The Feast of the Divine Maternity celebrates one of the
most profound mysteries of our faith: that Mary, a young woman from Nazareth,
was chosen to be the Mother of God Himself. This feast, celebrated on October
11th, honors the truth proclaimed at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD, when the
early Church definitively declared Mary as "Theotokos", the
God-bearer. The bishops gathered at this council were not simply bestowing an
honorary title upon Mary but rather defending the very nature of Christ
Himself. By proclaiming Mary as Mother of God, they affirmed that Jesus Christ
is fully divine, that God truly became man in her womb, and that the human and
divine natures are inseparably united in the one Person of Christ.
This mystery began at the Annunciation, when the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary
with a message that would change the course of human history. When Mary said
"yes" to God's plan, "Let it be done to me according to your
word", she became the vessel through which the Second Person of the
Trinity took on human flesh. What makes this so extraordinary is that Mary did
not simply give birth to a holy man or a prophet; she gave birth to God
incarnate. The child she nursed at her breast, taught to walk, and raised in
Nazareth was the Creator of the universe. This is why we call her the Divine
Mother, not because she existed before God or created Him, but because the
child she bore is truly God.
Throughout the centuries, the Church has contemplated this mystery with wonder
and reverence. Early Church Fathers like St. Athanasius and St. Cyril of
Alexandria vigorously defended Mary's title as Mother of God because they
understood that to diminish her motherhood was to diminish Christ's divinity.
If Mary were merely the mother of Jesus's human nature alone, it would suggest
that Christ was a divided person, part human, part divine. But the faith
teaches us that Christ is one divine Person with two natures. Mary gave birth
to this one Person, and therefore she is truly the Mother of God. This is not
an exaltation that takes away from Christ; rather, it is a proclamation that
magnifies the incredible humility of God, who chose to enter our world as a
helpless infant, dependent upon His own creation for His very life.
The Divine Maternity reveals to us not only Mary's unique privilege but also
God's plan for human cooperation in salvation. God did not force His way into
the world; He asked permission through Mary. He chose to need a mother, to
experience human life from its very beginning in the womb. In doing so, He
sanctified family life, motherhood, and the intimate bond between parent and
child. Mary's divine motherhood also makes her our mother in the order of
grace. At the foot of the cross, Jesus gave her to us when He said to John,
"Behold, your mother." Because she is the Mother of Christ, and we
are members of His Body, she becomes mother to all who are united to her Son.
She who gave physical life to Jesus continues to nurture the spiritual life of all
His followers.
As we honor the Feast of the Divine Maternity, we are called to profound
gratitude and reverence. We thank God for His humility in choosing to be born
of a woman, and we thank Mary for her courageous "yes" that opened
the door for our redemption. In venerating Mary as Mother of God, we are not
worshiping her, worship belongs to God alone, but we are honoring her as the
masterpiece of God's creation and the first among the redeemed. Let us turn to
her with childlike trust, asking her who held the infant Jesus to help us draw
closer to her Son. Let us imitate her faith, her obedience, and her complete
surrender to God's will. For in honoring the Divine Maternity, we celebrate not
just a historical fact, but a living reality: that God chose to unite Himself
with humanity through Mary, and through her maternal intercession, continues to
draw us into His merciful embrace.
©2025 James Dacey, Jr., OFS
