Did you know that God has a plan for each one of us? Mary, our Blessed Mother, was only a young girl when she learned that she was going to be an important part of God’s plan for the whole world.
Mary was three years old when her parents, Anne and Joachim, took her to the Temple in Jerusalem so that she could be blessed. The blessing was a sign that she would love and serve God. Anne and Joachim raised Mary according to Jewish tradition and they taught her to always believe and trust in God.
When Mary was a young woman, the angel Gabriel appeared to her and told her that God had chosen her to be the mother of his only Son. The angel said that God wanted Mary to name her son Jesus and that he would be holy because he was the Son of God. Mary said “yes” to God, even though she did not understand how all of this would happen. She said, “May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).
We know that Mary’s son became the Savior of the world and that his work continues through the Church and the People of God today. But if Mary was Jesus’ mother, you might wonder: Why do we call Mary the Mother of God?
Long ago, the Holy Spirit guided our Church leaders to understand that Jesus was true God and true man. He was both divine and human. He was the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity and also a child who grew up to suffer on the cross and rise from the dead. After much prayer and debate, our Church leaders said that Mary was not just the mother of Jesus. She was also the Mother of God, since Jesus is truly God.
Our Church leaders gave Mary a special title: Theotokos. This is a Greek word that means “God-bearer” or “Mother of God.”
Long before our Church leaders officially declared Mary the Mother of God, her cousin Elizabeth knew what a special privilege Mary had been given. When Mary went to visit Elizabeth, Elizabeth called her “the mother of my Lord” (Luke 1:43).
Mary is our greatest saint, so it is not surprising that we begin every year with a celebration in her honor. We also show our love and reverence for Mary on many other special days each year. We call these special days Marian Feasts. We can pray to Mary, the Mother of God, every day. We can ask her to help us say “yes” to God’s plan for us. We can ask Mary to pray that we will follow Jesus in everything we say and do.
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