The Mother of Us All
Of all the people who have ever lived, no one is loved by Christians the way the Holy Virgin Saint Mary is loved. The prophets wrote about her long before she was born, and the Bible tells her story with great care and joy.
We call her by many loving names: our mother, our lady, the pride of our people, the pure one, the one who is full of grace. Our Church lifts her up higher than the angels — higher even than the cherubim and the seraphim — because God chose her, out of all the women who ever lived, to become the mother of His Son.
And she is not far away from us. She is close, the way a loving mother is always close to her children. That is why we hold her so dear.
“All generations will call me blessed.”Luke 1:48
Why She Is So Great
Long ago, in the year 431, the leaders of the Church gathered in a city called Ephesus. Two hundred bishops came from many lands to guard the true faith. There they gave the Virgin Mary a very special name: Theotokos, which means “the Mother of God” — because the baby she carried was truly God the Son.
The Bible had already shown how great she is. When the angel Gabriel came to her, he said, “The Lord is with you; blessed are you among women.” Later, when Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, something wonderful happened: the moment Elizabeth heard Mary’s voice, the baby inside Elizabeth leaped for joy, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Elizabeth felt so small before Mary that she asked, in wonder, why “the mother of my Lord” would come to visit her. Think of it: just Mary’s greeting filled another person with the Holy Spirit! That is how greatly God had blessed her.
“Blessed are you among women.”Luke 1:42
Chosen from the Very Beginning
God did not choose Mary by accident. He had her in mind from the very beginning of the world. When Adam and Eve sinned, God made a promise: one day the child of a woman would crush the head of the serpent. That woman was Mary, and her child was Christ, who defeated evil upon the Cross.
For many long generations, God’s people waited and hoped. Then, at just the right time, Mary was born — the one person God had been waiting for. The Bible itself praises her above every other: “you excel them all.”
“Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all.”Proverbs 31:29
A Life Full of Miracles
From the very start, Mary’s life was surrounded by miracles. God’s wonderful hand was on her from before she was born until after her life on earth was complete.
- She was born to parents who had no children, after an angel brought them the joyful news. Holy Tradition
- She became the mother of Jesus while remaining a virgin — a wonder no one can fully explain. Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:35
- At her gentle request, Jesus performed His very first miracle, turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana. John 2:1–11
- When her life on earth was over, the Church teaches that her body was taken up to heaven. Revelation 12:1
Even today, Christians all over the world tell of miracles and of times the Virgin has appeared to comfort and help God’s people. Her kindness has never stopped.
What Our Church Believes
Our Church honors the Virgin Mary with great love — never too little, and never in a way that would turn her into a goddess, for she is not God. Here are a few of the things we believe about her:
- She is the Theotokos, the Mother of God, because her Son, Jesus, is truly God.
- She remained a virgin her whole life — before, during, and after the birth of Christ. We call her the Ever-Virgin.
- She is full of grace, chosen and blessed by God above everyone else.
- She prays for us. Because she is the mother of our Lord and the queen at the King’s right hand, we lovingly ask for her prayers.
- Her body was taken up to heaven, and we celebrate that feast with great joy.
“The Lord is with you.”Luke 1:28
How Our Belief Is Different
We love every person who loves Jesus. But our holy fathers — Ethiopian teachers like Abba Giyorgis of Gassecha, and shepherds such as His Holiness Pope Shenouda III — carefully guarded the faith the Apostles handed down. Here are two gentle ways our Orthodox belief is different from that of some other Christians.
Orthodox and Roman Catholics
Both Churches love Saint Mary dearly. The real difference is about original (ancestral) sin — what we receive from Adam and Eve.
- From Adam we inherit death and a tendency to sin — but not his guilt.
- Each person answers only for their own sins. Ezekiel 18:20
- Babies are born innocent. Baptism is a new birth and adoption into God’s family — not the washing away of inherited guilt.
- And so Mary, too, was saved by Christ — she called God “my Savior.” Luke 1:47
- Every person is born with “original sin” — a human nature that has lost the holiness God first gave. It is a state we are born into, not a sin we chose.
- Baptism takes original sin away and restores God’s grace.
- Because everyone else is born with it, they teach that Mary alone was preserved free from original sin — the “Immaculate Conception.”
Sources: Catechism of the Catholic Church §§ 403–417 & 491; and the Ethiopian Orthodox teaching in Haimanot Abew 52:16–18 (cf. Ezekiel 18:20).
Orthodox and Protestants
Mary remained a virgin her whole life — the Ever-Virgin — and we lovingly honor her and ask for her prayers. The “brothers” of Jesus named in the Gospel were close relatives, not other children of Mary.
Luke 1:48That Mary had other children after Jesus, and they usually do not ask for her prayers or give her special honor.
Her Beautiful Names
The Church loves the Virgin so much that she is given many beautiful names and symbols. Each one is like a little window that helps us see who she is and what God did through her.
The Virtues of the Virgin
Mary is not only great — she is exceptional. Her life is full of virtues, and each one is a gift we can copy in our own lives.
Humility
When the angel told her she would be the mother of the Lord, Mary did not become proud. She simply said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord.” She called herself God’s servant — and it was because she was so humble that God lifted her so high. Luke 1:38
Trusting God
Whatever God asked, Mary said yes. Go to Egypt — she went. Come back again — she came back. She trusted God completely, without arguing and without complaining. Matthew 2:13–21
Patience in Hard Times
Mary’s life was not easy. She lost her parents as a child, she was poor, and she gave birth far from home with only a manger for a cradle. One day a “sword” of sorrow pierced her heart as she watched her Son suffer. Yet she carried it all with patience, and even with joy, singing, “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Luke 1:47
Faith Without Complaining
Even when King Herod tried to harm her Son, Mary never grumbled and never doubted God’s promises. She simply believed — and everything God had said came true. Luke 1:45
Silence and Prayer
From childhood, Mary loved to pray, to read the Scriptures, and to be quiet with God. When wonderful things happened, she did not boast; she “kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” She teaches us to think much and speak little. Luke 2:19
“She kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.”Luke 2:19
Her Fast and Her Feasts
Because we love the Virgin so much, the Church keeps a special fast in her honor and celebrates more feasts for her than for any other saint. During her fast, we pray, worship, and draw closer to God.
We remember the joyful moments of her life: the good news of her coming birth, her nativity, the day she entered the Temple as a little girl to live near God, and the day her body was taken up to heaven. In our Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, this beautiful season of the Virgin is known as Filseta.
How We Honor Her
In every service, the Church greets the Virgin with love — in hymns, in songs, and in prayers of blessing. Many of our most beautiful hymns begin with the words “Hail to you, Mary” or “Rejoice, O Mary.” We remember her before all the other saints, just as she herself promised.
When we paint her holy icon, we always show her holding the Christ Child, because she is His mother. She stands at His right hand like a queen, with a crown on her head and a halo of light around her — and sometimes with stars about her, because she is the “second heaven” where God once made His home.
“For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden.”Luke 1:48
A Lesson for Us
The Virgin Mary shows us how to love God: with humility, with trust, with patience, and with a quiet, prayerful heart. She said “yes” to God, and through her “yes,” the Savior came into the world.
When we copy her faith — when we are humble, when we trust God, and when we listen more than we boast — we too can carry the light of Christ to everyone around us.