Mary, Mother of God.
What the Solemnity of Mary reveals about Christ, the Church, and our own lives.
What is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God?
The Solemnity of Mary Mother of God is a Liturgical day of Celebration in honor of Mary and her Motherhood of Christ. This day is a Solemnity, meaning it holds one of the highest ranks as a liturgical celebration, making it a Holy Day of obligation. The Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God, falls exactly one week after Christmas at the end of the Octave, (and always on January 1st) which is very fitting, after we welcomed Jesus at Christmas the week prior.
Our Mary, Mother of God Rosary is designed and inspired by this wonderful feast day. It serves as a beautiful way to honor Mary’s Maternity of Christ and tangible reminder to those that use this Rosary, that Mary is the Mother of us as well.
“Mary, having merited to give flesh to the divine Word, and thus supply the price of our redemption, that we might be delivered from eternal death; therefore she is more powerful than all others to help us to gain eternal life”
- St. Augustine
Christ: Jesus Is Truly God Made Flesh.
This all starts with the heresy of Nestorius. In 431 A.D. The Bishop of Constantinople openly refused the title “Theotokos” claiming the two nature of Christ were not united, making Mary only the mother of the Human part of Him. To combat this heresy, Jesus’ nature as equally both human and divine was established as a dogma of Faith. It was with this that during the council of Ephesus that the title “Mary, Mother of God” or in Greek “Theotokos.” was defended and defined against the heresy of Nestorius. Jesus’ divine nature and human nature are united into one divine person. Since these two natures form one single Person, Mary is the Mother of the whole Person of Christ.
The Church: A Mother Who Points Us to Her Son
In celebrating this solemnity dedicated to Mary’s motherhood, the Church highlights the unique and sacred role she held in the life of Jesus. Yet, as Our Lady always does, this Solemnity never ends with Mary herself, it gently and faithfully points us back to her Son.
The Church does not honor Mary apart from Christ, but because of Him. Her motherhood is inseparable from the mystery of the Incarnation, and her role within the Church is always maternal: to lead, to protect, and to draw her children closer to Jesus. In honoring Mary as Mother of God, the Church reminds us that we are never led away from Christ when we turn to His Mother, we are led more deeply into His heart.
Mary’s words to St. Juan Diego echo this tender truth:
“Am I not here, I, who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Are you not under my mantle? … Do you need anything more?”
— Our Lady of Guadalupe
Through Mary, the Church offers us a model of trust and reassurance, one that invites us to rest beneath her mantle, confident that she will always lead us to her Son, who is our true source of joy and peace.
Our Lives: Living as Children Entrusted to Mary
“When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.”
With these words, Christ entrusted His Mother to us as our Mother and entrusted us to her as her children. Therefore, Mary’s motherhood is not symbolic or distant; it is personal, intentional, and rooted in Christ’s own gift to us from the Cross. To live as children entrusted to Mary is to live with humility and trust. It is to recognize our need for a mother’s guidance, comfort, and intercession. Like the beloved disciple, we are invited to take her into our home, into our prayer, our struggles, our decisions, and the quiet moments of our daily lives.
Mary does not replace Christ; she leads us to Him. She teaches us how to ponder, how to surrender, and how to say yes even when the path ahead is uncertain. Under her care, we learn to entrust our fears, our hopes, and the year ahead to the loving providence of God.
As we begin this new year, may we approach Mary not with hesitation, but with childlike confidence, resting in the truth that the Son has given us His Mother, and that she gladly receives us as her own.
"Let us run to Mary, and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence."
- Saint Francis de Sales