S5: Our Lady, Mother of God
– Mother of the Church
Student Workbook
Praying with the Mother of Jesus
Mother, your remained faithful
Holy Mary, Mother of the Lord,
You remained faithful when the disciples fled.
Just as you believed, when the angel announced the incredibleyour destiny as Mother of the Most High –
So too you believed, in the hour of his utter humiliation.
So you became – in the hour of the Cross,
in the hour of this world’s darkest night –
Mother of believers, Mother of the Church.
We ask you, teach us to believe, and help our faith to become
courage for service and acts of supportive and sympathetic love.
Amen
Hail, holy Queen
Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor
banished children of Eve; To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of
tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us and after this our exile
show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
V- Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God
R- That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
The Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy
protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this
confidence, I fly to thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to thee do I come; before thee I stand, sinful
and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and
answer me. Amen.
Regina Caeli – Queen of Heaven, rejoice
O Queen of Heaven rejoice! Alleluia!
For he whom you did merit to bear, alleluia!
Has risen as he sadi. Alleluia!
Pray for us to God.
Alleluia!
Lesson 1: Mary as the perfect follower of Jesus, His First Disciple
and New Eve.
Mary, Our Mother
To understand why Catholics are so affectionate and attached to Our Lady, we must first look at
the most primal of all emotions. The bond between a mother and her child is the strongest and
most penetrating. Nine months in the womb is just
one part of it. Motherhood is biological and emotional
and intellectual. The flesh, the heart, and the mind are
the centre of human feelings and thoughts. A mother
is more and gives more than her DNA and nine months
in her womb. She’s intimately bonded and connected
with her child. And Catholic devotion to Mary is
nothing more than a logical extension of a child’s
personal affection for his own mother.
Catholic theology teaches that Jesus Christ was
human and divine – not 50/50 but true God and true
Man. In other words, he was one divine person with
two natures – human and divine. And his humanity
wasn’t overwhelmed or smothered by his divinity. So
whatever he did or was in his was as real and as much
as part of him as whatever he did or was in his divine nature. So whether he was performing
miracles from his divine nature or feeling and expressing emotions form his human nature, he
was still one and the same person. Catholics identify their own feelings for Mary with the
feelings Jesus had for his mother. This is nothing but devotion, without the slightest hint of
worship or adoration in it.
MARY, THE NEW EVE, FREELY OBEYED GOD
Pope John Paul II
Before the great mystery of the Incarnation, Mary spoke her ‘yes’ and expressed
her complete acceptance of God’s saving
plan for mankind
"In stating her total 'yes' to the divine plan,
Mary is completely free before God. At the
same time, she feels personally responsible
for humanity, whose future was linked with
her reply", the Holy Father said at the
General Audience of Wednesday, 18
September, as he examined the significance
of Mary as the New Eve. Here is a translation
of the Pope's catechesis, which was given in
Italian and was the 33rd in the series on the
Blessed Mother.
1. Commenting on the episode of the
Annunciation, the Second Vatican Council
gives special emphasis to the value of Mary's “yes” to the divine messenger's
words. Unlike what happens in similar biblical accounts, it is expressly awaited
by the angel: "The Father of mercies wanted Mary to freely agree to be the
mother of Jesus, so that just as a woman had a share in bringing about death
(through Eve’s disobedience) , so also a woman should contribute to life"
(Lumen gentium, n. 56).
Lumen gentium recalls the contrast between Eve's behaviour and that of Mary,
described by St Irenaeus: "Just as the former—that is, Eve—was seduced by the
words of an angel so that she turned away from God by disobeying his word, so
the latter—Mary—received the good news from an angel's announcement in
such a way as to give birth to God by obeying his word; and as the former was
seduced so that she disobeyed God, the latter let herself be convinced to obey
God, and so the Virgin Mary became the advocate of the virgin Eve. And as the
human race was subjected to death by a virgin, it was liberated by a Virgin; a
virgin's disobedience was thus counterbalanced by a Virgin's obedience..." (Adv.
Haer., V, 19, 1).
Mary co-operated through free faith and obedience
2. In stating her total "yes" to the divine plan, Mary is completely free before
God. At the same time, she feels personally responsible for humanity, whose
future was linked with her reply.
God puts the destiny of all mankind in a young woman's hands. Mary's "yes" is
the premise for fulfilling the plan which God in his love had prepared for the
world's salvation.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church briefly and effectively summarizes the
decisive value for all humanity of Mary's free consent to the divine plan of
salvation. "The Virgin Mary 'cooperated through free faith and obedience in
human salvation'. She uttered her yes 'in the name of all human nature'. By her
obedience she became the New Eve, mother of the living" (n. 511).
3. By her conduct, Mary reminds each of us of our serious responsibility to
accept God's plan for our lives. In total obedience to the saving will of God
expressed in the angel's words, she becomes a model for those whom the Lord
proclaims blessed, because they "hear the word of God and keep it" (Lk 11:28).
Jesus, in answering the woman in the crowd who proclaimed his mother
blessed, discloses the true reason for Mary's blessedness: her adherence to
God's will, which led her to accept the divine motherhood.
In the Encyclical Redemptoris Mater, I pointed out that the new spiritual
motherhood of which Jesus speaks is primarily concerned with her. Indeed, "Is
not Mary the first of 'those who hear the word of God and do it'? And therefore
does not the blessing uttered by Jesus in response to the woman in the crowd
refer primarily to her?" (n. 20). In a certain sense therefore Mary is proclaimed
the first disciple of her Son (cf. ibid.) and, by her example, invites all believers to
respond generously to the Lord's grace.
4. The Second Vatican Council explains Mary's total dedication to the person and
work of Christ: "She devoted herself totally, as a handmaid of the Lord, to the
person and work of her Son, under and with him, serving the mystery of
redemption, by the grace of almighty God" (Lumen gentium, n. 56).
For Mary, dedication to the person and work of Jesus means intimate union with
her Son, motherly involvement in nurturing his human growth and co-operation
with his work of salvation.
Mary became cause of salvation for all humanity
Mary carries out this last aspect of her dedication to Jesus "under him", that is,
in a condition of subordination, which is the fruit of grace. However this is true
co-operation, because it is realized "with him" and, beginning with the
Annunciation, it involves active participation in the work of redemption.
"Rightly, therefore", the Second Vatican Council observes, "the Fathers see
Mary not merely as passively engaged by God, but as freely co-operating in the
work of man's salvation through faith and obedience. For, as St Irenaeus says,
she 'being obedient, became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole
human race (Adv. Haer. III, 22, 4)’" (ibid.).
Mary, associated with Christ's victory over the sin of our first parents, appears as
the true "mother of the living" (ibid.). Her motherhood, freely accepted in
obedience to the divine plan, becomes a source of life for all humanity.
Lesson 3: Mary, Mother of God
The Council of Ephesus and Theotokos
So the thinking at the council of Ephesus
went thus: Granted, as a human being,
Mary can’t be the origin of a divine
person. Only gods and goddesses can
make other gods but Mary is the Mother
of Jesus. He wasn’t born in parts, like
building blocks, needing to be put
together after his birth. One divine
person lived in Mary’s womb for nine
months, and one divine person came
forth and was born. Even though Mary
didn’t give Jesus his divine nature, she did
bear the second person of the Holy
Trinity, and one person was born on
Christmas Day – whole, complete, and intact. So even though she was a creature and not the
Creator, because she did give birth to the Son of God, and because she is the Mother of the Son
of God, she can be called the Mother of God.
Looking at your own mother is another way to see the concept: Your mother didn’t give you your
immortal soul. That came from God. She gave you 50% of your genetic makeup, but she needed
your dad to give you the other half, and they needed God to give you a soul. However, on
Mother’s Day, do you send her a card entitled: “To the woman who gave me half of my genetic
code?” Or would you tell her she didn’t give you a soul – that’s he only gave you a body – so she’s
only half your mother? Of course not! In your mind and in your mother’s mind, she may have only
given you 50% of your DNA but she gave birth to you. A whole and complete person was born –
not two pieces. The body and soul were united at conception. A person grew and lived in the
womb, and a whole and intact person was born from it.
What does the Catechism say?
Isn’t it improper to call Mary the “Mother” of God?
No. Anyone who calls Mary the Mother of God
thereby professes that her Son is God. [495,509
CCC]
82
My Understanding of Our Lady as the Mother of God
Think about what you have heard, seen and read about Mary as the Mother of God.
Using your own words, you are asked to explain:
1. Why Mary is called “The Mother of God”
2. The relationship is between Mary and Jesus.
3. Why Catholic afford a place of unique importance to Mary and
how this is understood and justified.
The following list of Scripture quotes will help you to answer these
questions more fully. You can either use a Bible or a Bible search engine on the internet.
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Luke 1:46-47
Luke 1:42
Luke 1:48
Romans 13:7
Our Lady and the Saints
Throughout this unit we have deepened our knowledge and
understanding of the many roles of Our Lady. From first disciple, to
perfect follower, from Mother of God to Mother of the Church and Mary
as intercessor. And through the ages, more poems, hymns, statues, icons,
paintings, treatises, and sermons have been produced on this one woman
that any other in all human history.
Put very simply, Mary is important to us because Mary is important to
God. She was united with Jesus on earth as no other human being was or
could be and therefore played a unique role in our salvation.
Mary was also important to many saints that have gone before us.
Anyone who lives and believes as Mary did will get to heaven. Our
veneration of Mary is an essential part of our imitation of Christ.
Online resources
Saints quotes about Our Lady
http://www.whitelilyoftrinity.com/saints_quotes_mary.html
TREATISE ON TRUE DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN
St. Louis de Montfort
http://www.ewtn.com/library/montfort/truedevo.htm
Devotion of St. Thérèse of Lisieux to the Blessed Virgin Mary
http://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Saints/Saints_027.htm
St John Paul II – Redemptoris Mater
http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jpii_enc_25031987_redemptoris-mater.html
Resources for resource/reflection activity.