What do you believe about Mary, the Mother of Jesus
?Catholics honor Mary because God honored her by choosing her to be the mother of God incarnate, Jesus Christ (Luke 1:28). All Catholic doctrines concerning Mary are related to and emerge from our understanding of her Son, Jesus Christ. Mary has no significance for us apart from Christ . . .
Even though Mary is not spoken of at length or in great detail [in the New Testament], she is mentioned at many of the crucial points of the life of Christ and of his church, in addition to his birth. Her unqualified "yes" to the Lord at the annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) and her response of praise to God in the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) are models of discipleship for all believers. As the model disciple of the Lord, Mary reflects on God's saving action in her heart when she sees him work in her son's life in mysterious ways (Luke 2:51). The example of enduring hardships and sufferings (Matthew 2:13-14; Luke 2:6-7; 2:35; 41-50) show that Mary was first and foremost a woman of faith in the midst of trials (Luke 2:19, 51). Mary appears as well at certain times during Jesus' public ministry (John 2:1-12; Matthew 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35; Luke 8:19-21). She was present at the foot of the cross and in the upper room at Pentecost (John 19:25-27; Acts 1:14; 2) . . .
The early church, led by the Holy Spirit, honored and addressed Mary as the Mother of God, Theotokos in Greek (literally God-bearer). They reasoned that if Jesus were truly God as well as man, and if Mary were truly his mother, it would be perfectly fitting to speak of Mary as the God-bearer, or Mother of God. His humanity came from the flesh of Mary while he always possessed his divine nature as the Son of God (Luke 1:35). Nonetheless, since Mary gave birth to the one person of Jesus Christ, the catholic church has held continually that Mary should be honored as the Mother of God. To claim otherwise would be to divide the person of Christ . . .
Mary is not a goddess, but a fully human servant of God whom he has highly favored through his mercy and grace. She is a member, although unique and special, of the church . . . Catholics honor Mary because she is the model disciple, the perfect, most faithful follower of her Son Jesus Christ. Thus, she is a model of true discipleship for each Christian. She is also a model for the church as a whole...
Even though Mary is not spoken of at length or in great detail [in the New Testament], she is mentioned at many of the crucial points of the life of Christ and of his church, in addition to his birth. Her unqualified "yes" to the Lord at the annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) and her response of praise to God in the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) are models of discipleship for all believers. As the model disciple of the Lord, Mary reflects on God's saving action in her heart when she sees him work in her son's life in mysterious ways (Luke 2:51). The example of enduring hardships and sufferings (Matthew 2:13-14; Luke 2:6-7; 2:35; 41-50) show that Mary was first and foremost a woman of faith in the midst of trials (Luke 2:19, 51). Mary appears as well at certain times during Jesus' public ministry (John 2:1-12; Matthew 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35; Luke 8:19-21). She was present at the foot of the cross and in the upper room at Pentecost (John 19:25-27; Acts 1:14; 2) . . .
The early church, led by the Holy Spirit, honored and addressed Mary as the Mother of God, Theotokos in Greek (literally God-bearer). They reasoned that if Jesus were truly God as well as man, and if Mary were truly his mother, it would be perfectly fitting to speak of Mary as the God-bearer, or Mother of God. His humanity came from the flesh of Mary while he always possessed his divine nature as the Son of God (Luke 1:35). Nonetheless, since Mary gave birth to the one person of Jesus Christ, the catholic church has held continually that Mary should be honored as the Mother of God. To claim otherwise would be to divide the person of Christ . . .
Mary is not a goddess, but a fully human servant of God whom he has highly favored through his mercy and grace. She is a member, although unique and special, of the church . . . Catholics honor Mary because she is the model disciple, the perfect, most faithful follower of her Son Jesus Christ. Thus, she is a model of true discipleship for each Christian. She is also a model for the church as a whole...
from Alan Schreck,
Your Catholic Faith: A Question-and-Answer Catechism
(Ann Arbor, MI: Servant Publications, 1989), page 131-136.
