As the Christmas season continues, the Church invites us to reflect on Mary’s divine motherhood. Far from taking the focus away from Christmas, Mary helps us understand more deeply the mystery of God becoming man.

At the Annunciation, Mary freely says yes to God’s plan, allowing the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity to take flesh. Elizabeth recognises this extraordinary moment when she calls Mary “the mother of my Lord” (Luke 1:43).

St Paul echoes this truth when he writes that God sent his Son, “born of a woman” (Galatians 4:4), and reminds us that through Christ we become children of God. In this way, Mary’s motherhood extends to all who belong to her Son.

From the earliest centuries, the Church has honoured Mary with the title Mother of God (Theotokos), solemnly affirmed at the Council of Ephesus in 431 and cherished in the Church’s faith to this day.