Mary, Mother of God (?!)

On the eighth day of Christmas Catholics celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. As always, this celebration is more about Jesus than it is about Mary: If Jesus Christ is truly God, then Mary is truly the Mother of God. (Meaning that she truly gave birth to him who is both God and man.)

The title “Mother of God “ can be misunderstood. It doesn’t mean that God didn’t exist until Mary gave birth to him. Or that Mary existed before God. What it does mean is that Mary really gave birth to her son Jesus who is both God and man. And because Jesus Christ is truly God, we can speak of Mary as the Mother of God.

The title “Mother of God” protects and defends the mystery of what we celebrate at Christmas: Jesus is truly God and truly Man.

“The unique and altogether singular event of the Incarnation of the Son of God does not mean that Jesus Christ is part God and part man, nor does it imply that he is the result of a confused mixture of the divine and the human. He became truly man while remaining truly God. Jesus Christ is true God and true man. During the first centuries, the Church had to defend and clarify this truth of faith against the heresies that falsified it.” (Catholic Catechism #464)

By adopting the title “Mother of God” for Mary, the Church is declaring the truth of who Jesus really is:

“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).” (Catholic Catechism #495)

Check out the videos below to hear more about why we can and should speak of Mary as the Mother of God!

And see our Mass schedule for this year’s celebrations.