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Views from the Choir Loft

Mother of God

Fr. David Friel · July 3, 2012

How many times a day do you use the phrase, “Mother of God”? If you pray the rosary, you use it over fifty times. If you pray the Hail Mary or Hail, Holy Queen, you use it at least once. If you attend daily Mass, you hear it used in each of the four main Eucharistic Prayers. Some people, sadly, use it as an exclamation. We probably use the phrase without giving it much thought.

But, in the fifth century, a lot of thought went into that phrase. In fact, a great controversy arose over whether or not “Mother of God” (Θεοτόκος) was an appropriate title for Mary. A fellow named Nestorius went around teaching that the title was inappropriate, since Mary could only be the mother of the human part of Jesus.

Thanks to the clear teaching of the Doctor of the Church commemorated every June 27th, Nestorius was refuted. Cyril of Alexandria, a very strong bishop, made it clear that Jesus does have two natures: one human, one divine. So He is fully God and fully man. But He is only one Person: a Divine Person. Mary, he taught, can only be said to be Mother of the whole Christ, so she is, therefore, the “Mother of God.” That teaching was defined formally at the Council of Ephesus in 431.

Thanks to the clarity and strength of St. Cyril, we can lay claim to that title of Mary we love so much, because she is not just the Mother of the human Jesus, but the very “Mother of God.” Pray for us, O most holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ!

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel served as Parochial Vicar at Saint Anselm Church in Northeast Philly before earning a doctorate in liturgical theology at The Catholic University of America. He presently serves as Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and teaches liturgy at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

    “Glory To God” • (For Choir + Congregation)
    I wish to thank everyone for the nice comments I received vis-à-vis my Glory To God setting for Choir & Congregation. A gentleman with a musical doctorate from Indiana University wrote: “Love this setting so much. And I will pray, as you asked, for your return to composition more fully. You are very very good.” A female choir director wrote: “I love your harmonizations, your musicality, and the wonderful interplay you have with dissonance and consonance in your music. So fun to listen to, and great for intellect, heart, and soul!” A young woman from California wrote: “Thank you for releasing your new Glory To God in honor of Saint Noel Chabanel. I'm enjoying reading through the various parts and listening to your recordings.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    William Byrd • “Mass for Five Voices”
    Our volunteer choir is learning the “Sanctus” from William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices. You can hear a short excerpt (recorded last Sunday) but please ignore the sound of babies crying: Mp3 recording. We still have work to do—but we’re on the right track. Once we have some of the tuning issues fixed, I desire to use it as an example proving volunteers can sing complicated polyphony.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Baptism” • A Unique Hymn
    Father Christopher Phillips is the founding Pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church. One of his hymns is unique and (in my humble opinion) quite beautiful. His hymn is basically a prayer to the Holy Trinity but also speaks of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. It would be an ideal Communion hymn on Trinity Sunday or the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. You can hear live recording from last Sunday by clicking here.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“It is very curious, rather barbarous, much too ornate, immeasurably less dignified than ours now, anything in the world rather than archaic or primitive.”

— Fr. Fortescue describing the “Sarum Use” in 1912

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