[Romulus]

Jesus is a divine person with two natures. The two natures are inextricably combined in a single person -- have been from the moment of his conception, when God joined himself perpetually to his own creation. No one is suggesting that Jesus received his divine nature from the Blessed Virgin: she could never give him that because she never possessed that. No Catholic has ever affirmed that Mary is a divinity; that would be absurd. What we affirm is that in Jesus the two natures are so perfectly combined in one person, without possibility of distinction or separation, that we must call Mary the Mother of God.

The precision of subtlety of what we believe is presented in a prayer recited most Sundays of the year:

"It is truly meet and just, right for our salvation, that we should at all times and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God; Who, together with Thine only-begotten Son, and the Holy Ghost, art one God, one Lord: not in the oneness of a single Person, but in the Trinity of one substance. For what we believe by Thy revelation of Thy glory, the same do we believe of Thy Son, the same of the Holy Ghost, without difference or separation. So that in confessing the true and everlasting Godhead, distinction in persons, unity in essence, and equality in majesty may be adored."

That is what Catholics believe. Now you know.

[Diamond]

I agree with all of the theological statements in your post except that of "we must call Mary the Mother of God".

That it is necessary to point out as you have in your post that Jesus is a divine person with two natures inextricably combined in a single person, and that no one is suggesting that Jesus received his divine nature from Mary because she could never give him something she never possessed is evidence enough to me that the appellation, "Mother of God" is too ambiguous and misleading.

If you were to say that Mary is the mother of God incarnate, or "God-bearer" as one post earlier suggested I wouldn't disagree with it.

Scripture itself just refers to her as, "Jesus' mother".

"Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. - Mark 3:31

Now Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. -Luke 8:19

They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. - Acts 1:14

Cordially,

[Arthur McGowan]

Of course, they don’t care. They just KNOW that Catholics believe Mary is a goddess who gave birth to the Trinity and that Mary did not need a Savior, and that Catholics worship Mary, etc. They have read their anti-Catholic screeds, and they know everything there is to know.

They especially do not need to know the meanings of terms like “person” or “nature” or anything else from “human philosophy.”

They also do not need to know anything in the Old Testament, or how the early Christians, being Jewish, understood anything in the Old Testament. They do not need to know anything about “types” and “anti-types.”