Dear Father Angelo,
I am writing to you because I would like a clarification that is very close to my heart.
In the Hail Mary, it says “Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners.” I ask you why it doesn’t say “Mary, Mother of Jesus”?
Thank you for your reply.
A faithful one,
Caterina
Best wishes for the holidays!
Reply from the priest
Dear Caterina,
1. There was a heretic named Nestorius who denied the divinity of Christ and said that Mary could only be called the mother of Jesus.
The expression “mother of Jesus” is true and is also found in Sacred Scripture, for example: “The father and mother of Jesus marveled at what was said about him” (Luke 2:33).
And also: “On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there” (John 2:1).
2. St. Thomas himself presents the following objection: “It is necessary to adhere to the language of Sacred Scripture. Now nowhere in it does it say that the Blessed Virgin Mary is the mother or motheress of God, but only that she is the mother of Jesus or mother of the child.”
He responds as follows: “The objection comes from Nestorius.
It can be resolved by pointing out that, although Scripture does not expressly say that the Blessed Virgin is the mother of God, it does say that ‘Jesus Christ is true God’ (1 John 5:20), and that the Blessed Virgin is the ‘mother of Jesus Christ’ (Mt 1:18).
Therefore, it necessarily follows from the words of Scripture that she is the mother of God.
Furthermore, St. Paul states that ‘from the Jews, according to the flesh, is Christ, who is above all things, God blessed forever’ (Rom 9:5). But he derives from the Jews only through the Blessed Virgin. Therefore, he who is ‘above all things, God blessed forever’ is truly born of the Blessed Virgin as of his mother” (Summa Theologica, III, 35, 4, ad 1).
3. St. Thomas presents a second objection: “Christ is God according to the divine nature. But the divine nature did not take its origin from Mary, therefore Mary cannot be called the mother of God.”
He responds again: “This difficulty also comes from Nestorius. St. Cyril resolves it as follows: ‘The soul of man is born together with his body, and together they form one thing; if anyone were to say that the mother of the body is not the mother of the soul, his speech would be useless. We find something of the sort in the generation of Christ. For the Word of God was born of the substance of God the Father; but since He assumed flesh, it is necessary to admit that according to the flesh He was born of a woman.’ It must therefore be affirmed that the Blessed Virgin is the mother of God, not because she is the mother of the divinity, but because she is the mother, according to human nature, of a person who possesses divinity and humanity” (ibid., ad 2).
4. For these reasons, the Council of Ephesus in 431, condemning Nestorius, declared: “If anyone does not admit that Emmanuel is truly God and that therefore the Blessed Virgin is the Mother of God (Theotokos), in as much as she gave birth according to the flesh to the Word born of God, let him be anathema” (DS 252).
5. And here is the theological motivation of St. Thomas: “Conception and birth are attributed to a person according to the nature in which the person is conceived and born. Therefore, since the divine person assumed human nature from the beginning of conception, it is clear that it can truly be said that God was conceived and born of the Virgin. But precisely for this reason a woman is called the mother of a person, because she conceived and gave birth to that person.
Therefore the Blessed Virgin must truly be called the Mother of God.”
6. The name Mother of God (Theotokos) appears in Alexandria, Egypt, during the time of Origen, who died in 254.
But it has its roots in the Apostles’ Creed, and therefore in the time of the Apostles: “I believe in Jesus Christ, her Son, our Lord, born of the Virgin Mary.”
7. By saying Mother of God and not simply Mother of Jesus, we immediately avoid Nestorius’ misunderstanding and merely repeat Elizabeth’s statement when she heard the voice of the Virgin: “And why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord (God) should come to me?” (Luke 1:43).
I gladly reciprocate your good wishes for this beautiful Christmas holiday season.
I remember you in prayer and bless you.
Father Angelo
