A traditional nativity scene – quiet, sacred, and shared by all Christians
Jamie: So... is Mary part of the Trinity or something?
Moderator: No. But she is the Mother of the One who is.
Jamie: Right. And Catholics worship her, right?
Moderator: No. But they do crown her.
Jamie: So Protestants ignore her, Catholics crown her, and the Orthodox...?
Moderator: Never stopped singing to her.
Jamie: Let me just say what everyone’s thinking: this is confusing.
Moderator: That’s because Mary is a mirror. How you see her often reflects how you see Jesus.
Jamie: Okay... now you’re being poetic.
Moderator: She is the Theotokos. The God-bearer. That title isn’t just about her. It’s a theological claim about who Jesus is.
Jamie: So calling her the 'Mother of God' is really saying... Jesus is fully God?
Moderator: Exactly. If Jesus is God, and she gave birth to Him, she is the Mother of God—not the source of His divinity, but the one who bore Him in the flesh.
Jamie: Okay, so she’s important. But still—why all the statues, songs, candles, and crowns?
Moderator: Let’s clear a few things up: Catholics and Orthodox do not worship Mary. They venerate her.
Jamie: What's the difference?
Moderator: Worship is for God alone. Veneration is honor—like the way we honor a great hero, a beloved grandmother, or a national figure. Except Mary is the Mother of the Church.
Jamie: So praying to Mary doesn’t mean she’s replacing Jesus?
Moderator: Correct. It’s like asking a friend to pray for you—except this friend said yes to God in the most complete way possible and now stands in glory.
Jamie: Still feels like a lot.
Moderator: She’s the first to say yes. The first to carry Christ. The first disciple. And from the cross, Jesus said to the Beloved Disciple: ‘Behold your mother.’
Jamie: Do Catholics and Orthodox believe the same thing about Mary?
Moderator: Mostly. But after the split in 1054, they expressed it differently.
Jamie: You mean like one took the high road, and the other took the Marian highway?
Moderator: Let’s say: the Catholic Church began defining certain Marian teachings as dogma—like the Immaculate Conception and Assumption.
Jamie: Definitions. Doctrine. Got it.
Moderator: The Orthodox continued venerating her in hymns, icons, and feasts—but without systematizing it in quite the same way.
Jamie: So Catholics wrote theology books. The Orthodox wrote lullabies?
Moderator: And both kept painting icons.
Jamie: So... what should I do with Mary?
Moderator: Let her point you to her Son. That’s all she’s ever done. Every icon, every hymn, every prayer—she’s always saying, ‘Do whatever He tells you.’
Jamie: So she’s not the star. But she’s the first to clap when He walks onstage.
Moderator: Beautifully said.
*Jamie gently turns the rosary right-side up.*
Next time on The TheoLounge: “The Bible Alone?”