| Is the Virgin Mary truly the Mother of the Almighty, | | | | Jesus "rely" on the Virgin Mary for His conception and |
| Powerful God? | | | | birth? |
| Many non-Catholics question the Catholic teaching on | | | | The answer to this seemingly difficult question is in the |
| Mary as Mother of God by citing the old argument of | | | | word "Immanuel" which means '"God with us." Jesus |
| Nestorius, the heretic condemned by the Council of | | | | wanted to be truly one with the human family, and the |
| Ephesus in 431. | | | | only way for Him to do that was to become human |
| Nestorius claimed that the Virgin Mary was merely the | | | | Himself by being born of a Mother. Therefore, Mary's |
| mother of the human nature of Jesus. According to | | | | divine motherhood was an important component of |
| him, Jesus had two distinct persons: one divine, the | | | | God's plan to come into the world, to be one with us, |
| other human. | | | | and to redeem us through Jesus. |
| The Council of Ephesus, presided by Saint Cyril of | | | | The Virgin Mary's Motherhood does not mean that she |
| Alexandria and attended by around 150 bishops, | | | | is "superior" to Jesus. Because Jesus is both God and |
| condemned this teaching of Nestorious. In particular, the | | | | Man (hypostatic union of the two natures), Jesus still |
| Council maintained that Jesus is not two persons, one | | | | retained His Divinity, and therefore superiority over the |
| human and one divine, as Nestorius claimed. Rather, | | | | Virgin Mary, even if He had to rely on a human vessel |
| that Jesus is one person with two natures: divine and | | | | in Mary to come into the world. |
| human. This union of Christ's two natures into one | | | | Is the Best Way to Jesus through Mary? |
| person is called the hypostatic union: one cannot be | | | | There many ways with which Jesus could have come |
| without the other. | | | | into our world. He could have come as a powerful |
| We cannot separate the human nature of Jesus from | | | | King, in a chariot of fire, subduing the earth under His |
| His Divine nature. The Virgin Mary, therefore, is rightfully | | | | power. Or He could have just come directly to the |
| the Mother of God, since she is the mother of the | | | | world, without need of a human vessel. |
| entire person of Jesus ' who is both human and divine | | | | But the fact is that He chose to go through Mary, and |
| at the same time. | | | | to be born into the world as a helpless little infant in the |
| Is Mary Above God? | | | | arms of Our Lady. |
| Some say that the Virgin Mary cannot be the Mother | | | | Jesus chose to have a Mother. He chose to stay in |
| of God because it is inconceivable for a mortal human | | | | the Virgin's womb for nine months. He chose to endure |
| like the Virgin Mary to be above God. How can the | | | | the biting cold upon His birth, and the loving warmth of |
| Creator "come from'' the Virgin Mary, a mere mortal? | | | | the Mother's embrace. |
| Motherhood, somehow, gives a certain degree or | | | | And perhaps herein lies the best answer to the |
| perception of superiority on the part of the mother | | | | question on whether Mary is truly Mother of God. Mary |
| over her child, for the reason that the child has to rely | | | | is Mother of God because God wanted it to be so! |
| on the mother for its conception. Therefore, how can | | | | Dare we question this Divine decision? |