“For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon
his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Is. 9:6).
“And he came to her and said: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you”
(St. Luke 1:28).
This passage is also a source of much controversy. Most Protestants would
prefer to render the original Greek kecharitomene as ‘highly favored’ rather
than ‘full of grace.’ Kecharitomene certainly relates to “grace” as its root
word charis literally means “grace.”² In fact, a strict translation of
kecharitomene is “you who have been graced.” Of the two options, “full of
grace” is a more clear and definite rendering of the angel’s words than is
“favor.” This conclusion is supported by the authority of the Latin Fathers;
the Syriac and Arabic versions of the Bible; and even the writings of the
heretics Wycliff, Coverdale and Tyndale.
“And she exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and
blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the
mother of my Lord should come to me?” (St. Luke 1:42-43).
“...for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold,
henceforth all generations will call me blessed” (St. Luke 1:48).
The Church distinguishes emphatically between cultus duliae, which
translates as “the homage of veneration,” and cultus latriae, which signifies
“the worship of adoration.” Veneration is paid to the Saints; a higher form
of it, called hyperdulia, is given to the Mother of God; but adoration is
given to God alone. Any attempt to give it to a creature would certainly be
false worship––but the Catholic Church has never given it. She adores God
and God only.
Most Evangelical Protestants abhor the title of “Mother of God” because
for them it implies that Catholics believe the Virgin Mary existed before
God, and that God only came into existence after being born from Mary. In
fact, the term “Mother of God” was defined by the Council of Ephesus (431
2
The King James Version of the Bible translates the word charis 129 times as
“grace.”
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