Theotokos: the Mother of God - A Moment with Mary

* June 2 – The 5th Ecumenical Council of Constantinople confirms the term of “Theotokos” (553)  * Theotokos: the Mother of God --- An initiative of the Association Mary of Nazareth  June 2 – The 5th Ecumenical Council of Constantinople confirms the term of “Theotokos” (553)  Theotokos: the Mother of God Unknown Byzantine artist of the 10th century In the first Christian community, as the disciples became more aware that Jesus was the Son of God, it became ever clearer that Mary was the Theotokos, the Mother of God… As early as the 3rd century, an ancient text testifies that the Christians of Egypt addressed this prayer to Mary: "We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God: despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us from all evil, O glorious and blessed Virgin…" (from the Liturgy of the Hours). The expression Theotokos appears explicitly for the first time in this text. By the fourth century, the term Theotokos was frequently used in the East and the West… One can therefore understand the great protest movement that arose in the fifth century when Nestorius cast doubt on the correctness of the title "Mother of God" … In 431 the Council of Ephesus condemned his theses and, in affirming the subsistence of the divine and human natures in the one person of the Son, proclaimed Mary the Mother of God. Saint John Paul II General Audience of Wednesday, November 27, 1996 Council of Ephesus in 431, in the Basilica of Fourvière, Lyon Let’s pray together  Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.   . Share A Moment with Mary and give your loved ones the opportunity to discover a new aspect of the mystery of the Mother of God each day.