Mary-Our Perfect Example-A Reflection

The beginning of Jesus Ministry did not mean that Mary's involvement lessened nor that she was cast aside, for Mary too was to play an integral part in her Son's Ministry.

It would have been Mary that provided a listening heart to his many friends and followers, as she welcomed them into her home and traveled with them as Jesus preached, taught, and healed the wounded and sick.

I am sure that Mary would have provided a keen insight into their home life to the Apostles, and shared her family joys and sorrows with them. But Mary also was a woman of quiet contemplation and of few words, so she would have listened to these friends of Jesus and provided comfort in their times of confusion and bewilderment.

Wherever they journeyed Mary and the women disciples would have provided care and comfort for not only Jesus but his friends and followers. This meant cooking traditional meals such as bread, the vegetables that were in season, fish, served with olives and goats cheese and meals such as Labaneh and other dishes, spiced with the herbs of the area.

Mary would have also provided a good example for the women followers of Jesus and they would have helped Mary in keeping what ever home they stayed in clean and tidy. They also would have helped Mary in the cooking; one can imagine the men gathered around Jesus listening to him as he spoke to them of the Kingdom of God, whilst Mary and the other women prepared the meals. But what Mary would have shown these women disciples of Jesus, is that though one may be busy at their tasks, still one listens to the voice of God, in a spirit of humble obedience, even in the midst of preparing and cleaning.

So though Mary occupied herself with the daily ritual of cooking, cleaning, knitting and darning the clothes of her Son and his friends, with the help of the other women, she would have incorporated prayer into every activity. This would have been a wonderful example for the other women to follow and is central to the Mission of Jesus, that women were not second class citizens but were an essential part to his Ministry.

But there also would have been occasions of humour and fun amidst the seriousness, and Mary would have shared stories of the infant Jesus and her beloved but deceased husband Joseph, as they conversed together in a spirit of fellowship.

And through the love that Jesus had for his mother, it would have also allowed the other Apostles to see the value which Jesus placed on the importance of women in his Ministry and for women in general.

So throughout Jesus Ministry, Mary too had her role, which was to provide an example of Holy obedience with true meekness of heart and soul, and to ennoble the role of women in the life of Jesus, and in what was to come.