Tag Archives: blessed-virgin-mary

Advent Day 20: Blessed and never broken

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TODAY’S READINGS

The Gospel reading is from Lk 1:46-56, picking up where we left off yesterday. It is her response to Elizabeth, a response for the ages. I will focus on a particular verse (in fact, just the second part):

[The Lord] has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed. (v. 48)

“Elizabeth is the first to proclaim Mary blessed because of what God is doing through her and because of her response to God (1:42, 45), but she will not be the last. Mary realizes that ‘from now on will all ages call me blessed.’ Every future generation will look upon Mary as someone specially favored and blessed by God. The words from now on signal a turning point. The conception of Jesus inaugurates a new stage in human and divine history; God has take a decisive step that will affect all ages to come.” (The Gospel of Luke (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, 33)

“God rewards our Lady’s humility by mankind’s recognition of her greatness: ‘All generations will call me blessed.’ This prophecy is fulfilled every time someone says the Hail Mary, and indeed she is praised on earth continually, without interruption. ’From the earliest times the Blessed Virgin is honoured under the title of Mother of God, under whose protection the faithful take refuge together in prayer in all their perils and needs. Accordingly, following the Council of Ephesus, there was a remarkable growth int the cult of the people of God towards Mary, in veneration and love, in invocation and imitation, according to her own prophetic words: ‘all generations will call me blessed, for he who is mighty has done great things for me'” (Vatican II, Lumen gentium, 66) (The Navarre Bible: The Gospel of Luke, 44)

“Mary…prophesies that ‘all ages’ (literally ‘all generations’) wll pronounce a beatitude by calling here ‘blessed,’ recognizing god’s favor to her, as indeed Elizabeth has just done (Luke 1:45). thus, the person who says ‘Blessed Mary’ or ‘Blessed Virgin Mary’ (see 1:27) is fulfilling the inspired word of Scripture!” (The Gospel of Luke [Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture], 52)

This last quote makes a particular impact on me. I will try never to invoke Mary without prefacing that holy name (it means “”) with “Blessed.” The humble, perfect, sinless one, in true humility, acknowledges the favor she has found with God. It has been said, we can never honor Jesus’ mother more than He did (after all who kept all the commandments, including the fourth, better than the Son of God?). But, certainly, the least we can do is honor her in the way she declared she should be invoked.

It saddens me — and how it must sadden the Mother of God — that Blessed Mary is arguably the main point of contention between Catholics and Protestants. The Marian dogmas, so rich, so beautiful, of ancient heritage, and with plenty of scriptural support, are anathema to far too many Christians. 

One last note regarding the title of this post. ”Blessed and broken” is not an uncommon Christian theme. Of course we think of Jesus’ food miracles and the Last Supper. And we, who are broken, need Jesus the Divine Carpenter to fix us. In titling this post as I did, I considered Blessed Mary declaring herself blessed about a week into her pregnancy and thenk think of (as she certainly must have) all that she had to look forward to. Many joys, undoubtedly, along with much suffering, particularly as she observed her Son’s ministry culminating in the Cross. But none of these events were going to break her. I never like to see movie scenes in which Blessed Mary is wailing at the foot of the Cross. Pious tradition has her as Stabat Mater, standing firm while her heart (and His) was torn to shreds. (As an aside, here I’m reminded of how Jackie Kennedy was lauded in the dignified way she handled all the events surrounding her husband’s murder.)

May Our Lady of Unity intercede on behalf of this unbelieving world so that her Son’s prayer will be made manifest:

I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. (Jn 17:20-21)

ON MARY’S PERPETUAL VIRGINITY

I have become a big fan of Shameless Popery, Catholic Answers apologist Joe Heschmeyer’s podcast. His thoroughgoing defense of Mary’s perpetual virginity on scriptural grounds is outstanding. I certainly have heard a number of these explanations previously, but Joe provides many more I had never been exposed to in an interesting, methodical, and devastating (to unbelievers) way. And he does this in the context of the Christmas Story, so it is timely, as well.

God bless.

Advent Day 6: How can this be?

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TODAY’S READINGS

The Gospel reading is from Lk 1:26-38, which closes out the Sermon on the Mount. The key verse contains these words of Jesus:

But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?” (v. 34)

“Mary believed the archangel’s words absolutely; she did not doubt as Zechariah had done (cf. 1:18). Her question, ‘How can this be?’, expresses her readiness to obey the will of God even thought at first sight it implied a contradiction: on the one hand, she was convinced that god wished her to remain a virgin; on the other, here was God also announcing that she would become a mother. The archangel announces God’s mysterious design, and what had seemed impossible, according to the laws of nature, is explained by a unique intervention on the part of God…The Blessed Virgin, who received a very special inspiration of the Holy Spirit to practise virginity, is a first-fruit of the New Testament, which will establish the excellence of virginity over marriage while not taking from the holiness of the married state, which it raises to the level of a sacrament (cf. Gaudium et spes, 48). (The Navarre Bible: St Luke, 84)

“The reason for Mary’s question is that she has no relations with a man. Mary’s response is puzzling, since a betrothed woman would normally expect to begin sexual relations after the celebration of the second stage of marriage, when she moved into the home of her husband. One would think that after this delay the angel’s words to her would be fulfilled, as they were for Zechariah following the delay of his remaining days of ministry (1:23-24). Some interpreters have therefore explained Mary’s response as due to her interpreting the promise as having an immediate fulfillment, while she was still a virgin, although Gabriel’s words do not say this. Another explanation, offered by Church Fathers such as Gregory of Nyssa and Augustine, is that Mary did not plan to have relations with Joseph, but had already dedicated herself to God as a virgin. This idea is often dismissed as anachronistic, imposing a Christian ideal onto a Jewish context, since mainstream Jewish groups such as the Pharisees emphasized marriage. However, this possibility cannot be excluded, given the diversity of views in Judaism at the time (e.g., some Essenes practiced celibacy).” (Pablo Gadenz, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture: The Gospel of Luke, 44)

There is no question in my mind that Gregory and Augustine were on to something — it seems quite clear from the text. This is backed up by the dogma of Mary’s perpetual virginity (a dogma of the Church is something a Catholic is bound to believe). Her womb was holy, that is, set aside. The new Ark of the Covenant. No other child was worthy to enter this space.

Finally, check out one of my previous posts for more.

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Did you know that the United States was dedicated to Mary under her title of the Immaculate Conception? Read all about it here or listen to it detailed in a great series here! It shows how far away we’ve gotten from God and His mother that the scourge of abortion and the anger and vehemence of its proponents are so pronounced.

Read the full dogma itself here. Read it all or scroll down to “The Definition.”

And check out this famous scene from one of my all-time fave flicks, The Song of Bernadette.

God bless.

The Virgin and St. Anne. Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1617-1682). Oil on canvas. ca. 1674