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Mary Our Mother
“Behold, Your Mother”
Introduction
One of the most basic teachings of the Christian faith is that all believers are united in a holy family where God is the father of Christians and Jesus is the older brother of Christians. ... Because of this outpouring of love, Mary became the adopted mother of all believers. ... Mary is Our Mother
When Jesus was dying on the cross he gave his mother to his beloved disciple with the words, “Woman, behold, your son! ... The effects of these words did much more than ensuring his beloved mother would be cared for after he was gone, these words placed Mary in the role of Mother to all beloved disciples, so that she was “Mother not only to the ‘male child’ but also to ‘the rest of her offspring’, further identified as ‘those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus (Rev 12:17). ...
There are many controversies surrounding the devotion to Mary. Some believe that it is idolatry to pray to anyone but God and by praying to Mary raises her to the level of God. Some people have such fear of Marian devotion that they have tried not to acknowledge Mary’s special place in God’s family. ... ”
All Christians must come to understand that Mary is very important in the Family of God. ... Curtis Martian wrote, “Because God’s plan of salvation brings us into His family, Mary’s role is significant to all of us. ... At the Annunciation, Mary was given the choice when Gabriel informed her of God’s desire to make her the Mother of His Son (Lk 1:26-28). ... Mary, like all people, was given the gift of choice, and could have refused to obey the will of God. ...
Mary’s birth of Jesus is made much different from those of normal births because of the element of freedom. Mary had total freedom to choose. ... Mary said to the angel, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. ...
The depth of Mary’s response is fully exposed as she praises God in her prayer, the Magnificat (Lk 1:46-55), in which she acknowledges the honor God had given her—“for …all generations will call me blessed” (Lk 1:48)—but instantaneously directs all praise back to God—“for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name” (Lk 1:49). This “yes” is a confirmation of Mary’s previous attitude of complete faith and love of God. ...
All of Mary’s life was a “pilgrimage of faith” (Bunson 188-89, Schreck 356). Mary suffered the hardship of giving birth to her son in a stable and fleeing to Egypt with her family to escape the wrath of Herod (Mt 2:13-14; Lk 2:6-7). Again, Mary is seen as a worried mother when her twelve-year-old son was mistakenly left behind in Jerusalem (Lk 2:41-50). Mary shows her greatest courage and faith in God when she was forced to stand by while her son was taken from her, beaten, humiliated, and nailed to a cross of crucifixion (Lk 22:47-23:49). Instead of striking out against God for leading her down such a challenging path, Mary remained faithful to God and to the son she bore, knowing that because of her love, Jesus would be able to be the savior of all believers. During all of her sacrifices, the Bible shows the great faith that Mary had during these times of trials; “But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk 2:19,51). Ephrem the Syrian stated that the loving faith that Mary demonstrated as the mother of God is a model of the faith for all Christians. From Mary, Christians learn to surrender to God’s will in all things (Gambero 111-19).
In his encyclical letter on Mary, Redemptoris Mater, Pope John Paul II writes about the great faith shown by Mary at the Visitation: “blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord” (Lk 1:45, Bunson 27-29). Mary’s faith was continually shown as she cared for him during his times of trials and uncertainty.
Approximate Word count = 3571
Approximate Pages = 14.3
(250 words per page double spaced)
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