Mary Is Dei Genetrix

𝐉𝐀𝐍. 𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: 𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐌𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐘 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐆𝐎𝐃

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈: 𝐍𝐮𝐦 𝟔:𝟐𝟐-𝟐𝟕

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟔𝟕:𝟐-𝟑, 𝟓, 𝟔, 𝟖 “𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲.”

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐈: 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝟒:𝟒-𝟕

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐋𝐤 𝟐:𝟏𝟔-𝟐𝟏

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞: “𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐤𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭.” (𝐯.𝟏𝟗) 

        As Christian Catholics our veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, has become a contentious issue and it comes as a surprise as to why this matter should even be the subject of much debate. It shouldn’t be because the respect and honor that we give to the Mother of God is the same as kind of respect that we give to our own mothers.

         In fact, besides the Apostles and the other disciples of Jesus who have followed him from the time he began his earthly ministry up to the time of his resurrection, there was no other person who could claim he or she was as close to Jesus than his very own mother.

         As I have written many times before, I can recall at least six times when Mary was with Jesus, and these were very important events in the life of Christ. To begin with, Mary carried Jesus in her womb for nine months and her fiat turned her into becoming the first disciple of Our Lord (𝐋𝐤 𝟏:𝟐𝟔-𝟑𝟖).

         Mary and Joseph presented Jesus at the Temple as part of the Jewish tradition (𝐋𝐤 𝟐:𝟐𝟏-𝟑𝟗). They brought Jesus to Jerusalem to attend the Feast of the Passover and Jesus stayed behind to talk with the teachers of the law (𝐋𝐤 𝟐:𝟒𝟏-𝟓𝟐). And since Jesus was followed by a large group of disciples and although it was not recorded Mary was probably with Jesus and the other disciples during the feeding of the 5,000 (𝐌𝐭 𝟏𝟒:𝟏𝟑-𝟐𝟏), in one of the most important teachings of Jesus at the Sermon on the Mount (𝐌𝐭 𝟓:𝟏-𝟏𝟐).

         Again, while it was not recorded, Mary was most assuredly with Jesus and the other disciples at the Last Supper (𝐌𝐭 𝟐𝟔:𝟑𝟎). Mary must have followed Jesus during the Way of the Cross (𝐋𝐤 𝟐𝟑:𝟐𝟔-𝟑𝟒) and she was there at the foot of the cross in Calvary (𝐋𝐤 𝟐𝟑:𝟒𝟔), and she must have been there when Jesus rose on the third day (𝐋𝐤 𝟐𝟒:𝟏-𝟏𝟐) and definitely Mary was with the rest of the Apostles on Pentecost (𝐀𝐜 𝟏:𝟖) when the Holy Spirit descended as Jesus ascended into heaven to take his place at the right hand of God the Father.

         What we’re saying is the question that need be asked is not why are we venerating Mary but what we should ask ourselves is why not?

         The Feast of the Solemnity of Mary reminds us also of the naming ceremony or the time when parents spend time thinking of a name to give their newborn child is always a revered occasion. At times, the rest of the family members also jump in to offer their thoughts because the name is something that is not only permanent, but it somehow reflects what the infant would be in the future.

         This was the same scenario in the time of Joseph and Mary because the giving of a name was an important occasion for the Jews. And most often the name given by the Jews to an infant was taken from their long line of ancestors and this ritual must be completed within eight days.

         Each one of us is known by our name, which should be the same as the one that is on our birth certificate that is also on file with the Civil Registrar. To not use our official name would present problems in the future especially when attending school or when securing certifications, licenses, passports, etc.

         Besides our names in full, we are generally called by our nicknames or a shortened version of our name. Traditionally, our Church had instituted that infants to be baptized must carry a Christian name that parents normally get from the names of the Saints of the Day in their calendars. This tradition, however, is no longer in vogue as we now see infants being baptized with names such as Corolla, Lancer, Galant and so on. Every conceivable term or phrase can now be used to name an infant.

         But what if as parents this privilege of naming your child is taken away from you as was in the case of Joseph and Mary because the name Jesus was a name given to them by an angel sent by God (𝐋𝐤 𝟏:𝟑𝟏).        

        For our greater appreciation of the name given to our Savior and Redeemer, let me guide you through the Catechism of the Catholic Church particularly Paragraphs 430 - 452 that have been devoted to a description of the name given to Jesus Christ.

         CCC430 describes the Hebrew meaning of the name of Jesus to mean: “God saves.” This was the name given by the angel Gabriel as his proper name that expresses both his identity and his mission. The name “Jesus” in CCC432 also signifies that the very name of God is present in the person of his Son, made man for the universal and definitive redemption from sins.

         It is the divine name that alone brings salvation, and henceforth all can invoke his name, for Jesus united himself to all men through his Incarnation, so that “𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝒃𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒘𝒆 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒅.”        

         As we are celebrating today the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, it would be an opportune time to also speak of her because Mary also has an important part in our salvation because it was through her that salvation came into the world and into our lives.

          Mary is known and referred to as the Mother of God, a name that was given her when she visited her cousin Elizabeth and in 431 A.D. the Council of Ephesus confirmed this title and her the name Dei Genetrix or Mother of God because she gave birth to Him who is God and man in one person.

         St. Cyril, in fact, once said: “𝘐𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘝𝘪𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥?” And our Church deigns that whoever truly loves God must also honor the Mother of God and honor her too far above all the saints.

         What probably is the most important name ascribed to Mary is that of being the “𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐤𝐨𝐬” or the bearer of God in reference to the Incarnation in which the second person of the Trinity assumed a human form without diminishing his preexistent divine nature but which was made possible through the cooperation of Mary.

         As Christian disciples who have been led out of the darkness that permeated our lives and transposed into the marvelous light, we too are being called to be God-bearers. Such is not difficult to grasp especially if we understand the Scriptures as John the Evangelist declares that the Word of God made its dwelling among men (𝐉𝐧 𝟏:𝟏𝟒) and it was on account of this manifestation that Peter said that we have become partakers of the divine nature (𝟐 𝐏𝐞𝐭 𝟏:𝟒).        

         Today with our faith being constantly challenged by the utter disregard for the divinity of man there is an alarming decline in Christianity in the world. What was before taboo such as legalized abortion, same-sex marriage, pro-choice has now become acceptable.

         Primarily, it is because we are not aware of our own nature and or we simply have forgotten that there is a piece of Jesus in all of us. Thus, the challenge for us today is to step up in faith and show our true nature that as we have been born anew, we are called to possess the life that comes from God himself such that we effectively become bearers of the nature of God.

         Like Mary, God also expects that we as Christian disciples must become a Theotokos to bring light into the disordered world we are in. We must have the name of Jesus written all over our persona because we too, as with Mary, also have a role to play in the redemption of man. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 - 𝘑𝘢𝘯. 1, 2026)