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There's Something Special About Mary

“No woman is like unto thee, thou art more than an empress or queen, Blessed above all nobility, wisdom, and saintliness. May she enlighten our intelligences, inflame our hearts, and inspire our whole life. May Christ grant us this grace through the intercession of His holy Mother.”

Does this person sound like he reveres Mary, the Mother of Jesus? (It may surprise some people, but Martin Luther wrote this -not while he was a Catholic monk, but shortly before his death.)

Not long ago I had a Lutheran friend comment that she admitted to having "Catholic envy" because "Catholics get to have all the cool saints and Mary too - not fair!"

I told my friend that she is in luck, because Catholics don't claim to own these Figures of Faith. As far as admiring the Saints (souls who are made perfect because they are face-to-face with God), it's similar to keeping a picture of an uncle who served in the military -someone you want to remember because you respect them and want them to fight / pray for you. ❤️ Furthermore, I consider my friend a Sister in Christ, and since Mary is Jesus's Mom, then all Siblings are welcome to *honor* her too (Catholics don't *worship* Mary like some stereotypes suggest).

We carry pictures of people we love for a reason. We like to show them off, and in a sense, we draw attention away from ourselves by boasting about the goodness of our loved ones. Now imagine the same joy and pride in the eyes of Jesus when we appreciate His Holy Mother.

What else makes Mary so special?

Mary is considered the New Ark

The Ark of the Covenant was the physical dwelling place of God. In the Old Testament, it carried the 10 Commandments, the rod of the first High Priest Aaron, & Manna (food). In the New Testament, Mary physically carried Jesus in her womb -Jesus is also known as the Word of God, the eternal High Priest, & the Bread of Life!

As I sit here typing, I can feel my twins kicking around inside. 💞 Before they are even born, I'm bonded to their lives in the most intimate way possible. Can you imagine what it would be like to have this kind of closeness with the Son of GOD? Mary is the only living being that God chose to honor so greatly that He formed His Son's Flesh from her existence. Because Mary chose to cooperate and collaborate with the Creator of Life, the fruit of her Womb was able to Save the World! 🙌🏼

To a Mary be

(by Max Lucado)

To have my voice, but Him speaking

My steps, but Christ leading

My heart, but His love beating

In me, through me, with me.

What’s it like to have Christ on the inside?

To tap His strength when mine expires

Or feel the force of heaven’s fires

Raging, purging wrong desires.

Could Christ become myself entire?

So much Him, so little me

That in my eyes it’s Him they see.

What’s it like to a Mary be?

No longer I, but Christ in me.

Why is Mary sometimes criticized?

Some well-meaning and God-fearing Christians are concerned that giving honor to Mary will take away from worshiping the only real Savior, Jesus Christ.

Response: Humans will always acknowledge important people. Every Mother's Day we take time to honor the women who make sacrifices out of Love for their children. We owe respect to them, and we often go to them with our needs. Even Jesus kept the 10 Commandments by obeying His Mom (Luke 2:51), and you can bet their Relationship was extra-special. Saint Maximilian Kolbe said: "Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Mother too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did."

Don't forget that Mary was the first to believe and publicly profess Faith in her Son as a Miracle worker (see John 2:5). Any time we look at Mary, she will direct us toward Jesus.

Consequently, everything we learn from Mary will ultimately enrich our Relationship with Jesus. His Life began in her when she said Yes to God (Luke 1:38), and she was there for all the triumphs and trials He went through (check out the Mysteries of the Rosary which are prayerful reflections on all the Scriptural milestones in the Life of Jesus).

For example, do you know any woman who has lost a child? I would highly encourage a conversation with Mary. No one knows better about the pain of losing a perfectly innocent son, and no one Comforts quite like a GOoD Mother!

(Photo taken on a trip to the Vatican: Michelangelo's Pieta)

"But why ask anything of Mary when you can pray straight to God?"

First, we are called to pray for each other because it is "good and pleasing to God" (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

Second, if a friend asked me to pray for them, I would never say: “No I can’t pray for you, you must go straight to Jesus!"

Catholics believe that we can make various petitions known to Mary and she will pray for us and intercede to Jesus on the behalf of our faith. Again, we can bet that Jesus has a special ear for his Mom's requests!

So how can we begin a conversation with Mary? Just like talking to God, we can "free pray" or we can reflect on written prayers (bonus if the writings are Scriptural!) Here is the widely used "Hail Mary Prayer" with some extra contemplations:

Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with You. (Luke 1:28)

This greeting comes from the angel Gabriel before letting Mary know she was about to conceive Jesus. It's significant to note that Gabriel didn't just say "Hi Mary!" or "Hey there little lady" (Mary was about 12 years old!) Instead, an Angel greeted Mary as one would acknowledge a Queen!

Blessed are You among women, and Blessed is the Fruit of your Womb Jesus. (Luke 1:41-42)

This declaration came from Elizabeth who was "filled with the Holy Spirit" when Mary visited her cousin. In addition, Mary proclaims that "all ages will call me blessed". (Luke 1:46-49) Mary is a role model for all ages, especially moms or those who need a mom.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, (Luke 1:43)

The Hebrew word for holy is “qodesh” and means “set-apartness, sacredness”. Mary is the mother of the Jesus Christ, who is the second Being of the Holy Trinity (defined as one God, three Beings). Since Jesus is fully human AND fully Divine, this makes Mary the mother of God (She is the mother of the God-Son Jesus, not the mother of the entire Trinity).

Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death...

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