Mary, Mother of God

The Sacred Page ^ | December 29, 2015

[NYer]

January 1 is the Solemnity (Holy Day) of Mary, Mother of God.  To call Mary the “Mother of God” must not be understood as a claim for Mary’s motherhood of divinity itself, but in the sense that Mary was mother of Jesus, who is truly God.  The Council of Ephesus in 431—long before the schisms with the Eastern churches and the Protestants—proclaimed “Mother of God” a theologically correct title for Mary. 

So far from being a cause of division, the common confession of Mary as “Mother of God” should unite all Christians, and distinguish Christian orthodoxy from various confusions of it, such as Arianism (the denial that Jesus was God) or Nestorianism (in which Mary mothers only the human nature of Jesus but not his whole person).

Two themes are present in the Readings for this Solemnity: (1) the person of Mary, and (2) the name of Jesus.   Why the name of Jesus? Prior to the second Vatican Council, the octave day of Christmas was the Feast of the Holy Name, not Mary Mother of God.  The legacy of that tradition can be seen in the choice of Readings for this Solemnity.  (The Feast of the Holy Name was removed from the calendar after Vatican II; St. John Paul II restored it as an optional memorial on January 3.  This year it is not observed in the U.S., because Epiphany falls on January 3.)

1.  The First Reading is Numbers 6:22-27:

The LORD said to Moses:
“Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them:
This is how you shall bless the Israelites.
Say to them:
The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon
you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and
give you peace!
So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites,
and I will bless them.”

This Solemnity is one of the very few times that the Book of Numbers is read on a Lord’s Day or Feast Day.  Here’s a little background on the Book of Numbers:

The Book of Numbers is a little less neglected than Leviticus among modern Christian readers, if only because, unlike its predecessor, it combines its long lists of laws with a number of dramatic narratives about the rebellions of Israel against God in the wilderness, which create literary interest.  The name “Numbers” is, perhaps, already off-putting for the modern reader—it derives from the Septuagint name Arithmoi, “Numbers”, referring to the two numberings or censuses, one each of the first and second generations in the Wilderness, that form the pillars of the literary structure of the book in chs. 1 and 26.  The Hebrew name is bamidbar, “In the Wilderness,” which is an accurate description of the geographical and spiritual location of Israel throughout most of the narrative.

         The Book of Numbers has a strong literary relationship with its neighbors in the Pentateuch.  In many ways it corresponds with the Book of Exodus.  Exodus begins with the people staying in Egypt (Exodus 1-13), then describes their journey to through the desert (Exodus 14-19), and ends with them stationary at Sinai (20-36).  Numbers begins with the people staying at Sinai (Num 1-10), describes their journey through the desert (Num 11-25), and ends with them stationary on the Plains of Moab.  Sinai and the Plains of Moab correspond: at each location the people will receive a covenant (see below on Deuteronomy).  Furthermore, there are strong literary connections between the journeys through the Wilderness to and from Sinai (Ex 14-19; Num 11-25).  Both these sections are dominated by accounts of the people of Israel “murmuring” (Heb. lôn), “rebelling” (Heb. mārāh), or “striving” (Heb. rîb) against the LORD and/or Moses, together with Moses’ need for additional help to rule an unruly people (Ex 18; Num 11:16-39), and God’s miraculous provision for the people’s physical needs (Ex 15:22-17:7; Num 11:31-34; 20:1-13).  This is evidence of careful literary artistry: the central Sinai Narrative (Exod 20–Num 10) is surrounded by the unruly behavior of the people wandering in the desert.

         Numbers also has a close relationship with Leviticus.  If Leviticus established a sacred “constitution” for the life of Israel, exhibiting a logical, systematic order concluded, like a good covenant document, with a listing of blessings and curses (Lev 26), Numbers is more like a list of “amendments” to the “constitution,” together with accounts of the historical circumstances that led to their enactment.  And like the lists of amendments on many state and national constitutions, the laws have an ad hoc, circumstantial character, with little logical connection between successive “amendments.” 

         Finally, Numbers “sets the stage” for the Book of Deuteronomy, providing us the necessary information about Israel’s geographical and moral condition when they arrived at the “Plains of Moab opposite Jericho” in order to appreciate Moses’ extended homily and renewal of the covenant that he will deliver at this site in the final book of the Pentateuch.

The specific text we have in this First Reading is the famous Priestly Blessing of Numbers 6.  The formula for blessing given to the priests involves the invocation of the Divine Name (YHWH) three times over the people of Israel. 

A Brief Excursus on the Divine Name

“If they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say?” “God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM,” say … “I AM has sent me to you” (Ex 3:13-14).  The revelation of the divine Name to Moses (Ex 3:13-15) is one of the most theologically significant passages of the Old Testament.  By revealing himself as “I AM”, God distinguishes himself from the other gods of the nations, which “are not.”  He is the only God who truly is.  Furthermore, the name “I AM” stresses that God exists of himself; unlike all other beings he does not take his existence from some other cause.  Later philosophical language will describe God as the one necessary being.  While lacking technical philosophical language, the ancients did have the concept of self-existence: in Egyptian religion, the sun-god Amon-RÄ“ “came into being by himself” and all other beings took their existence from him.  However, God reveals to Moses that it is He, the LORD—not Amon-RÄ“ or any other Egyptian god—who is the ground of being and the source of existence. 

The actual word given to Israel to serve as the Name of God is spelled YHWH in the English equivalents of the Hebrew consonants. It is not the full phrase “I AM WHO I AM” but rather an archaic form of the Hebrew verb HYH, “to be,” with the meaning “HE IS.” Out of respect for the third commandment, Jews after the Babylonian exile (c. 597–537 BC) ceased to pronounce the divine name at all, but instead substituted the title “Lord,” in Hebrew adonai, in Greek kyrios.  Thus the God of Israel is called ho kyrios, “the Lord” in the New Testament.  This sheds light on the meaning of the phrase, “Jesus is Lord!” (Rom 10:9; 1 Cor 12:3).

The Hebrew language was written without vowels until around AD 700, when Jewish scribes developed a vowel-writing system.  The form YHWH, however, was written with the vowels for adonai, the word Jews actually pronounced.  The English translators of the King James Version did not understand this system, and in a few instances combined the Hebrew consonants of YHWH (called the tetragrammaton, lit. “the four letters”) with the Hebrew vowels of adonai to form the erroneous name “Jehovah.”  Catholic tradition addresses God with neither the mistaken form “Jehovah” nor the ancient pronunciation “Yahweh,” but uses “LORD” to refer to the God of Israel, in keeping with the practice of Jesus and the Apostles.  In most English Bibles, “LORD” in caps represents YHWH in the Hebrew text, while “Lord” in lower case represents the actual Hebrew word adonai.

The concept of “name” in Hebrew culture was of great significance.  The “name” represented the essence of the person, and invoking the name made the person mystically present.  Therefore, God will speak of the manifestation of his presence in the Temple as the “dwelling of his Name” in various places of the Old Testament.

The invocation of the Name of God over the people of Israel communicates God’s presence and Spirit to them at least a mediated way. 

In post-exilic Judaism, the Divine Name (YHWH) was seldom if ever pronounced, except on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), when the High Priest would make atonement for the whole nation in the Holy of Holies, and then exit the Temple in order to bless the assembled people in the Temple courts.  There, he would pronounce the blessing of Numbers 6, including the vocalization of the Divine Name.  Every time the people would hear the Name pronounced, they would drop prostrate on the ground.  This is recorded in Sirach:

Sir. 50:20 Then Simon came down, and lifted up his hands over the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, to pronounce the blessing of the Lord with his lips, and to glory in his name, and to glory in his name;  21 and they bowed down in worship a second time, to receive the blessing from the Most High.

Similar information is recorded in the Mishnah, the second-century AD collection of rabbinic tradition and teaching that become the basis of the legal system of modern Judaism.  So in the Mishnah, tractate Yoma 3:8 and 6:2:

And [when the people heard the four letter Name] they answer after [the High Priest]: “Blessed be the Name of His glorious Kingdom forever and ever”. (M. Yoma 3:8)

Then, the priests and the people standing in the courtyard, when they heard the explicit Name from the mouth of the High Priest, would bend their knees, bow down and fall on their faces, and they would say, "Blessed be the Honored Name of His Sovereignty forever!" (M. Yoma 6:2)

We read this passage of Scripture in today’s liturgy for a variety of reasons. 

First, we gather as God’s people around the world on this, the first day of the civil year, to ask from God his blessing upon us. 

Second, we commemorate (in the Gospel) the circumcision and naming of Jesus.  For us in the New Covenant, the Name of God continues to be a source of blessing and Divine Presence, but the name we are to use is no longer YHWH but “Jesus.”  Jesus is God’s Name, the source of salvation.  When Paul speaks to the Philippians about the Name of Jesus, he may have in mind the prostrations in the Temple at the Divine Name:

Phil. 2:10  At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth …

It has never been the Christian tradition to pronounce the holy name “YHWH.”  Jesus and the Apostles practiced the Jewish piety of substituting “Lord” (‘adonai, kyrios, dominus) for the pronunciation of the Name.  For this reason, under the pontificate of Benedict XVI, the pronounced name “Yahweh” was removed from contemporary worship resources.  The sect of the Jehovah’s Witnesses insist on the pronunciation of the Name, although their form of pronunciation is erroneous, and there is nothing in Christian tradition or the New Testament to encourage such a practice.  For us, the saving name is now “Jesus,” and although full prostration at the pronunciation of the name of Jesus is impractical, Catholic piety dictates a bow of the head at the mention of the Holy Name.

2.  The Second Reading is Galatians 4:4-7:

Brothers and sisters:

When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son,

born of a woman, born under the law,

to ransom those under the law,

so that we might receive adoption as sons.

As proof that you are sons,

God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,

crying out, “Abba, Father!”

So you are no longer a slave but a son,

and if a son then also an heir, through God.

This Reading has ties to the Gospel, which emphasizes Mary’s role in Christ’s birth (“born of a woman”) as well as Jesus and his family being obedient Jews, faithful to the Old Covenant in submitting to circumcision (“born under the law.”)

This Reading also reminds us that Jesus calls us to Divine sonship (or childhood, if gender neutrality is desired).  Let’s not forget that this is unique to the Christian faith.  Christianity—unlike Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Atheism—is a religion about becoming children of God.  In Judaism, Divine childhood is metaphorical; in Islam, it is blasphemy.  In Eastern religions, it is irrelevant, because God is not ultimately a personal being, but rather an impersonal force or essence that animates all or simply is All.  Christianity alone holds out the possibility of familial intimacy with Creator as a son or daughter to a Father.

Let us also notice the close connection between the gift of the Holy Spirit and divine sonship.  From a legal perspective, it is the New Covenant that makes us children of God; from an ontological perspective, it is the Spirit that makes us children.  The sending of the Spirit “into our hearts,” as St. Paul says, is parallel to the inbreathing of the “breath of life” into the nostrils of Adam, causing him to become “a living being.”  So we are revivified by the Holy Spirit, as Adam was brought to life at the dawn of time.  Adam was king of the universe, as it says: “Have dominion over the over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth” (Gen 1:28).  The word “dominion” (Heb radah) evokes the context of kingly rule: later it will be used of Solomon’s imperial reign (1 Kings 4:24; Ps 72:8; 110:2; 2 Chr 8:10).  So the Holy Spirit makes us royalty in Christ: as St. Paul says, “no longer a slave but a son … also an heir, through God.”  No longer a slave to what?  Sin, death, and the devil.  If we live controlled by lusts, in fear of death, and swayed by the suggestions of Satan, than we are still slaves.  If we are free of these things, then we are walking in the Spirit, as children of God.  This is a theme in the First Epistle of John, which is read during daily mass all through the Christmas season.

4.  The Gospel is Luke 2:16-21:

The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph,

and the infant lying in the manger.

When they saw this,

they made known the message

that had been told them about this child.

All who heard it were amazed

by what had been told them by the shepherds.

And Mary kept all these things,

reflecting on them in her heart.

Then the shepherds returned,

glorifying and praising God

for all they had heard and seen,

just as it had been told to them.

When eight days were completed for his circumcision,

he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel

before he was conceived in the womb.

We note several things: Mary “kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”  This is not only an historical indication of where St. Luke is getting his information about these events (so John Paul II [in his Wednesday audience of Jan. 28, 1987] and the Catholic tradition generally), but also a model of the contemplative vocation to which all Christians are called.  Especially during this Christmas season, up until the Baptism (Jan 13), we should carve out some time for quiet prayer, to meditate on the incredible events we celebrate and allow their meaning to sink into our hearts. 

Then we see the shepherds “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen …”  This, too, describes the Christian’s vocation.  Pope Francis in particular has been calling us to return to the aspect of praise and joy that characterizes the disciple of Jesus.  Our faith is experiential, it is not just a philosophy.  It is an encounter with a person.  All of us should know what it means to come into contact with Jesus, to “hear and see” him.  In his First Epistle (which we are reading right now in daily mass), St. John sounds much like the shepherds:

1John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life —  2 the life was made manifest, and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us —  3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.  4 And we are writing this that our joy may be complete.

Observe the connection in this passage with “seeing” and “hearing” and the culmination in proclamation and joy.  This is what disciples of Jesus do: they experience Jesus and then proclaim in joy what they have encountered.

Finally, we see the naming of Jesus at his circumcision.  Christians no longer practice circumcision, because Baptism is the “circumcision of the heart” promised by Moses that surpasses physical circumcision (cf. Deut 10:16; 30:6; Acts 2:37; Col 2:11-12).  Yet at our Baptism, the “circumcision of our heart,” we still receive our Christian name.

The name given to Jesus is the Hebrew word y’shua, meaning “salvation.”  In the Old Testament, we are more familiar with the name under the form “Joshua,” who was an important type of Christ.  Just as Moses was unable to lead the people of Israel into the promised land, but Joshua did; so also Jesus is our New Joshua who takes us into the salvation to which Moses and his covenant could not lead us.

Salvation is now found in the Name of Jesus, because salvation means to enter into a relationship of childhood with God the Father.  It’s not that other great religious leaders (Mohammed, Buddha, Confucius etc.) claimed to be able to lead us into divine childhood, but couldn’t. It’s that they did not even claim to be able to do so.  Jesus is unique.  So Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6).  This is not arrogance.  Jesus is the only great religious founder in human history to proclaim that God is a Father and we can become his children.  This concept of divine filiation is at the heart of the Gospel.  In a sense, it can be said to be the heart of the Gospel. 

On this Solemnity, let us give thanks to God that he has, through Jesus, made a way for us to become his children and receive a new name which he has given us (see Rev 2:17).  This intimate, personal relationship with God has been made possible by the cooperation of Mary, who became the mother of the one whose Name is Salvation. 

[HossB86]

He instructs us to "stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter" (2 Thess. 2:15).

Taught by whom?

Who?

Right.... the Apostles who KNEW Christ. There's nothing in the Bible that says you can make stuff up out of whole cloth either -- yet, the RCC manages that all of the time.

BTW -- why can't you reconcile 1 Tim. 2:5 and CCC 969?

Hoss

[HossB86]

I believe that Jesus is God and that Mary is the mother of Jesus.

Do you believe God is without beginning or end, eternal and not created?

You can't be a mother to God; that means God has a beginning -- and by extension, and end. God is eternal. Not created. Sufficient in himself.

Definitely -- let's get on point: Do you believe CCC 841 is correct? Do you believe Catholics and Muslims worship the same 'God' -- this is essential for our discussion; if you agree with Rome, then you cannot argue the point because you do not believe in God; you believe in Allah. If you reject Rome, then you are without standing with the points you're attempting to argue.

So, let's do get on point... God or Allah?

Hoss

[ealgeone]

Aside from passages in John and 1 John that tell us we have everything we need for salvation.....

please provide us with exactly what Paul told Timothy.

For educational purposes, do a word search on Tradition in the New Testament. You will find, depending on your translation, 13 references to tradition. Ten are in the negative against man's tradition.

The remaining three, when read in context, will clarify the use of tradition.

If you do a word search on "it is written" you will find overwhelming evidence of the reliance upon the written Word.

Recall that when satan tempted Christ, Christ appealed to the written word. Not tradition.

In the OT God gave His word in written form.

While the written Word does not contain everything Jesus or the disciples ever did, nor does it need to, it contains all we need to know on how to have forgiveness of sins and a relationship with God.

Why this is insufficient for the catholic is beyond Christianity.

[HossB86]

Mary is the mother of Jesus. God is without beginning or end. Before we go on, you need to agree that God is without beginning or end and is not created and cannot have a mother; otherwise, He is not God.

Hoss

[HossB86]

How do you all communicate with Mary?

Hoss

[jmacusa]

You’re joking, right?

[Salvation]

Good link and post.

[Tao Yin]

"Woman behold thy son, son behold thy mother."

Those who wrestle with the meaning of the Sacred Scriptures, who do not view their interpretation through the eyes of Faith, they don't understand what these words from the Word Incarnate mean.

The meaning is easy to understand and clear. Jesus was the oldest son and therefore responsible for his mother. His other siblings/cousins were not part of the faith yet. Jesus assured that his mother would be among the faithful. Anything more is injecting a personal opinion into scripture and using scripture to justify your belief.

[Bayard]

God is without beginning or end and is not created and cannot have a mother

The fact of God's eternal nature. The fact of his divinity and Godhood is not incompatible with the motherhood of Mary. It has nothing to do with the Motherhood of Mary. Since Motherhood does not entail authorship.

Why is a misshapen understanding of motherhood ruling your objection to this important Title of Mary?

If Jesus is God and Mary is the mother of Jesus she is the Mother of God. Its not that hard a concept. You've admitted Jesus to be God. At no point is he ever not God. John speaks clearly The word became Flesh--Jn 1:14

Jesus' incarnation inherently implies that Mary is the mother of God. This does not imply her authorship of his divinity. No mother is the sole author of her children. Its simply a basic concept, that in any conception of a child a mother does not conceive alone. Why is this so hard a concept? If Mary was the handmaiden of Christ's humanity she therefore is the mother of God.

Do you believe CCC 841 is correct? Do you believe Catholics and Muslims worship the same 'God

Why are you changing the subject? Please keep to the motherhood of Mary. Other things can be talked about, but I"m not skipping out on something which is extremely important. No human being save Jesus himself who Mary was mother to did so much for humanity. That is because Jesus who is God, is that important.

[HossB86]

God does not have a mother. God is eternal. Mary bore Jesus, and therefore is the mother of Jesus. This in NO way gives her any "motherhood" over anyone other than Jesus and his siblings.

The Roman Catholic Church may see Mary as more than what Scripture tells us; that's the fault of Catholicism and a blasphemy.

As for CCC 841, it DOES have to do with this issue...do you agree or not agree with CCC 841? The question goes to determine which 'God' is being discussed: since the CCC teaches that Catholics and Muslims worship the same "merciful God" are we talking about God or Allah?

Hoss

[MayflowerMadam]

Blasphemy. Yes. Definitely. But I fear you are wasting your time. The indoctrination of RC members is astounding, and it’s difficult for logic to break through that. As long as they discount the Bible as Final Authority, it is hopeless unless and until the Holy Spirit convicts.

[terycarl]

There were an estimated 414,000 priest in 2012. Betcha there are 414,000 different messages being delivered each varying in accuracy. Using catholic logic there an estimated 414,000 different catholic denominations.

Is that really your definition of logic???????????

[terycarl]

Please address why the rcc didn’t get the Word into the native languages. The burden is on the catholic to explain why they didn’t.

98% of he people in the world couldn't read....there were virtually no books.

[terycarl]

Guilty is correct; guilty of the blood of innocent Christians; guilty of idol worship; guilty of blasphemy. Indeed, guilty Hoss

you have a vivid, and misguided imagination!!!

[Bayard]

Mary bore Jesus, and therefore is the mother of Jesus.

This is where you got things wrong about Catholic teaching. Clearly she is the Mother of God. The Motherhood of Mary does not mean she is the author of God. If we can say she is the mother of Jesus we can say that she is the Mother of God in the same way I can say God died on the cross for our sins. The teachings necessarily imply each other.

Your other issues are completely irrelevant to the question. Stop trying to invent them so. Its a poor excuse to dodge the real truth. You believe that Jesus is God, therefore you have to believe that Mary is the Mother of God.

[terycarl]

Blasphemy. Yes. Definitely. But I fear you are wasting your time. The indoctrination of RC members is astounding, and it’s difficult for logic to break through that. As long as they discount the Bible as Final Authority, it is hopeless unless and until the Holy Spirit convicts.

It never ceases to amaze me how people like you 20-80 years of age think that they are better able to interpret the bible than the doctors of the church who have had 2,016 years to do so.....Protestantism was a scourge on humanity allowing people to believe that they had the authority to interpret scripture as they saw fit....PATHETIC.

[Bayard]

As long as they discount the Bible as Final Authority

Yet the Bible speaks here. John 1:14 The word of God was made flesh. Jesus who is the only Son of God--Jn 3:16 died for our sins.

Jesus is the word who died on the cross for our sins. He is God, and because He is God his efficacy is sufficient to save us.

What I think you have a problem here is with the realization that Catholics and the ancient Church has been right all along about the Blessed (Lk 1:48) Mother Mary.

As Jesus was never at any time not God, He always was God. When He became the incarnate word he became the Son of Mary who is by the fact of the incarnation the Mother of God. If God can humble himself to die on the cross (Ph 2:8) God had to be born into the world. These are the necessary communicable realities of one person with two natures both fully God and fully man.

[PeterPrinciple]

It never ceases to amaze me how people like you 20-80 years of age think that they are better able to interpret the bible than the doctors of the church who have had 2,016 years to do so.....

---

There might be the problem. The Bible is there for YOU to read, not to let other TELL YOU what it says.

God has written YOU a letter.................. Will you read it?

[HossB86]

you have a vivid, and misguided imagination!!!

Pot, meet Kettle.

Hoss

[HossB86]

But I fear you are wasting your time.

Maybe; but you never know how or when the Lord will work.

:D

Hoss