Mary the Mother of God

Mary the Mother of God
by Carl E. Braaten

In a very real sense, creation is incomplete until the occurrence of the Incarnation. Most theologians from the ancient Church would agree that God would have become incarnate regardless of the fall, our felix culpa. And Mary is a pivotal character and reason for this event. But many Christians have no idea about Mary. I remember growing up as a Lutheran and the only time Mary was hardly ever mentioned was during the Christmas sermon since it is generally hard to ignore her part in the story. Even there it was reiterated, in typical Lutheran fashion, that she was "just as much of a sinner as the rest of us, that all have sinned and fall short of God's glory and that there is only one mediator between God and man, and that is Jesus. So let's talk about Jesus..." As I moved away from that tradition and embraced Eastern Orthodoxy, I was amazed to realize that Christians from the beginning have fulfilled her prophecy that "all generations will call me blessed" by venerating her as the Mother/Birth Giver of God (Theotokos) and that her prayers were asked for in the ancient liturgies and that her image was painted frequently and that she was considered the essential Christian, given her willingness to do the will of God even as it cost her everything.

This fantastic little book is a must read for anyone interested in learning why she has such a profound place in the inner life of the Church from the start, and it is especially recommended for Protestants who are suspicious of the "Mary thing", since many of the contributors are confessing Protestants who are in no way selling the farm to be like Catholics or Orthodox. They simply recognize the full reality of what the Incarnation means, and what it means about Jesus' mom, Mary. Much of the book deals with Christology, or "who is Jesus", and rightly so, since every teaching about Mary is really an affirmation of the full divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ, our one mediator between God and man. (But don't forget that we are obliged to ask each other for prayers, so why not His mom above all others? Which leads me to some other recommendations about that...

On the communion of saints see Any Friend of God's Is a Friend of Mine. More on Mary in the life of the Church and history see Mary: The Untrodden Portal of God - Expanded and Revised Edition with a General Index, Mary Through the Centuries: Her Place in the History of Culture, Celebration of Faith, vol. III: The Virgin Mary and, for how Mary is active on behalf of all Christians, along with the others in Christ, see Father Arseny, 1893-1973: Priest, Prisoner, Spiritual Father : Being the Narratives Compiled by the Servant of God Alexander Concerning His Spiritual Father and The Mountain of Silence: A Search for Orthodox Spirituality.