

[Salvation]

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Mary, Mother of God

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Marcellino D'Ambrosio

December 31, 2006

The mother of the Messiah has been called many things in the last 2000 years — the Virgin Mary, Our Lady, the Blessed Mother.  But call her "the Mother of God" and you'll see some Christians squirm.

This is nothing new.  One day in the early fifth century, a priest preached a stirring sermon in the presence of the patriarch of Constantinople.  His subject was the holy mother of Jesus.  The preacher continually referred to Mary as the "Theotokos" meaning "God-bearer" or mother of God.  This was no innovation — Christians had invoked Mary under this title for at least two hundred years.  Nevertheless, at the close of the sermon, the patriarch ascended the steps of the pulpit to correct the preacher.  We should call Mary the Mother of Christ, said Patriarch Nestorius, not the Mother of God.  She was the mother of His human nature, not the mother of His divinity.

His comment sparked a riot.  And the dispute rocked not only the congregation, but the entire empire.  Cyril, patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt, immediately recognized that Nestorius's Marian theology was a symptom of a much deeper problem, a problem with the incarnation itself.  For to deny Mary the title "Mother of God" makes of Jesus a dichotomy, a split personality.  It would mean that God had not really embraced our humanity so as to become human.  Rather, the humanity of Christ is hermetically sealed off from the divinity, as if Jesus were two persons, as if human nature were so distasteful that God, in Christ, had to keep it at arm's distance.  It is OK, according to Nestorius, to say that in Jesus, God raised Lazarus, or multiplied the loaves, or walked on water.  But it is not OK to say that in Jesus God is born or that God died.

Cyril, aware that this was a challenge to the heart of our faith, demanded that an ecumenical council be called to settle the matter.  So in 431, the Council of Ephesus met under Cyril's leadership and solemnly proclaimed that Mary is indeed rightly to be honored as the Theotokos, the Mother of God.  It proclaimed that from the moment of His conception, God truly became man.  Of course Mary is a creature and could never be the origin of the eternal Trinity, God without beginning or end.  But the second person of the blessed Trinity chose to truly become man.  He did not just come and borrow a human body and drive it around for awhile, ascend back to heaven, and discard it like an old car.  No, at the moment of His conception in the womb of Mary, an amazing thing happened.  God the Son united Himself with a human nature forever.  Humanity and divinity were so closely bound together in Jesus, son of Mary, that they could never be separated again.  Everything that would be done by the son of Mary would be the act both of God and of man.  So indeed it would be right to say that a man raised Lazarus from the dead and commanded the wind and waves, that God was born that first Christmas day and that, on Good Friday, God died.

The Council of Ephesus, once confirmed by the pope, became the third ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, and its teaching in this matter is dogma, truth revealed by God which all are bound to accept.

So why does the Roman liturgy celebrate the Octave of Christmas as the Feast of Mary the Mother of God?  Because this paradoxical phrase strikes at the very heart of Christmas.  The songs we sing and the cards we write extol the babe of Bethlehem as Emmanuel, God-with-us.  He is so with us that after Gabriel's visit to the Virgin of Nazareth, the Divine Word can never again be divided from our humanity.  What God has joined, let no man separate.

Dr. D'Ambrosio studied under Avery Cardinal Dulles for his Ph.D. in historical theology and taught for many years at the University of Dallas. He now directs www.crossroadsinitiative.com, which offers Catholic resources for RCIA, adult faith formation, and teens, with a special emphasis on the Year of the Eucharist, the Theology of the Body, the early Church Fathers, and the sacrament of confirmation.

(This article originally appeared in Our Sunday Visitor and is used by permission of the author.)

[Global2010]

My fave subject in Catichism and on the local Catholic Radio channel is Apologetics.

More education in Catholic Apologetics would nip the attacks from non Catholics IMO.

[Always Right]

What you were looking for was probably "hiding in plain sight." Ever hear of a crucifix?

Oh I saw the Crucifix. There was a 20 foot statue on Mary on the Alter, and about a 1 foot Crucifix on the side wall.

[Pyro7480]

That sounds like hyperbole. You didn't address my second point, I notice.

[Global2010]

Jesus God and the Holy Spirit. : )

[Global2010]

http://www.catholicapologetics.org/
http://www.cwo.com/~pentrack/catholic/apolo.html
http://www.catholicapologetics.com/
http://ic.net/~erasmus/RAZ24.HTM
23 posted on 10/20/2006 8:56:24 AM PDT by D-fendr
I saved this awhile back, thanks D-fendr.

[Always Right]

That sounds like hyperbole.

You are right. The cross was probably not even 1 foot high.

[Pyro7480]

Now I know you're just playing around.

[Blogger]

Been having a heated discussion on this topic on the thread about the Nativity story. Needless to say, Catholics and Orthodox like the title. Protestants do not.

Scripturally, she is called the Mother of Jesus.

Base your Christology on whom Jesus is, not on whom Mary was.

[Always Right]

No, absolute truth. That particular church was somewhere in the south French, but I forget the particular details as we visited numerous churches.

[Salvation]

We do base our Mass on the everpresence of Christ.

Have you ever attended a Mass and listeened to the prayers?

As the article states -- it's about Christ being linked with Mary, His Mother.

[Mad Dawg]

You are right. The cross was probably not even 1 foot high.

LOL!

I guess I've been lucky in the churches I have been to. Anyway, please take "yes" for an answer. I agreed that no doubt some go too far.

[Titanites]

That said, I have gone and visited many Catholic Churches and there are many where a big statue of Mary is on the alter and trying to find any hint of Jesus is like trying to find Waldo.

As a Catholic, I also have visited many Catholic Churches, and I suspect the number I've visited is many more than you've visited. I have never seen a statue of Mary on the altar. We're you in the Catholic Churches during Mass? If so, here are some of the requirements for the altar during mass from the General Instruction of the Roman Missal:

306. Only what is required for the celebration of the Mass may be placed on the mensa of the altar: namely, from the beginning of the celebration until the proclamation of the Gospel, the Book of the Gospels; then from the Presentation of the Gifts until the purification of the vessels, the chalice with the paten, a ciborium if necessary, and, finally, the corporal, the purificator, the pall, and the Missal.

308. There is also to be a cross, with the figure of Christ crucified upon it, either on the altar or near it, where it is clearly visible to the assembled congregation. It is appropriate that such a cross, which calls to mind for the faithful the saving Passion of the Lord, remain near the altar even outside of liturgical celebrations.

There is no mention of a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and it is not allowed on the altar during Mass. Do you have a picture you can post, because I have a hard time believing it was on the altar, especially a 20 foot statue of the Blessed Virgin?

[Global2010]

Jesus is on the cross smack dab in the middle above the alter.

I learned that is on difference in Catholic and non Catholic churches.

Christ is on the Cross.
And the stations along side the pews in the stained glass windows.

Of course I being in one place for most of my life I have only been to a few Catholic Churches but he is right there on the cross.

Also isn't there some fragment of bone or such in the alter of one of the Saints? Help clear me up on that one if need be.

[Mad Dawg]

How could it be otherwise? Heck, even getting to know a human type person is like peeling an onion.

[Salvation]

The is a sacred relic embedded in the altar stone of the main altar.

[Blogger]

I understand the term. I have been to a mass as well.

Christ, as eternally pre-existent God, had no mother in the normal sense of the phrase Mother. To most folks, it implies that Mary pre-existed Christ.

One can maintain the deity of Christ & humanity without giving Mary a title. Just discuss the person of Jesus. Mary is the mother of Jesus, who was/is/forevermore shall be God. But, Jesus did not pre-exist Mary, nor was their any divinity within Mary. His human nature was contributed to by Mary, but He came to her womb as God.

[Salvation]

**Just discuss the person of Jesus. Mary is the mother of Jesus, who was/is/forevermore shall be God. **

From your own words, then, Mary is the Mother of God.

[Pyro7480]

I think one thing needs to be cleared up. The correct spelling is "altar" (not to single you out, since more than one poster made that mistake).

Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and some of the Anglican and Lutheran Churches use crucifixes. The Eastern Rite Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches' crucifixes are flat, with the "corpus" (or depiction of Christ's Body) painted on it.

Ideally, a crucifix is above the altar, or behind it (sometimes, it sits on top of it). This is to serve as a reminder that the Sacrifice of the Cross is the same Sacrifice that takes place during the Mass (no, Catholics don't try to sacrifice Christ many times. The Sacrifice of the Cross is eternal.)

The Twelfth Station of the Cross (out of fourteen) is the Crucifixion and Death of Jesus, so a crucifix is central to any depiction of that station.

In every Catholic altar, there should be a relic of one of the saints, which is usually a fragment of bone. This is done in imitation of the practice of ancient Christian who said the Mass on top of the tombs of martyrs.

[andysandmikesmom]

I am not a Catholic...however, when my son was diagnosed many many years ago, with a usually fatal type of leukemia, I was, to say the very least, very despondent, very upset, very sad, and very frightened for my child...we were in the military at the time...

Many different various chaplains came to speak to me, to try to ease my obvious distraught feelings...many different Protestant chaplains spoke to me...they were actually of no comfort...

Then the Catholic chaplain, a very fine priest, came and spoke with me...he reminded me to think of Mary, and what she suffered when Jesus was put on trial, and crucified...he told me, that God knew she was suffering immensely, and yet He allowed events to go forward, and Mary accepted, in spite of her obvious maternal fears, and despair...the priest reminded me, that God has specifically chosen Mary for this task, and she accepted...and God saw her pain...as God saw my pain...in that moment, I felt a link to Mary, I had never before felt...

And the whole time my son was ill(15 months), I always kept Mary in my view..I tried in some small way to emulate her, accepting what God had chosen for me and for my son...I found great comfort in Marys suffering...that sounds strange, I know, and yet, I felt that through Marys experience, I was gaining strength to care for my son, and accept whatever happened..

When my son died, I again looked to Mary, to provide me some strength...and it was there...She was there...I dont know how better to explain it, other than to say, I felt her holding me up, when I could not hold myself up any longer...

Some will scoff at this, as being nothing but my imagination, or my own wishful thinking...but I tell you, I know what I felt, I know I got strength from somewhere other than my own self, and I just feel that it was Mary, sympathizing with my loss, but all the while, assuring me, that her son, Jesus, would hold and comfort my son...

That was many years ago...its been a long hard road for me, losing ones child is a horrid life experience...but I have felt that Mary has been with me in my journey...

Now, my husband is a Catholic, and thus our children were baptized Catholic, and my son who died, is buried in a little Catholic cemetary, in northern California, near to the Blessed Sacrament Church near Elk California...we are from Washington State, but decided to have our son buried in this cemetary, as he was buried next to his favorite uncle, and its in a lovely location, right on the edge of the ocean...someday, I will be buried there myself...I was worried at first about being able to be buried there, as I am not a Catholic, but the priest assured me, that no Catholic Church, would ever separate a mother and son, in death...I guess I am considered Catholic, by virtue of my sons and husband being considered Catholics...

This Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, is a very lovely, little country Catholic church...we went inside, looked around, spoke with the priest there, and felt comforted by his words...

I have included a link to this lovely church...one can take a tour online of the church itself, and there one will see a huge statue of Jesus...one will also see a huge statue of both Mary and Joseph, holding Jesus...but surely Jesus takes prominence..

As a side note, I have since my sons death, done a lot of reading and praying, and especially have followed the threads on FR, especially those were Catholics are in open disagreement with people of other Christian faiths...

By my own view, I have found the Catholic posters here, to be extremely well read in the Bible, and in Catholic dogma..and have an excellent knowledge of Catholic church history...I find the Catholic understanding of the Bible to be of the highest level..and the Catholics exude a happiness and joy and love for their Church and their beliefs, which is beyond reproach...

Shortly I will be studying to become a Catholic, for I have found their faith, their knowledge, and their love for God to be of the highest caliber...

Here is a link to the Blessed Sacrament Church, near to where my son is buried..take a tour of the rectory and the church and the surrounding area...one will take note of the huge statue of Christ...you cannot miss it...

http://www.blessedsacrament-elk.org/Default.html