When we use the title “Mother of God” to speak of Our Lady, we affirm both the true divinity and the true humanity of Christ, united in one divine person. This doctrine concerning Jesus Christ is essential for our faith and was expressed with clarity in the early centuries of the Church’s life against those who would deny either that Our Lord was truly man or that He was truly God.

Since Our Lord is truly God, we can have absolute faith in Him and give Him our whole lives. His humanity is the hinge of our salvation because He redeemed that humanity in His own passion.

The title “Mother of God” is therefore not simply a pious enthusiasm but a touchstone of orthodox faith in Christ. Nevertheless we also use it in our prayers and devotions. It forms the wellspring of all the other titles that we give to Our Lady: for example in the Litany of Loreto.

Our Lady never takes us away from Christ as though devotion to her were somehow in “competition” with that exclusive love and adoration which we owe to the incarnate Word of God. She always draws us to her divine Son, just as she drew others to Him during her life.

Our Lady also gives us the prime and greatest example of the virtues which we should cultivate in our love of Christ. Her obedience, trust, and fidelity show us how to relate to Him. Her final passage to heavenly glory in the Assumption then sets before us the fulfilment of our calling to eternal life.