From the beginning, the Blessed Virgin was called Theotokos or the Bearer of God or Mother of God. The word Theotokos comes from the Greek word, which means God-Bearer. Christians valued the term in the early years of the Church. Throughout the Eastern Church, people widely used the term Theotokos.
What is a dogma? A Dogma is the teaching, decision, or pronouncement of the Pope that the whole Church will believe. When the Pope says that an article is a Dogma, all faithful will accept this, and there will be without a doubt.
Theotokos or the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary
From the beginning, the Blessed Virgin was called Theotokos or the Bearer of God or Mother of God. The word Theotokos comes from the Greek word, which means God-Bearer. Christians valued the term in the early years of the Church. Throughout the Eastern Church, people widely used the term Theotokos.
This title responds to the initial attacks of those who want to lower their respect to the Blessed Virgin because they do not believe in the Blessed Virgin’s importance. Our ancient Church had a clear pronouncement then, and this took place at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD. The Council said if anyone does not declare that God is indeed the Emmanuel and on this account that the Blessed Virgin is the Theotokos, he should be anathema.
The Council explained they want the title Theotokos because they want to show and preserve the Church’s teaching that the Lord Jesus is both divine and human in one person. In the Lord’s person, there is both divine and human nature. Two natures unified into one person.
Not only is this belief being challenged early on. Even today, there are critics. That is why the Council of Ephesus came about because Nestorius, a bishop, says it is separate. He said that the Blessed Virgin is only the Mother of Christ but not calling her the Mother of God. So the Council put the title Theotokos to stop the heresy. When did this happen? When the Virgin Mary said, “may God’s will be done,” she accepted being the Mother of God.
What are the questions here? Their question is, as Alpha and Omega is not God without beginning and end, how did He have a mother? The answer to that is that when He saved humanity, He chose to take human flesh. And with that decision, he also wanted to experience human nature. To be born, grow up, and die. So he deserves to have a mother. And who are we to stop what He wants to do? He is God. If he chose to have a Mother when he became human, it is His will.
What else is the significance of being the Mother of God of the Blessed Virgin Mary? Because we are sinners, we are ashamed to go straight to the Lord because we are sinful and He is holy. We need someone to approach and plead for us, to lay down our requests. Because if we go straight to God and ask, we will suffer because we are sinners. So we go through the Blessed Virgin first because when the Mother begs for us, the Son will not deny it. Like here on earth, when our Mother asks a favor, we cannot refuse it.
The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, is commemorated every January 1.
