Who is Mary?
 Mary
is the mother of Jesus.
What do we know about Mary's life?
We
really  know
very little about the life of Mary. The New Testament is the main source
of information. Since the New Testament was written by Jesus' early
followers to spread the good news about Jesus, Mary is mentioned only
in relationship to him. It is for this reason that the New Testament
tells us nothing about Mary's parents, birth or childhood. right:
The Annunciation, by Fra Angelico
We
first meet Mary as a young woman, living in the village of Nazareth
and engaged to a man named Joseph, a carpenter. We meet her at the most
crucial juncture of her life. The angel Gabriel appears to her, addresses
her as one favored by God, and asks her if she is willing to be the
mother of the Messiah. Mary agrees and Jesus is conceived through the
power of the Holy Spirit. Mary becomes mother and remains a virgin.
Her "yes" determined the course of the rest of her life and altered
the course of human history. It also shows Mary to be an obedient handmaid
of the Lord.
Mary
first felt the effects of this "yes" when Joseph decided to end
their relationship when he found out that she was expecting a child.
After he had made up his mind to do this, an angel of God appeared to
him in a dream. The angel told him not to be afraid to take Mary as
his wife because the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit and "would
save the people from their sins." When Joseph woke up he did what the
angel told him and took Mary to be his wife.
During
 her
pregnancy Mary traveled to a town in Judah to visit her cousin Elizabeth
who was soon to give birth to John the Baptist. Elizabeth addressed
Mary as "the Mother of my Lord" and declared her blessed because of
what God had done for her. right: detail of The Visitation, Fra Angelico
Mary
gave birth to Jesus far from home, in Bethlehem, where she had traveled
with Joseph for the Roman census. The town was crowded and the couple
could not find lodgings so they took shelter in a stable and that is
where, according to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was born.
Shortly
after Jesus' birth, Mary became a refugee. According the Gospel
of Matthew, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him that
King Herod wanted to kill the baby Jesus because he had heard from visiting
astrologers that the child would grow up to be a king. The angel told
Joseph to take Jesus and Mary and flee into Egypt. Joseph got up and
the family left that night for Egypt. Herod ordered his soldiers to
slaughter all baby boys under the age of two in Bethlehem and the surrounding
districts. Jesus, Mary and Joseph stayed in Egypt until they heard that
Herod was dead. Then they returned to Nazareth.
Again,
because the gospels are about Jesus, we know very little about Mary's
life in Nazareth during Jesus' boyhood and adult life. In all probability
her life was quite ordinary. She cleaned her house, went to the village
well for water, prepared meals and made clothes for her family.
Jesus
began his ministry when he was about  thirty
years old. Mary didn't always understand what Jesus was doing or why
he was doing it. Like any mother, she worried about her son., but she
never lost faith in him. She obediently heard the Word of God and kept
it.
The
most devastating hours of Mary's life were spent beneath the cross
of her Son. Before he died, Jesus gave Mary into the care of his disciple
John. right: Bellini's Pieta
Mary
was present with the disciples in the upper room and received the Holy
Spirit at Pentecost. It is clear that Mary shared the faith of the early
church and was, from the first, a member of the post -resurrection community.
Mary
is honored by the Church as its mother, as a model of faith, as
a sign of the Church's hope in the coming of the Kingdom, and as the
Queen of Saints.
What do Catholics believe about Mary?
Immaculate
Conception - Catholics believe that Mary was conceived and born
free of Original Sin. By reason of her unique role in God's plan of
redemption she was united with God from the beginning and was endowed
by God with an unsurpassable degree of grace.
The
Assumption - Catholics believe that at her death, Mary was taken
into heaven body and soul.
How is Mary honored by the Church?
Mary
is celebrated in feasts
throughout the year and in devotions such as the rosary
and the litany. She has been named patroness of many countries including
the United States, under the title of the Immaculate Conception.
Much
more about Mary
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