Thursday, July 5, 2007

Mary-Who Is She?



Mary was an ordinary woman but what happened to Mary was extraordinary, in that God chose her from the beginning of time to help restore that which was broken through Sin. By giving her FIAT to God, Mary opened the Door to Heaven for each of us, for it is through her that our Lord and Savior was born to save ALL mankind. Mary is in effect Co-Redeemer alongside her Son and Savior Jesus Christ. This does not mean that Mary is Divine.

As we look at the life of Mary and the Mystery of her person we find that her life is unfolded like a tapestry of Divine Gold Thread, weaving a design of such Majesty that our limited intellect cannot grasp.

Many historians believe that Mary was born in Jerusalem, the daughter of Joachim and Ann. Some also speculate that Mary was born in Nazareth, but where ever she was born, Mary would have lived a very traditional life, learning the arts of cooking, cleaning and the religious Laws of her day. There is the Tradition that Mary as a young girl spent years serving in The Temple, as she prayed like many others for the coming of the Messiah.

As was the tradition in her day, Mary's parents Joachim and Ann, arranged a marriage between their daughter and Joseph the carpenter, and this is where Mary's path took a very different course than any other person. It would change Mary's life entirely and also the world. For it was soon after her engagement to Joseph that the Archangel Gabriel brought to Mary the 'Good News', as the Angel exclaimed, 'Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee." Mary was puzzled and deeply disturbed by these words and questioned the Archangel not out of doubt but from her purity of heart Mary said to the angel, "how can this come about, since I am a virgin?"

As we know Mary gave birth to The Promised Messiah who was named Jesus or Immanuel, and even though Mary is not mentioned a lot in the Bible, this does not mean we should disregard the impact she has had on the generations to come. For Mary is our most perfect example of womanhood. A wife and Mother who would have gone about her daily tasks of cleaning house, cooking, sewing, washing and nurturing the baby Jesus and to be a helpmate to Joseph her husband.

We need look no further than Mary Most Holy to define what it means to be a woman and a woman of immense Faith. A woman who followed God's Will without always understanding the Whys of it, still in all humility and meekness Mary did the Will of The Father. For Mary did not seek glory for herself but to fulfill God's Mission through the Salvific Death and Resurrection of her most beloved Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.