What does it mean to call the Virgin Mary the Mother of God?

Fr. Thomas Joseph White, OP

Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum)

The Catholic Church traditionally ascribes the title of Mother of God to the Virgin Mary. Why is that and what does it mean? Is it a form of exaggerated devotion, medieval speculation without biblical foundation, or is it a basic confession of Christological faith rooted in the most basic teaching of the New Testament? If we consider Aquinas’s treatment of the mystery of the maternity of the Virgin Mary we can see that the doctrine contains profound teachings about both Christ and the mystery of the church. It is these ideas we will explore in this lecture.