Mary - The Mother of God

The Catholic dogma that the Blessed Virgin Mary is the Mother of God can be said without a doubt to be the most offensive Marian dogma for Protestants. Many have accused the Catholic Church of teaching that the title, Mother of God, implies that Mary created God or is in some way superior to Him, but nothing could be further from the truth. The Church has always taught that the Mary is truly the Mother of God for she gave birth to the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. It must be made clear that in giving birth to Jesus she did not add anything to His divinity, which existed from all eternity.

A woman is a mother if she has carried a baby in her womb or if she has contributed genetic material in order to create new life. The Blessed Virgin is the mother to Jesus in both senses, because she not only carried Him but also supplied DNA for His human body. The following logical syllogism supports the Catholic position of Mary’s unique maternity. Mary is the mother of Jesus, and if Jesus is God, then Mary is the Mother of God. The conclusion is inescapable, Our Lady is God's mother!

The tactic used most often by Protestants to dispel and confuse Catholics on this dogma is to read (Matthew 12 46:47)."While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with him. Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you. 'But he said in reply to the one who told him, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?' And stretching out his hand toward his disciples,he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother." After reading this verse, Protestants will exclaim, "See Christ placed Mary on equal footing with all believers. If she was so special why would Jesus say such a thing?" At first glance, this text seems to shatter the Catholic position, but one must understand that Jesus was not belittling his mother. He was actually explaining to His disciples that whoever was faithful and followed His Commandments would be considered part of God’s family. It can be stated that Mary fulfilled this mandate more than anyone else. She was faithful at the Annunciation, raised and protected her only Child while He grew into adulthood, and even stood unabashedly at the foot of the cross while her Son suffered and died for the sins of mankind. The key factor Protestants forget is that Jesus was sinless and followed the Ten Commandments to perfection. He would always place his mother in a position unprecedented importance because He knew the Commandment, "Honor thy Mother and Father".

Sacred Scripture explicitly affirms this Marian belief. Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit proclaimed: "And why is it granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Lk 1:43) Another example is at the crucifixion, "Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, 'Dear woman, here is your son,"(John 19:25-26). Scripture is crystal clear, God humbled Himself in order to save mankind, and a lowly maiden from Nazareth was His mother, for in Mary, "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (Jn 1:14).

No one should fear or object to this dogma. All it does is reinforce that Jesus is 100% God and 100% man. This is something that no Christian would deny. Jesus called Mary His mother, and the Catholic Church continues to echo His words when it honors Mary with the Greek title, "Theotokos", which means, Mary is the Mother of God !