The Council of Ephesus in 431 AD acclaimed Mary, the mother of Jesus, as the Theotokos, the God-bearer. This ancient title has come down to us in the West as “Mother of God.” It is true that Mary is not the mother of the Father or the Holy Spirit, but as the mother of Jesus Christ, who is consubstantial with the Father, she is indeed the mother of the Man who was God, the mother of the Incarnation. This is what the Church means by calling her the Mother of God.

Everything that the Church believes about Mary—that she was immaculately conceived, that she did not ever sin, that she remained perpetually a virgin, that she was assumed bodily into heaven at the end of her earthly life, that she is queen of heaven and queen of the angels—all of this is a consequence of the fact that she is the Mother of the Redeemer.

• Takeaway #1: As it is with Mary, so it can be with me. My relationship with Jesus is the foundation of my truest, best self: the source of what is good in me and of all the good I can do.

Christians are related to God by adoption: by being in communion with Jesus Christ he becomes our brother, and so we become adopted as sons and daughters of the Father. We can revoke this relationship, if we choose, by sinning. The Blessed Mother, on the other hand, is related by nature to God. This relationship is infinitely more intimate than we can imagine. And it is irrevocable: Mary cannot cease to be the Mother of Jesus any more than my own mother can cease to be my mother. To be in such an intimate communion—different from our communion not only in degree but essentially—was, for Mary, a totally unmerited grace, a sign of the Father’s unimaginable love for her, and it is the reason for the great glory she enjoys now in heaven and the high veneration (hyperdulia) that we owe her.

Most importantly, we see that the fruits of Mary's unique fullness of grace were not solely for her benefit. By cooperating with God in bringing the Eternal Word into existence as a Man, she has provided for everyone the means of being brothers and sisters with Jesus and to be adopted by the Father. She provided the Flesh that makes possible our communion with God in the Eucharist. This is what the Church means by calling her the Gate of Heaven, Mother of All Christians, Mother of the Eucharist, and the Mother of the Church.

• Takeaway #2: In the eyes of the Father, my relationship with Jesus is not only about me. If he chooses me, he does so for the sake of others. He wants to reach others through me, if I will let him.

Prayer:
Loving mother of the Redeemer,
gate of heaven, star of the sea,
assist your people who have fallen yet strive to rise again.
To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator,
yet remained a virgin after as before.
You who received Gabriel's joyful greeting,
have pity on us poor sinners.