THE DIVINE MOTHERHOOD OF MARY

“Let no one call Mary the Mother of God; she is a woman, and it is impossible for God to be born of a woman". This affirmation uttered from the mouth of the presbyter Anastasius did not sit well at all; a shudder of surprise and indignation ran through the cathedral of Constantinople at such a thing against the dogma that was to be proclaimed in the future.

Until then it had never occurred to anyone to question there that truth in which the Church had long believed, and at that moment the preacher denied it with such arrogance. Filial and afflicted glances riddled the countenance of the Patriarch who, seated in his cathedra, should be the guardian of the Faith. However, he not only kept silent, but approved with an emphatic nod of his head giving his support to that unusual affirmation. The people, scandalized, began to leave the cathedral.

The origin of a controversial Patriarch

In the eastern capital of the Roman Empire, Constantinople, theological controversy and palace intrigues, accentuated by the characteristics of the eastern temperament, were tumultuously mixed. Thus, as soon as the Patriarchal See became vacant at the end of 427, the factions represented at court moved to promote their respective candidates to the coveted post.

Theodosius II, however, decided to pay no attention to either side and, in order to avoid discord, opted to choose a foreigner. His choice fell on a monk from Antioch, an excellent orator, gifted with a sonorous voice and a reputation for holiness. Some considered him a second Chrysostom. His name was Nestorius.

Unfortunately, the candidate's reputation did not correspond to reality. Although he appeared to be pious, zealous and upright, Father Nestorius was thirsty for flattery and flattery. To occupy such an important chair encouraged his ambitious yearnings and, therefore, as soon as he received the invitation he traveled to Nova Roma, accompanied by Anastasius, his confidant. On the way, he stopped for a moment with the Bishop of Mopsuestia, Theodore, who had gone down tortuous paths in theological speculation, airing Christological theses that were too reckless. And the heterodox thought of Nestorius in matters of Christology originated or was aggravated in the coexistence with that prelate. The joy of the Constantinopolitans for the arrival of the new Patriarch was immediately transformed into fear and distrust, because the one who promised to be a zealous pastor soon showed pride and lack of integrity. And the sermon mentioned above was the trigger for the new heresy that the newly elected Patriarch would spread throughout the Christian East.

Serious repercussions on the doctrine against Mary.

Nestorius affirmed that Mary is mother only of the human nature of Christ and for this reason she should be called simply Mother of Christ (Christotokos). To speak of Mother of God would be, in his words, "to justify the folly of the pagans, who give mothers to their gods". Mary would have given birth to the man Jesus in whom the Word, the Son of God, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, would dwell as in a temple. That is to say, in Jesus Christ there would be two persons, one divine and the other human, and not only the divine Person, with two distinct natures, the divine and the human, as Catholic doctrine teaches us. From this statement a series of propositions contrary to the Faith are deduced. In the first place, the pains of the Passion would have been suffered only by the humanity of Christ and, therefore, could not have satisfied God the Father with infinite merits. If this were so, there would be no reason to speak of Redemption, for "no man, even the holiest, was in a position to take upon himself the sins of all men and offer himself in sacrifice for all".

On the other hand, the expression "the Word became flesh" would lose its meaning, for no matter how much it was affirmed that in Christ there would exist the union of two persons, the divine and the human, the actions of the supposed human person of Christ could not be attributed to his divine person. And several passages of the Gospel would become problematic, such as: "So that you may know that the Son of Man has on earth the power to forgive sins," he said to the paralytic, "get up, take your mat and go home" (Mt 9:6). For if he were only a human person, the Son of Man would never have that power. Nor would one understand Jesus' response to Philip's appeal-"Lord, show us the Father, and that is enough for us"-when he said to him, "Philip, I have been with you so long, and yet you do not know me? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?" (Jn 14:8-10).

Discord is sown in the Catholic East.

Nestorius had little use for the charitable warnings of his fellow citizens and even of his brothers in the episcopate to dissuade him from his error. On the contrary, the stubborn Patriarch publicly condemned the opponents of his ideas and had them arrested and ill-treated, accused of promoting public disorder. In the meantime, a written compilation of Nestorius' sermons spread throughout the other Churches of the East, sowing division among the faithful people.

Saint. Cyril of Alexandria in defense of the Maternity of Mary.

The new heresy did not take long to reach the Church of Alexandria, governed since 412 by Patriarch St. Cyril. Determined as always, he did not take long to take action to cut it off. While issuing letters to bishops, priests and monks reiterating the doctrine on the Incarnation of the Word and the Divine Maternity of Mary, he was prudently careful not to flaunt the errors and the name of the heretic, for, "moved by intense charity", he insisted on "not allowing anyone to proclaim himself a greater lover of Nestorius than himself".

At the end of 429 he wrote to him meekly for the first time, warning him of the rumors that were circulating in the region about his doctrines and asked him for explanations about it. Not having obtained for answer only an acid invitation to Christian moderation, St. Cyril exposed to him in a second missive, with luminous and supernatural clairvoyance, the universal thought of the Church. However, Nestorius did not yield and replied with a new letter containing a list of his ideas.

Rome enters the dispute.

In view of the uselessness of the resources available to him, St. Cyril could only turn to Rome and so he did, sending Pope St. Celestine I a documented account of the controversy with the Patriarch of Constantinople, which contained texts of the sermons of Nestorius, accompanied by a synthesis of his errors, as well as a collection of patristic texts that supported the true doctrine and copies of the letters he had sent to the heretic. For his part, Nestorius had already informed Pope St. Celestine I of the situation, albeit in studiously ambiguous terms, with the aim of winning his favor.

Recognizing the danger involved, St. Celestine convened a synod in Rome in August 430 to deal with this important matter. The writings of Nestorius were carefully examined, and confronted with a long series of texts of the Fathers of the Church. Before the evidence of heresy, the new doctrine was categorically condemned. From his own hand the Pope wrote to Nestorius ratifying the Christological teachings of St. Cyril and warning him that he incurred excommunication if he did not retract his errors in writing within ten days. Letters were also sent to the principal bishops of the East, to the clergy and to the people of Constantinople so that "our sentence on Nestorius would be known, that is to say, the divine sentence of Christ on him", the text said. To execute it in the name of the Supreme Pontiff was appointed St. Cyril himself, who summoned a synod in Alexandria and in the name of this assembly wrote a new letter to the heresiarch, exposing in a rather detailed way the Catholic truth about the Incarnation, and enumerating the twelve errors of which Nestorius should attach in writing, in case he wanted to remain in the fold of the Church. It was the third and last appeal to him for his conversion.

However, making use of his influence in the court of Constantinople, he tried to obtain the support of the emperor, who - in order to settle the disputes and doubts and to attend to various appeals - thought it opportune to convoke an ecumenical council. The Pope agreed with the imperial decision and sent his legates, giving them very precise instructions on the position they should take before the Council Fathers: he recommended them to defend the primacy of the Apostolic See, to exercise the role of impolite judges and to be always united to the zealous Patriarch of Alexandria. At stake in that assembly was the Faith of the Church with regard to this essential attribute of Mary Most Holy, and as the Jesuit historian Father Bernardino Llorca emphasizes, "the situation was, in reality, extremely delicate. The Pope had already given the sentence against the doctrine of Nestorius, so the council could do nothing but proclaim this pontifical declaration. Any other conduct could bring about a schism".

The Council of Ephesus.

Shortly before June 7, 431, the feast of Pentecost, the representatives of the various particular Churches were arriving in Ephesus. However, the delay of the pontifical legates and of some bishops, due to the long and difficult journey, postponed the beginning of the sessions, which contributed to diminish the spirit of some Council Fathers and to cause some insecurity in the others. Meanwhile, Nestorius was trying to attract the unwary and unsuspecting to his doctrine, referring contemptuously to St. Cyril as "the Egyptian". Then the Patriarch of Alexandria decided to begin the council without further delay, availing himself of the authority the Pope had conferred on him, even before the arrival of the Roman Fathers and without heeding the emphatic complaints of the opposing faction.

The first conciliatory session.

It began on June 22 with the proclamation of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan symbol of faith. Nestorius, although he had been summoned to be present, sent a message saying that he would not appear until all the bishops arrived. However, the council continued its work with the reading of the doctrines contained in the exchange of letters between St. Cyril and the heresiarch. At the reading of the defense of the Alexandrian Patriarch, prolonged and warm applause broke out, his missive being declared orthodox and in conformity with the Nicene symbol, while that of Nestorius was reprobated as impious and contrary to the Catholic Faith. The conciliar works and studies were completed with the reading of the sentence consigned by the Pope in the synod of Rome and a long series of patristic texts consolidating the Catholic position. Efforts to bring Nestorius back to his father's house were unsuccessful. All those whom the council sent to try to dissuade him from his error were rudely expelled from his presence. In vain. On him fell the anathema: "Our Lord, Jesus Christ, of whom he has blasphemed, has defined by this holy synod that the same Nestorius be excluded from every episcopal dignity and from every assembly of bishops".

Jubilation in the city blessed by the passage of Mary.

The faithful of Ephesus - the city in which, according to Tradition, Mary Most Holy would have resided - exulted when the definitive sentence reaffirming the doctrine of the divine maternity was announced to them. All flocked to the Church of St. Mary to the cry of "Theotokos! "to celebrate the decision, as Pius XI recounts in his encyclical commemorating the 15th centenary of the aforementioned Council: "The people of Ephesus were so devoted to the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, that as soon as they heard the sentence pronounced by the Fathers of the Council, they acclaimed them with a joyful outpouring of encouragement and, armed with lighted torches, accompanied them in a tight crowd to their residences. And surely, the great Mother of God herself, smiling with sweetness from Heaven at such a marvelous spectacle, corresponded with a maternal heart and with her most benign help to her children of Ephesus and to all the faithful of the Catholic world, disturbed by the insidiousness of the Nestorian heresy".

Rebellion and confusion.

Even so, in a missive addressed to the emperor, signed by seven other bishops, Nestorius objected to his condemnation. Together with John - Patriarch of Antioch, who had not arrived in time to participate in the council - he met in council with a minority of bishops opposed to St. Cyril's decision to begin the work without waiting for those who were delayed. They declared St. Cyril and Memnon, Bishop of Ephesus, deposed from their episcopal sees and demanded that all the other bishops retract the twelve anathemas. However, this small assembly did not attempt to rehabilitate Nestorius, for John of Antioch, although a friend of his, considered him guilty of heresy. Emperor Theodosius II, confused by the contradictory news coming from Ephesus, issued an edict forbidding the prelates to return to their cities before an investigation was made into all that had happened. The imperial order filled with rejoicing the party of heretics, who judged themselves under the protection of the temporal authority and, consequently, authorized to take all kinds of arbitrary measures. These ranged from the attempt to consecrate a new Bishop of Ephesus to the use of physical violence against the simple people, indignant with the direction things had taken, and even against some of the Council Fathers. In spite of this, such manifestations of arrogance and injustice would not last long.

The final decision.

The papal legates finally arrived in Ephesus, and the council, under the presidency of St. Cyril, who represented the Supreme Pontiff, began its second session on July 10. The papal envoys carried a letter from St. Celestine, dated May, asking the great assembly to promulgate the sentence pronounced by the Roman Synod against the Patriarch of Constantinople. Seeing the will of God clearly expressed in the pontifical decision, all the bishops present exclaimed: "This is the just judgment! To Celestine, new Paul, to Cyril, new Paul, to Celestine custodian of the Faith, to Celestine concordant with the synod, to Celestine the whole council gives thanks: one Celestine, one Cyril, one Faith in the synod, one Faith in the world".

The acts of the first session, after being examined and confirmed, were read in public. According to Rohrbacher's beautiful terms, at that second meeting "all the perfume of holy antiquity was breathed: the spirit of faith, of piety, of holy courtesy; the spirit of union with the successor of Peter; the spirit of love and filial submission to his authority; in a word, the spirit of the Catholic Church." In successive sessions, the cases of John of Antioch and other dissidents, who had been summoned on three occasions and in view of their refusal to appear, were excommunicated. Likewise, six canons were approved in which not only the condemnation of Nestorius was renewed, but also that of some Pelagians. At the close of the council, on July 31, the Catholic doctrine on the Holy Mother of God was defined forever.

Mary is truly the Mother of God.

Mary's divine maternity (CCE 495) Called in the Gospels "the Mother of Jesus" (Jn 2:1; 19:25; cf. Mt 13:55, etc.), Mary is acclaimed under the impulse of the Spirit as "the mother of my Lord" from before the birth of her son (cf. Lk 1:43). Indeed, he whom she conceived as man, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and who truly became her Son according to the flesh, is none other than the eternal Son of the Father, the second person of the Blessed Trinity. The Church confesses that Mary is truly Mother of God [Theotokos] (cf. Council of Ephesus, 649: DS, 251).

Question: "How can Mary be the mother of God, if God already existed before she was born?"
Answer: In the dictionary we find that "mother" is the woman who begets. She is said to be the mother of the one she begot. If we accept that Mary is the mother of Jesus and that He is God, then Mary is the Mother of God.

There should be no confusion between time and eternity. Mary, obviously, was not mother of the Son eternally. She begins to be Mother of God when the Eternal Son wanted to enter time and become man like us. In order to become man, He wanted to have a mother. Galatians 4:4: "When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman". God became man without ceasing to be God, therefore Mary is the mother of Jesus, true God and true man.

Therefore, Mary is the Mother of God, not because she begot him in eternity but because she begot him 2000 years ago in the Incarnation. God did not need a mother, but He wanted to have one in order to draw near to us with infinite love. God is the only one who could choose his mother and, to the dismay of some and the joy of others, he chose the Blessed Virgin Mary who is and always will be the Mother of God.

When the Virgin Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, she, moved by the Holy Spirit, called her "Mother of my Lord". The Lord to whom she refers can be none other than God (cf. Luke 1:39-45). The truth that Mary is the Mother of God is part of the faith of all Orthodox Christians (of right doctrine). It was dogmatically proclaimed at the Council of Ephesus in 431 and is the first Marian dogma.
Orthodoxy (right doctrine) teaches:
Jesus is one divine person (not two persons).Jesus has two natures: He is truly God and Man.Mary is the mother of a divine person and is therefore Mother of God.Mary is Mother of God. This is the principal of all Marian dogmas, and the root and foundation of the most singular dignity of the Virgin Mary. Mary is the Mother of God, not from all eternity but in time.


The dogma of Mary Mother of God contains two truths:
Mary is truly mother: This means that she contributed in every way to the formation of the human nature of Christ, as every mother contributes to the formation of the child of her womb. Mary is truly the mother of God: She conceived and gave birth to the second person of the Trinity, according to the human nature that He assumed.

The divine origin of Christ does not come from Mary. But since Christ is a person of divine and human natures. Mary is both mother of man and Mother of God. Mary is Mother of God, because she is Mother of Christ who is God-man.

Mary's maternal mission is mentioned from the first creeds of the Church. In the Apostles' Creed: "I believe in God the Father almighty and in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord who was born of the Virgin Mary".

"And, certainly, from the most ancient times, the Blessed Virgin is venerated with the title of Mother of God, to whose protection the faithful supplicants take refuge in all their dangers and necessities." .... And the various forms of piety towards the Mother of God, which the Church has been approving within the limits of sound doctrine, make the Son, for whose sake all things are, better known, loved, glorified and, at the same time, his commandments better fulfilled" (LG #66).

In the Creed of the People of God of Paul VI (1968): "We believe that the Blessed Mary, who remained ever Virgin, was the Mother of the Incarnate Word, our God and Savior" (LG #66).

In 1984 J.P.II consecrates the whole world to the I.C. of Mary, throughout the entire consecration prayer he repeats: "We have recourse to your protection, Holy Mother of God".

Mary, being the Mother of God, transcends in dignity all creatures, men and angels, since the dignity of the creature is in its closeness to God. And Mary is the closest to the Trinity. Mother of the Son, Daughter of the Father and Spouse of the Spirit.

"Knowledge of the true Catholic doctrine on Mary will always be the exact key to understanding the mystery of Christ and the Church."

"And the Mother of God is mine, because Christ is mine" (St. John of the Cross).