Don't tell me what she isn't, or that you don't worship her or whatever. Just tell me the positive stuff about her! :)
2006-09-10 11:27:45 · 24 answers · asked by Dysthymia 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
In the Catholic Church she is highly revered, but not worshipped. Worship belongs to God alone. However, she is important in the life of the Catholic Church because she is the example of how all Christians should respond to God. She responded in humility to God's invitation to bear the Son. She courageously undertook this loving task even at the risk of being casted out by her own community. So we see that by her example we are to be humble and corageous. She also lived her life like her Son because of their shared biology, but also because of their shared destiny. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen (God rest his soul) wrote a beautiful meditation on this about their shared biology and destiny when he wrote:
"She was not a priest, but she could say the words of consecration in a way no priest ever said them of that Body and Blood. As she held Thee she could say, as at Bethlehem 'This is MY Body; this is My Blood. No one in all the world gave Him body and blood but me. May she who was a victim with her Son teach us never to go to Calvary without having our hearts pierced with a sword."
So you see, her destiny was to suffer as her Son suffered. Simeon foretold this to her, "and a sword will pierce your heart." Just as Christ was pierced by the nails on the Cross, so was Mother Mary pierced in her heart watching her Son suffer. And so, as Christians we should expect to suffer while in a hostile and fearful world. Just as she and Christ faced such a world with love and joyful sacrifice, so should we in imitation of them.
However, it was not a destiny that ends in suffering. Just as her Son rose from the dead, so did she. In the Council of Chalcedon in 425, it was explained to the emperor (who wanted her bones as a relic for the church in Rome) that the Apostles laid her in the tomb. But when they rolled back the stone, she was not there. She had risen as her Son had; body and soul. So she is the proof of what we hope for; to rise in Christ.
There is more to Mother Mary than this, but this is central to what the Catholic Church understands about her and professes about her. May the Lord bless and keep you. May He let the light of His face shine upon you.
God's and your beast of burden
Fr. john
2006-09-10 12:01:24 · answer #1 · answered by som 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
A Jewish priest wrote a book about her called Queen of the Jews. There is SCRIPTURAL TYPOLOGY which reveals truths such as Jesus being the New Adam. Mary is the new Eve. In Creation Adam and Eve was the start of the human race dominated in their physical form/world. Jesus and Mary are the beginning of a New Creation for the human race dominated in the spiritual world.
If you ever see the movie Song of Bernadette, a true story of a French girl receiving visions of Mary as the IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, you will discover a wonderful historical movie. One part of the movie caught my ear when the priest who doubted Bernadette's visions could not make sense of what was said. Immaculate Conception is an event; a person doesn't say they are an event! In the case of Mary, the Mother of God, I believe she is. She is the beginning of a New Creation for the salvation of mankind.
As such I believe Mary has a vital role in our redemption. Therefore, she would be considered the Co-Redemtrix of our salvation. This is a philosophy that is shared by Ukranian Church, Greek Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, and the Roman Catholic Church.
Mary (the Mother of God) is the person to appeal for to intercede on our behalf. Because she is "full of grace" Mary received the greatest gift of any human being: she was without sin having ever corrupted her. As Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, said, "who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" Elizabeth was much older than Mary making this statement highly praising the significance of Mary's role as the Mother of God.
When Jesus was on the cross and told John to behold his mother He meant Mary is our spiritual Mother that we should honor as well. Jesus also indicated John was to take care of her since Jesus had no brothers or sisters to care for her. Mary TOTALLY submitted her will to God. She knew she was going to suffer greatly when a prophet told her a sword would pierce her heart. Seeing Jesus Crucified did exactly that.
Mary was with the Apostles on the day of Pentacost when the Holy Spirit decended upon them. It is interesting to note that this is the second time the Holy Spirit came upon her, the first when Jesus was conceived in her womb. I believe Mary never actually died but was in "dormition" simulating death and was assumed body and soul into heaven. She lived about 15 years after Jesus was crucified.
BTW, did I say this was a GREAT question?
2006-09-10 12:25:08 · answer #2 · answered by Search4truth 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Can you imagen the difficulties of raising a child who sees right through not only you but those held in high esteam around you. A person has got to know God would only pick a special person for such a task. Un like president Bush there is a person who really did have a hard job. I do not pray to her or hold her in any higher esteam than other saints but have much thanks and respect for her role and for the position she must hold.
2006-09-10 11:37:32 · answer #3 · answered by icheeknows 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
She was "chosen" for 2 simple reasons.
#1. And most important; she was a direct descendant of David and an only Female child in a house with only ONE child. Why is this important? Because, in Hebrew Law, a "single child that was Female was allowed to inherit" thereby making her in-line to the throne of David. This is why HER genealogy is called the "legal" genealogy, because its listed by legitimacy.
#2. She was a Virgin.
That's all folks, that and she was a believer in the true God.
2006-09-10 11:54:03 · answer #4 · answered by AdamKadmon 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What a wonderful woman to have accepted her assignment! Can you imagine being an engaged virgin living in a world where chastity was of utmost importance and agreeing to being pregnant? She was willing to face embarrassment, ridicule, and possibly ostracism in order to bring the Messiah into the world.
And, what would her fiance think? (Remember he was going to divorce her secretly - so he was quite affected by the situation - thankfully, God's angel interceded.)
If she thought ahead to what it meant to watch her firstborn child suffer and die, that must have been a horrible thought.
And, then she actually lived through that! She had to watch her son die, after having been beaten and scourged!
Thanks for your question! I have always thought what it cost God and Jesus to look ahead to what would happen and know that it needed to be done anyway, but had not given much thought to what Mary had to undergo. What a joy her 4 other sons and daughters must have been to her in her sorrow! (Mark 6:3-6)
As a mother, would I be willing to face that? ..........
2006-09-10 11:40:37 · answer #5 · answered by grammy_of_twins_plus two 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As a Roman Catholic, I revere the Blessed Virgin Mary. She said "yes" to God's plan for Her, so She set a pretty good example for all of humanity.
Hail Mary, full of grace.
2006-09-10 11:36:19 · answer #6 · answered by solarius 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Mary was a young girl who found favor in the eyes of God. When the angel came to her and announced that she would bear a child, and this child would be the son of God, she replied "be it done to me as you say; behold the handmaiden of the Lord". She was an obedient girl, and carried her role in God's plan with honor and dignity.
2006-09-10 12:10:19 · answer #7 · answered by Esther 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Mary was a virgin that was chosen by God to bear his son Jesus, which is actually God in flesh and blood form. I know that she was a very good woman full of faith in God otherwise he wouldn't have chosen her to be the mother of Jesus.
2006-09-10 11:31:22 · answer #8 · answered by Marcy T 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Mary is the mother ~Spirit~ of this world.
And the Mother of of Heaven..... I can see her now with her son Jesus taking care of all the abortion children in Heaven.
2006-09-10 11:46:07 · answer #9 · answered by inteleyes 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ok, she was a very blessed Jewish girl. After all, God chose her to be the vessel to house His Holy offspring.
She was a great girl/ woman of faith, to accept the angel's announcement that she would be the mother of the messiah.
2006-09-10 13:14:19 · answer #10 · answered by Jay Z 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Cover your eyes, child. Mary means no more to God the Father that you or I. She's no holier than thou. She must've been a hell of a gal however, otherwise God wouldn't have chosen her to bear The Saviour of The World.
2006-09-10 11:34:40 · answer #11 · answered by Johnny P 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋