Mary: Virgin Mother

The Church teaches and believes that the Blessed Virgin Mary is in fact that: a virgin before, during, and after the birth of Jesus. What is the significance for us in our lives? Is this just a teaching that is important to nuns or priests? What is God doing through Mary, that will also affect us?

It will be important for us to understand that Mary's Virginity is completely the initiative of God. This is something that is given to her as a gift in order to establish a type of new creation. Mary's perpetual virginity is closely connected to the reality that she is redeemed by Christ in a completely unique and singular way. What does this mean? The Church knows that Christ became incarnate in order to restore creation to its original beauty. After all, if there was nothing wrong with the world and there was no sin, then it wouldn't have needed a savior.

Christ, through his suffering on the Cross and through a complete gift, redeemed Mary to such a degree that she became as Paul says a new creation. So in this way, Mary is like an icon of the Garden of Eden, the original creation. What God created when he made the garden of Eden, he re-created when he made the Virgin Mary. Just as the Garden of Eden, Mary was completely in harmony with God. There was nothing keeping her separate from God nor was there anything that would enter into her that would keep her from God. So in this way, her Virginity speaks loudly about her 'untouched' nature just as we speak of the "Virgin Islands". Why are they the Virgin Islands? Because of their pristine nature.

This took Mary an incredible amount of faith and shows her wonderful gift of self to God. There was no way that she could understand what God wanted to do with her, since she had never seen it or experienced it before. God wanted to make her a 'new creation', and she completely allowed and trusted in his hand. How did she have the strength to give herself completely to God? We can understand that in being redeemed even before her birth, she was given a freedom that was truly free. She was fully free to say yes to God.

The Church is called to be like a new Garden of Eve. This is first true in the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is like a spiritual "Virgin Islands" and we are called to travel there to bask in the waters, to walk on the pristine sand, to enjoy the sweet tropical fruits...in a word to allow this Virgin land to 'mother' us. And who do we find dwelling in this Garden? The same gardener that Mary Magdalene found...Jesus is the gardener who is dwelling in the midst of its beauty, waiting for us to find him. Mary is where we go for vacation, for prayer, and for rest. She is always there to be like a 'home country' where we find Jesus walking in the breezy time of the day...

The disobedience of Eve & the obedience of Mary

Why was Eve disobedient? Why did Mary disobey? God is a God of love and not an evil genius that delights in our uncertainty. He gives us many signs under the guise of our ordinary life.

The Fathers of the Church will say that the whole of the universe is waiting for the "yes" of Mary.

What preceded Eve's disobedient was disbelief because perhaps she felt that she knew better than what God had to say. Mary on the other hand felt that she didn't know better and that she had in fact every right to trust in God. What a struggle we have in choosing between Eve and Mary. The early Church fathers saw the Virgin Mary as the new Eve, the new mother of all the living.

In today's class we compared and spoke much about the difference between the two. On a very simple level, Eve was disobedient and Mary was obedient. This leads us to ask several questions but most importantly 'what was behind their decisions?' We believe that Even was created perfectly and so why did she disobey God whom she knew so well? What becomes apparent is that she disobeyed God first because she began to lose faith and trust in him. The devil in Genesis is shown to strike at her relationship with God. He wanted her to believe that God was somehow sinister and did not want the good for her. *This is so much like our hearts! We struggle to come closer to God because as we come closer, we realize how mysterious and unknown he is to us. God is a mystery and there is always more to learn and know about him.

Therefore, God causes much fear in us because he is like an abyss of light...although He is light...there is so much that we are afraid to dive in... It seems that there are two fundamental reactions to God...to be afraid or to trust...once we fear...we distrust...and then we disobey...which is the path of Eve. When we choose to release our fear...we trust..and then we obey...which is the path of Mary. Clearly, this courage that we are invited to have before God is only something that can be given to us as a Grace.

This week's class, the Annunciation: mirror of our life

In the previous week we focused on the profound joy that is be found in the Annunciation. This week we focused on how the Annunciation has elements of a miraculous birth but also of a vocation narrative. I want to spell out here the second part.

We can see in the Annunciation, a mirror for our own life. The Angel Gabriel presented to Mary first a greeting of joy and then an explanation of what God will do in her life. Our life is perhaps much more simple but nonetheless wonderful. Think about it, our life isn't always chosen by us but instead it comes to us new each day like an invisible angel that is presenting it to us as a gift. Every morning that we wake up, we don't choose the day and how it will come to us, rather, the day has already been chosen for us. It comes to us like a gift; it also comes to us as a challenge. Our life tells us: 'this is what will happen to you and this is who you are to become..."

It makes us ask the same questions that the Virgin Mary asks: "But how can this come about, since I do not know man?" We might ask: Who will I become? How will I accomplish all the things my hearts desires? How will I accomplish all the things that the hearts of others and God's heart desire for me? And notice that for all of us, God is merciful. He is not afraid of our questions, but we are often afraid of His answers! Gabriel explains to Mary and even offers her tangible signs that what he says is indeed from God. This has certainly been true in my life: I ask, God, 'How will I know that you will be there for me?' Time after time, the Father has shown me through signs and other people how his power will bring things about.

The answer is almost always the same as for Our Lady: "for nothing is impossible to God" This is where we need the help of Mary to say "let what you have said be done to me." Why is it so hard to say yes to Our Heavenly Father's will? Because we don't know what is truly in His Heart!! Who knows the heart of the Father as much as the Blessed Mother? She knew His heart so deeply, that she realize in the depths of her heart that He indeed was trustworthy. We run to the Blessed Mother because SHE first said yes to God's will and will give us the strength to say yes to the Father!

Thoughts from this week's Mariology class: the Joy of the Blessed Virgin Mary

These are just some thoughts from part of my class in Mariology. Take a close look at the greeting given the Virgin Mary and the great joy that is spoken of by the prophet Zephaniah. What came to mind for me is that although Luke doesn't describe with much detail the joy experienced by Mary, Zephaniah gives us a deep insight into her inner world even though he wrote inspired by the Holy Spirit centuries before Mary's birth.

The greeting that Gabriel gave to Mary has a parallel with the prophet Zephaniah. Zephaniah has an incredible hope and speaks of the Daughter of Zion, which can be fulfilled most fully in Mary.

Luke 1
28 And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. 32

The Prophet Zephaniah 3:14-18

"14 Shout for joy, daughter Zion! sing joyfully, Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, daughter Jerusalem! 15 The LORD has removed the judgment against you, he has turned away your enemies; The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. 16 On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, Zion, do not be discouraged! 17 The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior, Who will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, Who will sing joyfully because of you, 18 as on festival days."

There are these themes found in Zephaniah, Zechariah, and Joel. There is a tremendous amount of joy that is contagious and should be shared. Joy is not the absence of suffering but the presence of God. These New Testament authors give us the secret of Christianity that there is this incredible joy to be shared. If we haven't found this Christian joy then the encounter with the Lord Jesus has not be efficacious. So in the encounter that we see with Elizabeth and Mary, we have an invitation to enter into this Christian joy.

Our Lady: Our Hope

When we come to Our Lady, we often don't recognize how much she is our hope. Karl Barth, a famous Protestant Theologian once correctly recognized that the central teaching of the Catholic Church is that on Our Lady. How so? Jesus of course came to save us and to die on the cross for our sins, but if we do not give our YES to Him, then all is for nothing. Jesus cannot save us if we do not give him permission or allow his grace to work in our hearts. Our Lady is the only one who gave a full YES to God. Her YES was so powerful, that it not only was for her, but it was also for all of the rest of humanity. Her YES was able to be the yes for the whole human race. In her YES, we are able to say yes to God. For example, when riding a bicycle, it is much easier if we are following in the draft of another person because they take all of the friction of the wind and allow us to ride with much greater eases. Our Lady is able to take the wind so much in giving her YES to Jesus that it gives us the opportunity to keep up with her Son. Had the Blessed Mother not given her Yes to God, Jesus would not even have been born and we would not have had salvation. Our yes depends tremendously on hers. She is God's YES to Man and Man's YES to God. Allow the Blessed Mother to place her hands on your heart and join it to her Immacualate Heart so that you can give your full yes to the will of God in your life.

October 7th: Our Lady of the Rosary

The Rosary is such an incredible gift! How sad it is when people completely ignore it or minimize it's power.  It is not something that can be fully understood on the outside but rather you must pray it and experience the power that it has to interiorly change us.  Ever since my Uncle said so simple, "If you want to go to Heaven, pray the Rosary!!" I experienced how the beautiful "Our Father" and the glorious "Hail Mary" have resonated in my soul and heart and cleared & cleaned away all sin and filth.  Whereas so many people I know still struggle with many sins, the Rosary has given me such freedom to say YES to God in this vocation in a way that is fuller than other people.  Why is that?  Am I better than others? No, but the Blessed Virgin Mary IS!! And when you pray the Rosary, you get caught up into her virtues and her freedom and ability to say YES to God.  She is not merely a Model, just as Jesus is not merely a Prophet:: No, she is the Theotokos, the God-bearer and the Mediatrix of all graces.  She is our Yes to God and God's Yes to us.  Brothers & Sisters, I invite you to experience in your own bodies her intercessory and healing power.  Don't listen to the cynics or the lukwarm who care not for the Blessed Virgin, rather listen to a converted sinner who has been deeply touched by her powerful & motherly love.

De Maria Numquam Satis!!

Feast of St. Martha: Mary the New Eve

On this Beautiful feast of St. Martha, one where we honor someone very much loved by Christ and who served as many of us serve, we consider again the role of the Blessed Mother especially in light of the entire human race. St. Iranaeus of Lyon is one who especially promoted this idea although it is possible that it was around much before him. As God used Adam and Eve to begin the human race and for them to be a source of life and blessings for all of us following, so too Christ and the Blessed Mother were the New Adam and New Eve that God used to restore a new creation, a new day of rest, and a new human family. This is intrinsically tied to the fact that we are created in the image of God: "male and female he created them..." That is, we are to image the communion of the Trinity in the communion of the Family and so it follows that Jesus and Mary's yes were necessary for this restoration to happen within the laws of nature established by God. How else could a universal family be established if there is no Father or if there is no Mother, then Jesus and Mary are the new human parents of the new human family. Through the prayers of the Blessed Mother, may we come to know the love of Christ and of God the Father!