Behold, Your Mother - The Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary
The Orthodox Church reserves a position of high honor for Virgin Mary, who is “more honorable than the cherubim and incomparably more glorious than the seraphim”. Her position results from her full title used during Divine Services: “our All-holy, immaculate, most blessed and glorified Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary”.
The “Theotokos” title (from Greek = Birth-giver of God, Mother of God, or God-bearer) was recognized by the Church at the Third Ecumenical Council (431, Ephesus). She is All-holy (from the Greek Panagia), but she is not equal to God, nor is she a fourth person of the Holy Trinity. She is venerated because of her connection with God – the Son and never apart from Him. She is the Mother of God, but she didn’t create God. Nevertheless, she literally gave birth to God. She brought forth Jesus Christ our Lord, the Incarnate Word and Son of God, through the will of God the Father and by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit.
There are a few critical accounts in the Holy Scripture that highlight her role in the history of salvation of mankind and which lay the foundation of our utmost respect for her.
First, Virgin Mary stands as the greatest example of man’s free response to God’s offer of salvation. Wholeheartedly, she said “yes” to God. When Archangel Gabriel comes to her, even before presenting her the good news that she will conceive and bear a son whose kingdom will have no end, he greets Virgin Mary in a way no other human has ever heard: “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” Startled by the archangel’s image and strange greeting, the Virgin wonders how that could ever happen since she had no husband. The angel then tells her that the Holy Spirit and the power of God would come upon her, and that the child to be born of her would be called holy, the “Son of God.” Then the angel proceeds to tell her that her cousin Elizabeth had conceived a son in her old age (that son being the John the Baptist, the Forerunner of Christ) and that with God nothing is impossible. At that moment, in faith and full obedience to God’s will, Virgin Mary affirms “Behold, the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be according to your word” (the Annunciation captured by Luke in chapter 1:26-38)
This simple “Let it be” is the beginning of our salvation.
Following the biblical storyline in Luke’s Gospel, Virgin Mary then visits Elizabeth, and they have a conversation about the spirit and the power of God. Elizabeth prophetically affirms “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?” In response, the Virgin speaks of how her soul magnifies God, as a reaction to the supra-natural truth that God inhibits her virginal womb.
This song of joy remained known throughout history as Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), named after the first words of its line in Latin (“Magnificat anima mea Dominum”): “And Mary said: My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God, my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and Holy is His name […]” The prophecy is fulfilled once again: we are those generations that have called her “blessed” for the last 2,000 years.
From the moment of Jesus Christ’s incarnation, she continuously intercedes for us.
The first account of such intercession is captured by the Evangelist John in chapter 2:1-12, when she prompted Jesus Christ to perform His first miracle. Jesus has changed water into wine out of love for his Mother, although He initially said that His time hasn’t come yet. 2,000 years after, she continues to deliver our prayers to her Son, standing at His right hand and presenting Him our petitions, sorrows and sufferings.
That is why, before facing death on the cross, Jesus Christ has entrusted all of us to His Mother. We believe that all humans have become sons of Mary, the Mother of God, and she took the responsibility of becoming mother of all mankind. This “testament” of Jesus Christ is also captured by John (in chapter 19:26-27 - When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, behold your son,” and to the disciple, “Behold your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home).
Also, the Book of Revelation contains a stunning reference to a woman in chapter 12 - Now a great sign appeared in Heaven: a woman clothed with the sun. With the moon under her feet. And on her head a garland of twelve stars. The Church Fathers interpreted this as a representation of the Mother of God.
Orthodox Christians love and venerate Virgin Mary but do not worship her as God alone is to be worshipped. We honor her as the Mother of our Lord and also as the perfect example of obeying God and living a Christian life.