The Feast of the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Maternitatis Beatæ Mariæ Virginis

To celebrate the feast of the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we include:

1. a sermon of Pope St Leo the Great (c 400-461), taken from Matins of the Divine Office
2. Church teaching
3. a 20 day offering to our Blessed Mother. 

Theotokos et Mater Nostra: ora pro nobis

1. Sermo sancti Leónis Papæ

Sermo 1 de Nativitate Domini

Virgo régia Davídicæ stirpis elígitur, quæ sacro gravidánda fetu, divínam humanámque prolem prius concíperet mente quam córpore: et ne supérni ignára consílii ad inusitátos pavéret affátus, quod in ea operándum erat a Spíritu Sancto, collóquio dídicit angélico, nec damnum crédidit pudóris Dei Génetrix mox futúra. Cur enim de conceptiónis novitáte despéret, cui efficiéntia de Altíssimi virtúte promíttitur? Confirmátur credéntis fides étiam præeúntis attestatióne miráculi. Donátur Elísabeth inopináta fecúnditas, ut qui concéptum déderat stérili, datúrus non dubitarétur et Vírgini. Verbum ígitur Dei Fílius, qui in princípio erat apud Deum, per quem facta sunt ómnia, et sine quo factum est nihil, propter liberándum hóminem ab ætérna morte, factus est homo.


V. Tu autem, Dómine, miserére nobis.
R. Deo grátias.

R. Gloriósæ Vírginis Maríæ Maternitátem digníssimam recolámus:
* Cuius Dóminus humilitátem respéxit, quæ Angelo nuntiánte concépit Salvatórem mundi.
V. Christo canámus glóriam in hac sacra solemnitáte mirábilis Genetrícis Dei.
R. Cuius Dóminus humilitátem respéxit, quæ Angelo nuntiánte concépit Salvatórem mundi.

English translation

A Sermon of St. Leo the Pope
Sermon 1 on the Nativity of the Lord

His Mother was chosen a Virgin of the kingly lineage of David, and when she was to grow heavy with the sacred Child, her soul had already conceived him before her body. She learned the counsel of God announced to her by the Angel, lest the unwonted events should alarm her. The future Mother of God knew what was to be wrought in her by the Holy Ghost, and that her modesty was absolutely safe. For why should she, unto whom was promised all sufficient strength through the power of the Highest, have felt hopeless merely because of the unexampled character of such a conception? She believeth, and her belief is confirmed by the attestation of a miracle which hath already been wrought. The fruitfulness of Elizabeth, before unhoped for, is brought forward that she might not doubt that he who had given conception unto her that was barren, would give the same unto her that was Virgin. And so the Word of God, the Son of God, who was in the beginning with God, by whom all things were made, and without whom was not anything made that was made, to deliver man from eternal death, was made man.
V. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
R. Thanks be to God.

R. Let us tell again of the right worthy Motherhood of the glorious Virgin Mary:
* The same is she whose lowliness the Lord regarded, she who by the message of an Angel conceived the Saviour of the world.
V. Let us sing praise to Christ on this the solemn Feastday of the wondrous Mother of God.
R. The same is she whose lowliness the Lord regarded, she who by the message of an Angel conceived the Saviour of the world.

Notes on Latin vocab

affatus: from adfor, fātus sum, 1, dep. a.: to speak to; address,
damnum ī, n. hurt, harm, damage, injury, loss
didicit: from discō, didicī, 3, a.: to learn, w. acc.
fetu: from fētus, ūs, m.: a bearing or breeding; the young; young, offspring, progeny.
gravidanda: from grăvĭdo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. id., to burden, load.
ignārus, a, um: (adj.), not knowing; freq.; unaware, ignorant
ĭn-ŏpīnātus, a, um, not expected, unexpected
ĭn-ūsĭtātus, a, um, adj.,unusual, uncommon, extraordinary, very rare 
mente: from mēns, mentis, f.: the thinking faculty; rational soul
paveret: from paveō pāvī, —, ēre, to be struck with fear, be in terror, tremble, quake with fear, be afraid, be terrified
praeeō, īvī, or iī, itus, īre, irreg. n. and a.: to go before; p., praeiēns, euntis, going before, preceding
prolem: from prōlēs, is, f.: that which springs forth; offspring, race, progeny
pudor , ōris, m.: shame; feeling or fear of shame, 5.455; modesty; purity, virtue
regia: from rēgĭus, a, um, adj. rex, of or belonging to a king, kingly, royal, regal.
stirpis: from stirps , stirpis, f.: a shoot, sprout; stem, stock, race, family, lineage; offspring, descendant, progeny; source, origin, foundation, first beginning, cause.

2. Church teaching

Mary's Divine motherhood is based on the teaching of the Gospels, on the writings of the Fathers, and on the express definition of the Church.

[25] And he knew her not till she brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
Et non cognoscebat eam donec peperit filium suum primogenitum : et vocavit nomen ejus Jesum.[Mat 1]
[14] And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we saw his glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Et Verbum caro factum est, et habitavit in nobis : et vidimus gloriam ejus, gloriam quasi unigeniti a Patre plenum gratiae et veritatis.[15] John beareth witness of him, and crieth out, saying: This was he of whom I spoke: He that shall come after me, is preferred before me: because he was before me.
Joannes testimonium perhibet de ipso, et clamat dicens : Hic erat quem dixi : Qui post me venturus est, ante me factus est : quia prior me erat.[John 1]

 As Mary was truly the mother of Jesus, and as Jesus was truly God from the first moment of His conception,  Mary is truly the mother of God.

Even the earliest Fathers did not hesitate to draw this conclusion as may be seen in the writings of St. Ignatius [1], St. Irenaeus [2], and Tertullian [3].

The contention of Nestorius denying to Mary the title "Mother of God" was followed by the teaching of the Council of Ephesus (431 AD) proclaiming Mary to be Theotokos in the true sense of the word.

...the Word from God took flesh and became man. For we do not say that the nature of the Word was changed and became flesh, nor that He was turned into a whole man made of body and soul. Rather do we claim that the Word in an unspeakable, inconceivable manner united to Himself hypostatically flesh enlivened by a rational soul, and so became man and was called Son of Man, not by God’s will alone or good pleasure, nor by the assumption of a person alone. Rather did two different natures come together to form a unity, and from both arose one Christ, one Son. It was not as though the distinctness of the natures was destroyed by the union, but divinity and humanity together made perfect for us one Lord and one Christ, together marvellously and mysteriously combining to form a unity. So He who existed and was begotten of the Father before all ages is also said to have been begotten according to the flesh of a woman, without the divine nature either beginning to exist in the Holy Virgin, or needing of itself a second begetting after that from His Father. (For it is absurd and stupid to speak of the one who existed before every age and is coeternal with the Father, needing a second beginning so as to exist.) The Word is said to have been begotten according to the flesh, because for us and for our salvation He united what was human to himself hypostatically and came forth from a woman. For He was not first begotten of the Holy Virgin, a man like us, and then the Word descended upon Him; but from the very womb of His mother He was so united and then underwent begetting according to the flesh, making His own the begetting of his own flesh.

...So shall we find that the holy fathers believed. So have they dared to call the Holy Virgin, Mother of God, not as though the nature of the Word or his godhead received the origin of their being from the Holy Virgin, but because there was born from her His holy body rationally ensouled, with which the Word was hypostatically united and is said to have been begotten in the flesh.

[1] St. Ignatius: c. 35  – c. 108, an early Christian writer and bishop of Antioch. 
[2] St. Irenaeus: c. 130 – c. 202 , Greek bishop of Lyon, He had seen and heard the preaching of St Polycarp, the last known living connection with the Apostles, who in turn was said to have heard St John the Evangelist
[3] Tertullian: c. 155 – c. 240, was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage. 

3. An offering to our Blessed Mother

Through the mysterious actions of Providence and the subtle intercession from our gentle Queen and Mother, I completed a review of a remarkable monograph by Dr Wolfgang Smith, published earlier this year.

Dr Smith is a mathematician, accomplished in physics and related disciplines, a keen student of classical philosophy, Thomism and the sapiential writings of the east. He is, more importantly, a faithful Catholic. I offer the review as a gift in honour of the Glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God.


It was posted in 20 instalments on our sister blog-website: see here.

Totus tuus ego sum 

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum tutus semper sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam