It is in this journey - a journey where I have shed the final layers of my own despair, desperation and worry from the pain of past abuse that I was drawn to Mary. Although I was raised Protestant, I have always held an adoration to Mary as the mother of our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Her heart was fired in the sustaining power of God, she chose obedience out of love. Obedience out of servitude and slavery is nothing more than a hunger of fear. The fear that paralyzes and cripples a soul.
While many Protestants have shied away from devotion to Mary as being too Catholic, I think it is an insult to Christ and to God not to adore and honor Mary because she fought ever worldly temptation and fear of the wrath of the world - instead of holding tight to her worldly reputation - she actively chose God's will. I adore Mary as a model of how to live in loving obedience to God because she gave her all to God through her active choices to choose God over the world. She chose to submit her life in love of God and to purify her heart for God. Can you imagine if you were a young girl, unwed, who suddenly was pregnant - no one would believe you were a Virgin and called by God - imagine the ridicule, the chastening, the hate, the desolation of being ostracized by all you love and your community. Compound the burden of giving birth to the Word Incarnate - God incarnate - the burden of raising God as your own son - the pain of knowing his life would usher in a Holy Kingdom - but the Messianic mission would pierce the hearts of mean and set nation against nation. In spite of all the obstacles and fears - Mary chose God.
What I think is remarkable about this is that Mary was not blindly devout - she understand the intricate nature of the risks and ridicule; at the same time God's proposal was one on faith - The Angel of the Lord, Gabriel told Mary's God's calling in her life - but Mary did not receive a blueprint - she would have to wrestle with God's calling her into sorrow and tribulation - while resting in the joy of God's grace through Christ and his grace in selecting Mary, a lowly handmaiden, to carry out HIS divine plan for salvation on earth. In choosing God, Mary also chose mercy for mankind, willing to sacrifice her own temporal fascinations in the eternal glory of giving birth to Jesus.
The life of Mary is one of active faith, struggling in doubt and fear and yet always choosing God. God through Jesus came into the world as a vulnerable infant - Mary charged with caring for her son as a mother and also the guardian of the Messiah - but in choosing God, Mary also was called to her most important role as mother - because God made himself vulnerable - in a position where he relied on the love of humanity and in being forsaken by humanity his love for humanity was even more glorious - for Jesus like his mother chose The Father's will - God's Will even when it seems muddled and confused is always the best way forward.
Do you think Mary - a Virgin carrying the Word Incarnate in her womb expected to be forced to give birth to the King of Heaven come to Earth in a stable...or to have her baby be pursued by Herod - only days out of her womb - Herod wants her baby dead - How could God allow this? Mary and Joseph are forced to be immigrants in Egypt and in foreign lands before moving back to their homeland. Think of Mary's sorrow when Jesus went missing in the Temple for three days or she saw her son crucified.
Mary teaches us another vital issue. God is immortal. God is Holy. Jesus is God Incarnate - but God throughout the ages in spite of HIS Majesty, His Glory, Wrath and Fire of Creation - desires a true relationship with humanity - yes God wants our reverence, but not as slaves but as true children - who love their parent and long to be in relationship with Him. Mary's devotion to both God and to Jesus is an example of how to model our own relationship with Christ - with reverence, love and a direct relationship as a friend and parent. We are all adopted into the family of Christ. Mary both loved her son in all ways a mother should and Jesus honored his mother with obedience and listened to her instruction (Cana) - and Mary held all of this close to her heart and loved Jesus as a son and revered Him also as God and trusted God the Father's purpose for her.
I recite the Rosary daily and I enjoy meditating on the Hail Mary.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee
Blessed are thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus
Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of death.
I often say the 'Hail Mary' - a prayer which I think is generally misconstrued by Protestants who think that Catholics worship Mary. There is a strong difference between worship and adore and worship and venerate. Look at King David - do those of Jewish faith worship David? No they worship God, they honor King David for he was beloved by the Lord - even in His flaws.
The biggest argument of apostasy with this prayer from the Protestants, particularly Baptists is that Mary is not holy because she was a sinner and also we should pray to God instead of Mary. I have even heard some people say that Mary should be held in no higher regard than any other sinner saved by grace - she is not that important. Unfortunately I see these arguments as bigotry against the woman who was physically the Mother of Mercy - Christ is our Mercy and Mary is His Mother.
So if you break down the Hail Mary prayer, the first two verses come from the Gospel of Luke. So two thirds of the prayer is directly from scripture.
The Angel Gabriel approaches Mary with a greeting that invokes the most important call to choice in history because by Mary's saying 'YES' to God's Will she can help God sow his plan for redemption as promised to Eve in Genesis. I think it is vital to emphasize that God did give Mary a choice. While God's will is always the right path, God honors the gift of our free will.
If you look at the scripture from Luke below, it is doctrine that Mary was called by God and said to be 'full of grace' or as the modern translation states - is a favored one. Many anti-Marian argue that Mary is without grace and she needs Jesus just as anyone else. Mary is like everyone else in the fact she needed God - God the Father showed His Grace on Mary - was this grace not a gift of God that she was from a young age filled with love of God and obedience to God - that is a grace in itself. Mary in my opinion had to be full of grace and fully free of sin to carry Christ. Otherwise original sin would have penetrated the core - this is a Holy Mystery - but to discount Mary as not being 'favored' or 'full of grace' is not biblical. Mary was born lowly in stature - her Grace comes from God - God filled her heart with grace and reared her in His Spirit so she would be Holy for her calling as the Mother of God. If you believe that Jesus was fully human and divine - don't you think God would select someone of extreme love and grace to raise His Incarnate Self?
When Jesus dismisses His mother and brothers during a sermon - saying 'Who are my mother and my brothers...' this is an invitation to the GRACE God grants us through salvation - Mary was not being dismissed by her son as much as Jesus was through God's power showing the love and grace God provides to all creation - all creation - in accepting God is part of the Holy Family of the Trinity - we are God's children - brothers of Christ. Mary though I'm sure hurt by the statement - also trusted her son and His mission enough to set her pride aside and understand her purpose was not to rule over Christ but to serve her beloved son and in serving HIM, serving God's Will.
Birth of Jesus Foretold (Luke)
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed[b] to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”[c] 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”[d]
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[e] will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant[f] of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
The second part of the Hail Mary:
'Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb'
This verse is from Mary's visitation to her cousin Elizabeth, who in her old age was freed from her barren womb and had also conceived a son - John the Baptist. Elizabeth acknowledged the importance of Mary's blessing by God and her blessed role among women as carrying the fruit of the entire world's salvation - Jesus, the Son of God in her womb. In a culture where childbirth could bless a woman's reputation or leave her broken by the stigma of being barren - Mary was giving the ultimate blessing by God, even more than Sarah or Hannah or Elizabeth. She is a symbol that God blesses His children and blesses those who are weak but ready to serve His will.
Luke 1:41-42a "When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women..."
Luke 1:48 "For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed."
Among all women is a way to say the highest/greatest etc. of a group in Semitic languages (these words would likely have been spoken in Aramaic). Mary is being called the greatest of all women, greater than Ruth, greater than Sarah, greater than EVE! Since Eve was created immaculate (without original sin), Mary must have been conceived immaculate. And, although Eve fell into sin by her own free will, Mary must have corresponded to God's grace and remained sinless. She could not otherwise be greater than Eve. Thus, as the Fathers of the Church unanimously assert, Mary is the New Eve who restores womanhood to God's original intention and cooperates with the New Adam, her Son, for the Redemption of the world.
Mary's acknowledgement of her blessing by God is also acknowledged in the Magnificat
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name. (Luke 1:46-55)
The third and final portion of the Hail Mary is the most controversial and yet for over a thousand years it has brought peace and hope in the power of God's divine mercy.
Holy Mother of God, Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of death.
Many take offense at Mary being called Holy - but God through Christ calls us all to be Holy and I cannot think of a more Holy Mother than the mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Holiness is reconciled through our sinful nature by grace and also in acceptance of grace by full submission to God - something Mary did continually during her life acting both as a mother and servant of love for her son.
In Catholic tradition - the concept of praying to heaven for intercessory prayer is part of doctrine of stance in the Church - as a Protestant I'll admit I was bigoted about this practice for many years because I thought Catholics concept of praying to saints was worshiping the saints. NO! The practice of praying to the saints is actually asking the saints for intercessory prayer - you ask the saints to lift you up in prayer to God - you are asking them to pray for you to God - Christ is still directly the intercessor. This is no different than requesting prayers from a friend or a church. While it may seem odd - it is not a practice of worshiping a saint - you venerate the saint and ask them to pray with you to God. I see this as a statement of faith in Christ's promise that if 'two or more are gathered together in prayer I will be with you.'
Fundamentally it must be known that Catholics - though they ask Mary for intercession - they too also pray directly to God and believe that Christ will hear the prayers of any that come directly to Him. The advantage of Mary's intercession is she has a motherly love of her son and will petition for all of 'Christ's adopted children.' Mary underwent many hardships and is an anchor of faith in dark times - helping us as a counselor in dark times - leading us closer to the light of God's love.
The intercessory concept of praying to Mary is also found in the Bible source of the story of the Wedding at Cana where Jesus performed his first public miracle when His mother told Him the wine was out and petitioned her son to help fix the problem. Jesus in mercy to hope of His mother in Him and mercy for those in need (albeit it a small need - but ritually important as part of the wedding ceremony) Christ rushed to act.
Whether or not you embrace the 'Hail Mary' as a devotional prayer in recitation of Rosary or merely choose to honor Mary by learning lessons of faith through her role as a mother who served God - Mary worth examination and veneration.
Jesus cared so deeply for His mother than on the cross he asked John to be her son and look after her.
In a series of posts I am going to highlight The Rosary.
Why The Rosary? It is a powerful devotional prayer that focuses on the Holy Mysteries of Christ's life and in reciting the 'Hail Mary' it helps to draw us closer to Christ and also examine how Mary - who as a mother dealt sharply with the sorrows of her son and trusted in the promised Glory of God's hand - chose to endure and persevere in faith - we face similar faith challenges and doubts having an example of following the obedience of Mary is a compass towards deeper communion with Christ.
Since starting The Rosary two months ago - my anxiety has diminished and I have felt the peace of the Holy Spirit kindle within me - because the Rosary helps me put Christ's life into my life plan and in contemplating the mysteries of the Rosary I continually discover God's great love for me and the Glory of Salvation and our call to Proclaim the Kingdom and active Love our neighbor in the grace and mercy of Christ.
I also will feature Rosary devotions that do not use the Hail Mary or use a shortened version - although I think if you set bigotry aside and contemplate the scripture as you say the Hail Mary it leads you closer to Christ and the distinct relationship of Mother-son or in our case Our Father in Heaven-His Son and our adoption as heirs through Christ
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