Catholics celebrated the feast of Mary’s divine motherhood on the 1st of January. Christmas spotlight is widened by the celebration of this feast. Mary has an important role to play in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. Mary said yes to God’s invitation conveyed by the angel and in St. Luke’s gospel we can see Elizabeth saying “Most blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” signifying the importance of Mary. Mary’s role as mother of God places her in a unique position in God’s redemptive plan.
Paul also confirms that “God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4) without naming Mary. Then he further states that “God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out ‘Abba, Father!’”. These lines help us realize that Mary is mother to all those who believe in Jesus.
Some theologians proclaim that Mary’s motherhood of Jesus is an important part in God’s creative plan. They say that God’s “first” thought in creation was Jesus, who could give God perfect love and worship on behalf of all creation. As Jesus takes the “first” place in God’s mind, our Lady becomes the “second” as she was chosen from all eternity to be his mother.
The title “Mother of God” goes back at least to the third or fourth century. In the Greek form Theotokos which means God-bearer, became the cornerstone of the Church’s teaching about the Incarnation. At the Council of Ephesus in 431 it was confirmed that the holy Fathers were right in calling the holy virgin Theotokos. At the end of the session, thousands of people marched through the streets shouting, “Praised be the Theotokos!” The tradition continued to the present day. Vatican II’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church calls her “Mother of God” 12 times, referring to Mary’s role in the Church.
Thus this feast commemorates Mary’s role in Salvation of the mankind while also confirming that Jesus was both fully human and fully divine. This day also reminds us the obedience of Mary which brought Jesus to the world and encourages the faithful to start the New Year with Mary, Mother of God under her maternal care.
