I get some fascinating questions through the BustedHalo Question Box, and this one was no exception:
“Shouldn’t the proper term for Mary be the ‘birthgiver of God’ instead of the ‘mother of God’?”
What do you think?
Because of the format, I have to keep the answer short, but believe me, Â I could have written volumes about this. There are a few ways to approach this question, and I tried to touch on all of them, but for me, the answer really comes down to this: Â Anyone who has been in the mothering business knows that “mother” is a verb as well as a noun. Â It’s a state of being, of doing, of acting. Â And mothering doesn’t stop when the kids are old enough to dress themselves, to fix their own meals, to strike out on their own. Â At the age of thirty-seven, I still rely on my mom to prop me up through the bad times and celebrate with me in the good. Â At the age of thirty-three, Jesus relied on Mary for the same things.
Yes, Mary gave birth to Jesus … but she was also, memorably and beautifully, Â His mother.
Image: Madonna and Child by Giulio Romano
