Q’s from the Pews: What About Mary? May 3, 2026

One of the most common questions Catholics encounters is about Mary’s role in salvation history. Recently I had this question posed to me by a non-Catholic Christian as I sat on a panel with a Rabbi. During May, the month dedicated to her, it’s fitting to reflect on why the Church honors her so deeply. From the earliest centuries, Christians wrestled with how to understand Mary’s relationship to Jesus.

The Council of Ephesus (431) affirmed that Mary is Theotokos—the “God-bearer”—because the child she bore is truly God and truly man. This teaching rejected the term Christotokos – “Christ bearer,” setting the foundation for the truth of the Incarnation: Jesus Christ is one divine Person with both human and divine natures declared at the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD). Mary’s importance flows from the Incarnation. In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant held the manna from heaven—the bread of life—and was considered the holiest vessel. In the New Testament, Mary becomes the new Ark, carrying within her the true Bread come down from heaven, Jesus Himself. Her “yes” to God made possible the dwelling of the divine among us. Pure and without sin, she is worthy of veneration, not worship, as the mother of God.