First Christians called Mary ‘Mother of God’ without hesitation

For centuries, the Catholic Church has dedicated the entire month of May to honor Mary, Mother of God. This tradition expresses our belief that Mary is the Mother of Christ, whom from the first moment of His conception was both human and divine.
 

From the establishment of our Church, the very first Christians called Mary the “Mother of God” without hesitation. There was Scriptural precedent, and it seemed logical. If Jesus was God, and Mary was his mother, then that made her the Mother of God. The belief of Mary as our Heavenly Mother is directly related to the first official Marian dogma defined by the Church: Mary’s status as Mother of God.
 

At the beginning of the third session of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI announced that Mary would be honored under the title “Mother of the Church.” Like the Church, Mary has a maternal role, giving birth to people in Christ. The Church can never cease to look at Mary, who gave birth to Jesus Christ. With this in mind, the Catholic Church contemplates Mary’s motherhood in order to fulfill her own calling to be mother of the members of Christ’s Mystical Body, us.
 

When Catholics call Mary their mother, it may seem like they are taking away some of the respect due to Jesus and giving it to Mary. This is far from the case, as calling Mary our mother can improve our relationship with Christ, and strengthen our faith life. The more one loves Mary, the more one loves God, as loving the people Jesus loves helps us love Him more. Loving Mary does not take away from our love for God, it actually amplifies our love for God. As Saint Louis de Montfort stated, “She is so intimately united with Thee that it were easier to separate the light from the sun, the heat from the fire; nay, it were easier to separate from Thee all the angels and the saints than the divine Mary, because she loves Thee more ardently and glorifies Thee more perfectly than all the other creatures put together.”
 

The beauty about the true devotion to Mary, consists in that the more a person loves Mary, the more that person will love Jesus, as she will teach you how to love her Son authentically. It is for this reason that Jesus gave her to us:
 

“When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’ And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home” (Jn 19:26-27).
 

Catholics call Mary their Mother because Jesus gave her to us, all disciples, as our Mother. We have an earthly mother, we have a mother in the Church, but Catholics also have a heavenly Mother that Jesus himself gave to us from the cross. With this in mind, we are encouraged to have a personal relationship with her. Jesus has spoken about the responsibilities that children have with their parents, and we also see how “from that hour the disciple took her to his own home”.   
 

This month of May, Catholics are encouraged, like John the apostle, to invite Mary to our homes and hearts. We are invited to form a relationship with Mary and to know her not as a distant star from which only a ray is seen and the name is known, but as a living and loving reality that has the heart of a Mother for each of us, her beloved children.
 

Caballero is director, diocesan Office of Evangelization and Office of Hispanic Ministry