Mary Mother of God 1st Jan 2024

And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Luke 2:19

Today we celebrate Mary the Mother of God. A pronouncement of an early Church Council, The Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D., insisted "If anyone does not confess that Emmanuel is truly God, and that on this account the holy virgin is the "Theotokos" let him be anathema." (The Council of Ephesus, 431 AD) This title is upon the oldest titles of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

More than a 1000 years before the protestants rejected this title of Mother of God Nestorius had already rejected it. Nestorius was the Patriarch of Constantinople in 428 AD. His theological views, particularly his rejection of the title "Theotokos" (God-bearer), sparked significant controversy. Nestorius argued that Mary should be called "Christotokos" (Christ-bearer) mother of Christ, instead, emphasizing the distinction between Christ's divine and human natures. He insisted that Mary gave birth to the human Jesus, who was later united with the divine Word of God. In essence, the heresy maintained Jesus was really two separate persons, and only the human Jesus was in Mary’s womb, Jesus was not God incarnate while in the womb.Jesus' human acts and sufferings were of his human nature, not his Godhead. He never denied that Christ was divine. On the contrary, it was to protect Christ's divinity that he argued as he did, lest it be lost in worship of the human child.

This stance led to his condemnation at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD, where his teachings were declared heretical. The council affirmed that Christ is one person with both divine and human natures. As Mary is the Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is God, she is, therefore, the Mother of God. Consequently the council upheld the title "Theotokos". Nestorius refused to renounce his heretical belief despite multiple appeals for repentance and so was subsequently deposed and exiled.

As Catholics, we love this awe inspiring title of Mother of God. A title which emphasises both the Divinity of Jesus recognising Him as God while at the same time recognizing His humanity as Son of Mary. A title which reveals the great dignity of Our Lady, who God chose to be His mother; it also shows the humility of Almighty God who humbles Himself to become Mary’s Son, our brother. There is a very old prayer to Mary which was found on a fragment of papyrus paper which dates back to about 250 AD. The early Church not only loved Mary but they also prayed to her asking her help. The prayer is as follows:

Sub tuum praesidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

Under your protection,
 we take refuge, O Mother of God: do not despise our petitions in time of trouble, but rescue us from dangers, glorious & Blessed Virgin. Amen

“This prayer was found on a fragment of papyrus that dates to approximately AD 250”

Not only do we see that from the very beginning of the Church that Christians prayed to Mary, we also see that they believed her to be both the Mother of God and Ever Virgin. This goes to show us that our faith and devotion to Mary is founded on what Christians believed and practiced in the early Church.

St Elizabeth said: And why am I so honoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. (Lk 1:42-44). Mary is clearly noted to be God’s Mother as her child is recognised as Lord days after His conception.