Celebrating the Mother of God

 Saturday, January 1st, 2022                                                The Octave Day of Christmas  

 

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

 Lectionary: 18

This Saturday we celebrate Our Blessed |Mother Mary as the Virgin Mary, Mother of God... or Theotokos, the title used in the Eastern Orthodox Church as a title of the Virgin Mary, "the love poured into the Theotokos to enable her to love so fully in her turn".

 

Theotokos is a very special title of Mary which is usually translated into Latin as Dei Genitrix or Deipara. Familiar English translations are "Mother of God" or "God-bearer" – but these both have different literal equivalents in Greek, Μήτηρ Θεοῦ and Θεοφόρος.

Is Mary the Theotokos, the Mother of God?

 

 Calling Mary the Theotokos or the Mother of God (Μητηρ Θεου) was never meant to suggest that Mary was co eternal with God, or that she existed before Jesus Christ or God existed. The Church acknowledges the mystery in the words of this ancient hymn: "He whom the entire universe could not contain was contained within your womb, O Theotokos."   Theotokos - OrthodoxWiki