| Definition: Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God |
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January 1 is the day we celebrate the oldest and most important feast of Mary. Coming one week after Christmas, it is a second celebration of Jesus' birth with a special focus on Mary as the Mother of God. This title was given to Mary at the Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D.
In the early Church, some claimed that Mary should only be called the mother of the human Jesus and not the mother of God. The council taught, however, that the humanity and divinity of Jesus could not be separated and that they exist in one person—with the momentous implication that we can rightly give Mary the title of Mother of God. Mothers bring life, a gift from God, into the world. That's why you sometimes hear the Church referred to as Mother. |
Source:
Youth Update Glossary
St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2002 |