The case for Mary, the Mother of God

~ Lokho M Sapriina1.    As Jesus hung upon the Cross at Calvary, preparing to give up His spirit and accomplish the work of our salvation, He looked at His mother and the beloved disciple and said: “Behold, your mother!” (John 19:27).These words, spoken at the very culmination of Christ’s earthly mission, invite us to reflect more deeply on the place of Mary in the mystery of salvation.2.    Among the people who appear in the Gospel narrative, Mary occupies a unique place. She was present from the very beginning of Jesus’ earthly life—at His miraculous conception, at His birth, throughout important moments of His ministry, and finally at the foot of the Cross.Her role began with a simple yet extraordinary act of obedience. When the angel Gabriel announced God's plan to her, Mary replied:“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.”— Luke 1:38. With these words, Mary freely surrendered herself to God's will. She perhaps did not fully understand everything that would follow, yet she trusted God and cooperated with His plan.Mary’s fiat—her “yes”— a human response opened the way for God to incarnate in the flesh, for salvation to be accomplished through Jesus Christ.3.    A profound understanding of this response of mother Mary and her salvific role shaped Catholic theology. She was ascribed with several lofty titles including “Co-redemptrix” – which tend to give an impression that Mary was co-equal with Christ. This understanding was sought to be corrected by the Church through the Dicastery for Doctrine of the Faith 2025 Mater Populi Fidelis. It examined Marian titles to remove misunderstanding and stamp out unnecessary controversy. The title “Co-redemptrix” purport to undermine Christ’s unique rolein redemption by counting Mary as co-equal. Nonetheless,Mary's cooperation with God's plan is central to the Christian believe. The belief that- for miracles to happen, man must co-operate with God. Salvation comes from God alone but it is a mystery that God chose to accomplish it through Mary.4.    Because Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ, and because Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man, the early Church came to describe Mary as “Theotokos”, a Greek word meaning “God-bearer” or “Mother of God.”This title was solemnly affirmed at the Council of Ephesus in AD 431.5.    The biblical foundation for Mary's unique place is found throughout the New Testament.At the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel greeted Mary:“Hail, full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women!”— Luke 1:28. Gabriel then announced:“You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.”— Luke 1:31–32. And when Mary asked how this could happen, the angel replied:“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”— Luke 1:35. Mary's divine maternity is therefore inseparably connected with the mystery of Christ's divine son-ship.6.    The Gospel of Luke gives us another remarkable testimony.When Mary visited Elizabeth, the unborn John the Baptist leaped in Elizabeth's womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, exclaimed:“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”— Luke 1:41–43. Elizabeth did not merely acknowledge Mary as another expectant mother. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, she recognized the extraordinary identity of the child Mary was carrying: “My Lord.”7.    Mary herself prophesied:“From now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”— Luke 1:48–49. These words proved to be remarkably prophetic. Generation after generation of Christians have indeed called Mary blessed because God did great things through her.Mary's greatness, lies in her humility,faith and love with which she freely embraced God’s will, apart from the fact that she was the mother of Jesus.8.    Another revealing episode concerning Mary is her role in the wedding at Cana.When the wine ran out, Mary told Jesus:“They have no wine.”— John 2:3Jesus replied:“Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”— John 2:4.Mary did not argue with Him. Instead, she turned to the servants and said:“Do whatever he tells you.”— John 2:5. Notice how this little interaction between mother Mary and Jesus conveya profound message. It points to the fact that Mary leads us to Christ and that her intercession is powerful. Her intervention moved the will of God to act irrespective of time –the hour had not come and the matter did not concern him. However, after mother Mary intervenedJesus performed His first recorded miracle, changing water into wine. The miracle that protected the honor of the bridegroom. Knowing this, we have not recourse but to acknowledge the persuasive and efficacious nature of mother Mary’s prayer and intercession.9.    Mary's instruction—“Do whatever he tells you”—beautifully summarizes her entire spiritual mission. Mary does not draw attention to herself. She directs us toward Christ.This is perhaps one of the clearest biblical indications that authentic Marian devotion ultimately leads to Jesus.The incident at Cana provides an important basis for the Christian understanding of Mary's intercession. She brings a need to Jesus, and Jesus responds.10.    An interesting anecdote noted in the gospel of John is the manner in which Jesus addresses Mary as “Woman”, both at Cana (John 2:4) and at Calvary (John 19:26).The repetition is not an accident.At Cana, the “Woman” is present at the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. At Calvary, the “Woman” stands at the foot of the Cross as Jesus completes His earthly mission.This connection becomes particularly significant when read alongside Genesis.11.    Genesis 3:15 contains what Christian tradition has long regarded as the Proto-evangelium, the first announcement of the Gospel:“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”The identity of the “Woman” and her offspring has been interpreted in different ways within Christian biblical scholarship. Nevertheless, Christian tradition has long seen a profound parallel between Eve and Mary.Eve, though created in innocence, disobeyed God's command. Mary, through faith and obedience, accepted God's will.12    St. Irenaeus of Lyons asecond-century Bishop and a disciple of Polycarp (Disciple of St. John the Apostle), who was himself associated with the apostolic tradition,expressed this parallel beautifully:“The knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. What the virgin Eve bound through unbelief, the Virgin Mary loosened by faith.”The assessment is therefore:Eve — disobedience — the FallMary — obedience — heralded the Redemption. 13.     Wherefore, alongside Mary stands Christ, the New Adam, whose obedience restores what Adam's disobedience had damaged. This understanding finds basis in the Gospels of Matthew 26:39 and Luke 22:42 where Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane shortly before his crucifixion says “Not my will, but yours be done.”Besides, St. Paul explicitly presented Christ as the new Adam (1 Corinthians 15:22 &45), while Christian tradition developed the parallel between Eve and Mary. An understanding which prefigured the persons of Mary and Jesus.14.    There is therefore, a remarkable biblical movement:Eden → Annunciation → Cana → Calvary.In Genesis, a woman is associated with the entrance of sin into human history.At the Annunciation, a woman freely accepts God's plan for the coming of the Redeemer.At Cana, the same woman directs others toward Christ.At Calvary, she stands beneath the Cross while Christ accomplishes the work of redemption.And there Jesus says to the beloved disciple:“Behold, your mother!”— John 19:27. The Church has traditionally understood these words not merely as a private arrangement concerning the care of Mary, but as having a deeperspiritual significance: Mary is given as mother to the disciple, and through the disciple, to the Church.15.    The Church's understanding of Mary did not suddenly emerge centuries later. Early Christian writers spoke about her in remarkably exalted terms.(i)    St. Irenaeus of Lyons(AD 130 – 177)wrote“The Virgin Mary, being obedient to his word, received from an angel the glad tidings that she would bear God.”This reflects the early Christian connection between Mary's obedience and the Incarnation.(ii)  St. Hippolytus of Rome(AD 170 – 235) wrote of Christ's coming into the world through:“the spotless and God-bearing (Theotokos) Mary.”This demonstrates the early use of language emphasizing Mary's role in the mystery of the incarnation.(iii) St. Cyril of Alexandria(AD 376 – 444) one of the principal defenders of the title Theotokos, put the matter very directly:“For if our Lord Jesus Christ is God, how should theholy Virgin who bore him not be the Mother of God?”This is the fundamental logic behind the title.16.    The Old Testament also contains passages that Christians have traditionally understood and certain interpretations pointed to the coming Messiah toward His mother.Micah prophesies:“From you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.”— Micah 5:2. The passage continues:“Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth.”— Micah 5:3. Likewise, Revelation 12 presents the striking image of:“A woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.”— Revelation 12:1.17.    Notwithstanding the scriptural basis presented above, some Christian traditions object against Catholic devotion to Mary and such honor is sometimes perceived as worship.But Catholic theology makes an important distinction: worship belongs to God alone.To distinguish the type of honor given to God, the saints, and the Virgin Mary,Greek termsLatria, Dulia and Hyperdulia are used in Catholic theology:•    Latria:Adoration and worship due to God alone. It acknowledges Him as the supreme creator and Lord of all things.•    Dulia:Veneration and honor given to the saints and angels. It recognizes the excellence of their holy lives and their closeness to God.•    Hyperdulia:A special, highest form of veneration reserved exclusively for the Virgin Mary. It sits above the honor given to regular saints (dulia) but remains infinitely below the worship due to God (latria).18.    Therefore, Mary is not worshipped as God. She is venerated because of God's extraordinary work in her and because of her unique relationship with Christ.Mary herself gives the perspective when she proclaims “He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”— Luke 1:49. Mary's greatness therefore does not diminish God's greatness. Quite the opposite: the more we recognize what God has done in Mary, the more we glorify God.19.    This brings us back to a fundamental question.“Who Are We to Question His Judgment?”God could have chosen any way to enter human history. Yet, He chose to enter the world through the free cooperation of a young woman named Mary.He chose her to be the mother of His incarnate Son.He chose to preserve her place at significant moments in the Gospel narrative.He chose to have her present at Cana.He chose to have her stand beneath the Cross.And from the Cross, He said:“Behold, your mother.”20.    The question, therefore, is not whether Mary should receive attention at the expense of Christ. The biblical evidence points in the opposite direction.Mary's entire life points toward Christ.Her last recorded words in the Gospel were:“Do whatever he tells you.”– John 2:5.It was not a command to exalt herself, but a direction to us toward her Son.That is the essence of authentic Marian devotion.Mary does not stand between us and Jesus; she points us toward Him.She does not replace Christ; she leads us to Christ.She does not claim the glory that belongs to God; she herself proclaims:“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.”— Luke 1:46–47.21.    “Blessed are you among women.”— Luke 1:42 is another fitting tribute to Mary in the Gospel. For if God chose to honor Mary by making her the Mother of His Son, Christians need not be embarrassed to honor the woman whom God Himself so extraordinarily honored.We must not perceive controversy where there is none. Even Martin Luther who hadhis disagreements with the Catholic Church in his commentary on The Magnificat (1521), had immensely honoured Mary regarding her divine maternity: He wrote "Men have crowded all her glory into a single phrase: the Mother of God. No one can say anything greater of her, though he had as many tongues as there are leaves on the trees, or grass in the fields, or stars in the sky, or sand by the sea."In conclusion, I say;With Mary, we say yes to God.With Mary, we look to Christ.With Mary, we stand beneath the Cross.And with Mary, we proclaim:“My soul magnifies the Lord.”Ladies & gentleman, I rest my case for your kind consideration.