Feast of Mary Mother of God

Why January 1 is a special celebration and Holy day of obligation for all Catholics? Aside from welcoming the New Year, the Catholic Church also celebrates the Feast of Motherhood of Mary.

The first Marian dogma which, was defined by the Counsel of Ephesus in 431, states that “The Blessed Virgin is the Theotokos.” This Marian title which was compound of the Greek words Teos (God) and Tokos (bearer), literally translate as “God’s bearer” or “The One Who Gives Birth to God”. However, in liturgical use it is paraphrased as “Mother of God”. Nonetheless, the church has never meant to refer to Mary as Mother of God the Father from eternity, lest she herself would be God, but only as Mother of the Incarnate Son of God.


Some objected that Mary should be called Mother of Christ (Christotokos) and not Mother of God, since God is eternal and cannot have any beginning, However the Council of Ephesus asserted that the title Christotokos would reduce Christ into a mere man, no longer as God. Therefore, as Mary was the Mother of Jesus, who is God, she can be truly venerated as Mother of God. Moreover, the Council clarified that the Divine nature of Jesus Christ is begotten of God the Father from eternity; while his human nature was conceived in the womb of Mary in time.