Mary and the Holy Trinity: daughter, mother, and wife

# Mary and the Holy Trinity: Daughter, Mother, and Wife## The Relationship of Mary with the Holy TrinityThe relationship of **Mary with the Holy Trinity** forms the basis of all Mariology. Mary has a unique and singular relationship with each of the three divine Persons. For a comprehensive article: Mary and the Holy Trinity.## Daughter of the FatherMary is a creature of the Father, the most perfect of creatures, one who fully realized God’s creative plan. The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is the gift of the Father: a creature preserved from original sin to be worthy of dwelling with the Son. St. Francis of Assisi called Mary “the Virgin made Church.”## Mother of the SonMary’s relationship with the Son is the most direct and humanly closest: the relationship of mother and son. The term Theotokos, Mother of God, defined by the Council of Ephesus (431), forms the foundation of all Mariology. Denying that Mary is the Mother of God denies Jesus’ divinity.## Spouse of the Holy SpiritMary’s relationship with the Holy Spirit is expressed in tradition through the title “Spouse”: the Spirit descended upon her at the Annunciation to bring about the Incarnation. St. Maximilian Kolbe (Kolbe) developed this theology of the “Immaculate as Spouse of the Holy Spirit” particularly deeply.## Deepen Your StudiesExplore Mariology, Marian Theology, Marian Apparitions, and a Master’s in Mariology.—## Church Magisterium> **Citation:** *Beata Virgo Maria a Deo Patre ab aeterno electa est, ut Spiritu Sancto obumbrante Filium conciperet, atque ita in mysteriis Trinitatis specialissime intersit.*
> *Council of Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, n. 56***Translation:** The Blessed Virgin Mary was chosen by God the Father from eternity to conceive the Son through the shadow of the Holy Spirit, thus participating in a special way in the mysteries of the Trinity.