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| My Opinion of the Virgin Mary The subject of Mary within the Christian tradition is often a subject of intense debate. Catholics are routinely attacked by Protestants for being overly devoted to the Virgin, even worse, some has called the Catholic veneration for Mary "idolatry". Catholics in turn, attack Protestants for delagating the role of Mary to a baby machine, a conveyor belt which Jesus came through. We can only take the words of Scripture for indication of how Mary was perceived by the early church. I think that will be a good start for any serious discussion about her role in the church. I start with Elizabeth's calling of Mary in the Gospel of Luke: "Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb" (Luke 1:42) Here we are taught quite explicity that Mary is the highest of all female characters for the reason that she was chosen to bring forth the Holy Child. Mary's prayer of praise contains references to God bringing down the mighty and lifting the poor. I believe the writer of Luke included this to use the prayer as a way of foreshadowing the works of Jesus. Mary might symbolize the world before Jesus, longing for the revolution of love and the grace of God to shatter the dark and empty existence of humanity and fill it with Gods life-giving power. Mary also represents humanity when she out of her own free will, chose to follow the will of God and give up her life to giving birth and caring for her baby (Who is God himself Immanuel). We like her, chose to follow God and give up our lives to him to glorify him and live in his love. We honour Mary both as the Mother of the True God and the first-created in creation. Jesus, the uncreated one is highest over creation, his mother, being the first to accept his and his Father's will, rightly was his first follower. Objections to this premise Mary is the Mother of the Human Jesus, not of God?] This contradicts logic and Protestants who hold this view should rethink it. No where in Catholicism does it say that Mary "created" Jesus, because for all Christian doctrine supports the idea that Jesus is God "from everlasting" as the prophet Micah foretold. Mary however chose to carry the God-Man in her womb and give birth to our Lord. To say she simply carried the "Man" part would deny a central Christian teaching: that Jesus was always and is always God. We should not worship Mary nor do we regard her as an agent of salvation Worship and honour are two separate things. We honour the great prophets of old, the saints of the church for their submission to the will of God. We should grant Mary that same honour. On the question of salvation,I do not believe that Mary can save because Christian tradition and scripture hold that Jesus, the infallible Son of God is the source of our salvation. However Mary gave birth to Jesus thus serving God in bringing his Son to the world. |