MARY OF NAZARETH

Children of God, beloved sons and daughters of the Father, this week we will share an essential theme for the true understanding of God’s will for humanity: salvation. And what we reflected on last week about free will helps us understand the “madness” of the Father when He placed all His authority, power, glory, and majesty at the feet of a woman’s freedom, sending an archangel with an announcement that would forever change everything that was known about who God was. 

Of course, we are speaking of the woman of Nazareth, the young maiden who surrendered her freedom, gave it entirely into the hands of the Lord and learned—in silence, in prayer, in trust, and in courage—to obey what God wanted for her life: happiness, complete fulfilment as a human woman and servant of God. The most perfect woman ever to set foot on this earth, in God’s eyes (otherwise He would not have chosen her). 

Who is Mary of Nazareth? What did she do that was so important that she is remembered to this day? Do Catholics worship her, as if she were a goddess or something of the sort? What can we learn from her? What role does she occupy in the salvation of humanity? What were her deeds and attitudes according to Sacred Scripture? We want to go deeper into this subject and obtain convincing answers so that we may learn, from her example, what it truly means to be a servant of God. 

Mary was a very beautiful, simple, humble young woman, open to the will of God. She was conceived by God’s will through a miracle, for her parents, Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, were sterile and could not have children. By a special grace of God, she was the only woman in the entire world conceived without the stain of original sin. From this comes the title “Immaculate Conception”, which is a dogma of the Catholic Church. 

She grew in the love and grace of God, learning from her parents the wonders of the Lord, His Word, His plans of love for humanity. See how marvelous this is: when God wants to accomplish a work, He prepares the place, He prepares the person, He prepares the influences that person will have. What a wonderful home Mary was born into, with parents who contemplated her as a miracle of the Lord. Imagine how much love and how many beautiful things this girl received… 

She had heard that a Messiah would come, would be incarnated, would be born of a virgin, and would be the Savior of the world. She reflected on this passage of Isaiah: 

 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call him Immanuel (‘God with us’).” (Is 7:14). And she humbly said: “I would like to be worthy to serve the mother of the Messiah!”

Ah, brothers and sisters, how different we are from this girl. From childhood she already said these wonderful things and had such a humble attitude that it should move us. Look within yourself, be sincere, and reflect if you would have the humility to serve the woman who would be the channel for the Son of God to enter the world. ABSOLUTELY NOT! And this is so true that even today the mother of the Messiah is rejected and ignored. What most of us desire is not to serve but to be served, as we proudly do nowadays. It is a shame for the Christian world, this lack of humility! 

Humility is missing in many religions, especially in Christianity, and even within Catholicism—in life, in actions, in words—following the example of this girl who touched God’s heart. Do you know why, many times, God does not pour out graces and blessings in our lives? Because we lack humility! Saint Catherine of Siena said: “Virtues knock at the heart of God, but humility opens it!” 

We begin with practical examples: the society we live in is anti-Mary; that is, it lives in pride, teaches people to be proud, encourages people to have more money, to be famous, full of themselves, etc. Do you know why Mary found favour in the eyes of God? BECAUSE SHE CONSIDERED HERSELF NOTHING, and only in people who see themselves this way and are humble enough to recognize they are nothing can God truly be everything. 

She was completely open to the will of the Lord, which is why God had the freedom to send her an archangel. She loved God above all things, which is why the Lord entrusted humanity into her hands, to bring Jesus to earth. She lived the commandments, so she was consistent and faithful to the Lord. She sought God with intense desire, like her parents, and that is why the fullness of the Lord manifested in her life. She wanted to be small—AND SO GOD COULD MANIFEST HIS GREATNESS! She wanted to remain silent—AND SO GOD COULD SPEAK. She never wanted to appear—AND SO GOD COULD REVEAL HIMSELF IN HER LIFE AND THROUGH HER. 

Here is a crucial detail we must highlight to understand who this woman was and still is. Because she always lived in prayer, silence, humility, and service, and because she did not want to be seen, she is scarcely mentioned in the Gospels. It seems the evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) speak little about her. It seems as if she is not that important… 

In reality, she disappeared so that God could appear. She had an extraordinary and magnificent gift of the Holy Spirit: she had the ability to “disappear.” Not like a magic trick, but in every moment and occasion, she found a way not to stand out. Imagine if we were in her place: GOD COULD NEVER HAVE APPEARED AND BECOME INCARNATE TO SHOW HIMSELF TO HUMANITY, for we would have interfered in His plans at every turn. God knows what He is doing, doesn’t He?

In the writings of Saint Jerome, “Nativity of Saint Mary”, there is the idea that Mary was born in Bethlehem. An ancient tradition holds that she was born in the city of Sephora, where a church was later built on the site said to be the home of Mary’s parents. But the most convincing argument comes from the works of Saint Sophronius and Saint John Damascene, who cite the city of Nazareth as her birthplace. And it is based on this that we have the title of this reflection.
Let us clarify something important about who Mary is: It doesn’t matter so much where she was born (one of those three cities), it doesn’t matter so much what she looked like (white, dark, tall, short, thin, heavy, etc.), it doesn’t matter whose daughter she was. What truly matters is what she did and what she allowed God to do in her life. THIS IS SPECTACULAR, EXTRAORDINARY, VIOLENTLY WONDERFUL!
So let us see what marvellous things she did…
Around thirteen or fourteen years old, Mary was betrothed to Joseph. Then the angel of the Lord came to bring her the great news of her life: her vocation as mother of the Son of God. 

“In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said: ‘Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.’” (Lk 1:26–28).

Let us pause here to reflect a little. What a crazy thing this is! The archangel Gabriel is sent and greets Mary, saying: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” What does this mean? First of all, it is the opposite of Eva (Eve), it is God’s act of reparation. After the disgrace of the first woman, who gave in to sin and was expelled from paradise, God chose Mary to repair that act.
The woman who gave in to sin listened to the serpent—the devil, the fallen angel. The woman who sought God listened to the angel of the Lord, one of the seven archangels [as the archangel Raphael himself explains to Tobias: “I am Raphael, one of the seven who stand before the Lord.” (Tb 12:15)] — even though we only know three by name: Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel.
Another important detail is that the archangel Gabriel seems to bow before Mary. Notice the difference from when Saint Michael (the prince of angels) appeared before Joshua, Moses’ successor, in the Old Testament:

 “Joshua was near Jericho when he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, ‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’ ‘Neither,’ he replied, ‘but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.’ Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, ‘What message does my Lord have for his servant?’ The commander of the Lord’s army replied, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.’ And Joshua did so.” (Jos 5:13–16).

Curiously, before Mary, without her saying a word, it is as if the angel removes his sandals, for the place where he stood before her was holy. And the rest of the greeting: “Full of grace, the Lord is with you.” That is, Mary was full, soaked, surrounded on all sides by grace. In other words, the archangel was saying: “You are full of the Holy Spirit!” And the Lord is with you, by your side, looking upon you.
And continuing, because Mary was humble, she was troubled by the angel’s greeting. Whenever a humble person receives praise, that person feels awkward and embarrassed: 

“She was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her: ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of David his father, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.’” (Lk 1:29–33).
 
It seemed the message had not yet sunk in for Mary. She was so humble that it never even crossed her mind that she could be cosen to be the mother of the long-awaited Messiah. Our Lord is the God of the impossible. At first glance, it seemed she was unprepared, unworthy, the wrong woman. But see how the account continues:
 
“Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?’ And the angel said to her in reply, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be holy; He will be called Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing wille impossible for God.’ Mary said: ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.” (Lk 1:34–38).

How could there exist such a marvelous woman of God, like this!? She heard two pieces of news from the angel: that she would be the mother of the Messiah, and that her cousin Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy. Instead of exalting herself at the news that she would be the Mother of the King of Kings, she humbled herself even more and immediately set out for Elizabeth’s house, in haste, to help her with household chores, to work, and to prepare things for her cousin who was about to give birth to John the Baptist. SHE, THE ONLY WOMAN IN HUMANITY TO CARRY THE KING IN HER WOMB, WENT TO SERVE AND WORK IN HER COUSIN’S HOUSE. And we, who don’t even have the shame of face, what are we doing?
Imagine how the heart of the Virgin of Nazareth must have leapt with joy, with emotion, with happiness, as she walked to Elizabeth’s house, thinking of the angel’s greeting and recalling the prophecy of Isaiah. No wonder that from the encounter between Mary and Elizabeth a hymn so wonderful would arise, one that is sung and proclaimed even today, considered the most beautiful and perfect song in the entire Bible. We will arrive at it soon…
But what captivates us is what happens to Elizabeth when Mary enters her house and greets her:

"In those days, Mary set out and travelled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." (Lk 1:39–41).

Look at today’s Christian world, which claims to be led by the Holy Spirit, and see how different they are from this woman. Many say they have had experiences with the Spirit, that they received the seven gifts, that they have swallowed the Spirit of God, dove and all—but they don’t even come close to her. If Mary had spoken a little more, said something prophetic, revealed something mystical, maybe then people would acknowledge her. But she did nothing extraordinary—she simply greeted Elizabeth.

Imagine her saying: “Hello, Elizabeth, how are you, my cousin?” and immediately John the Baptist leaps in the womb, and Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit. Mary had just received the angel’s announcement, and the power of the Holy Spirit fully enveloped her. Filled with the Spirit, Mary became a channel of healing, joy, and of Jesus Christ Himself. What happened? The healing of John the Baptist from any weakness or fear inherited from his mother, and the restoration of Elizabeth’s life by the Spirit’s action. Why? Because by serving and doing God’s will, Mary became a mighty reservoir of the Lord for the very first miracle of Jesus—inside His mother’s womb—and later, for the second miracle at Cana (as we will see in later reflections).
Next comes Elizabeth’s response:

 "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." (Lk 1:42–45).

As we can see, in this moment we already find part of the biblical prayer so familiar to Catholics, the Hail Mary. When the angel greets Mary, we have the first part. When Elizabeth responds to her greeting, the second part is added. The third part of the prayer was completed later by the Holy Church.
For those who do not like Mary, who speak ill of her, who say she was just an ordinary woman, that anyone could have done what she did, we clarify with the Word of God itself: Elizabeth exclaims in a loud voice, “And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Mother of the Lord—mother of whom? MARY IS MOTHER OF GOD! Let us clear up something that can open the eyes of many who have seen the Mother of God wrongly…
In her relationship with the Father, the Creator, Mary is daughter of God. In her relationship with the Son, the Savior, Mary is Mother of God. In her relationship with the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, Mary is spouse of God. In other words, never in human history will anyone be like her, in whom God could dwell fully. IN MARY THE MOST HOLY TRINITY FOUND THE PERFECT PLACE TO ESTABLISH ITS DWELLING. MARY IS DAUGHTER, MOTHER, AND SPOUSE OF GOD!
With Mary, we are invited to raise this magnificent hymn of praise to the Lord: 

"And Mary said: M soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked upon His lowly servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name. His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear Him. He has shown the strength of His arm, scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, remembering His mercy, according to His promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever." (Lk 1:46–55). 

How much we must learn to praise God with the holy Mother of God! In this canticle—the Magnificat—at least seven passages from the Old Testament are referenced, showing how deeply Mary knew the Word of God. Do we love God enough to seek Him, to know His Word, and to praise Him in the same way?
Society must become more Marian if it wants to become more Christian! Sadly, many pursue lives of pleasure, wealth, material goods, and blessings, but when it comes to sacrifice and authentic spirituality in Christ Jesus, how many withdraw? They prefer lies to truth, simply so they can continue living as they like.
As we have already reflected in other writings: the Blood of Christ is salvation, redemption, purification, forgiveness, mercy, God’s covenant with us. But let us think a little: Mary knew no man to conceive Jesus—it was by the shadow of the Most High, by the Holy Spirit, that she conceived. Does the Spirit have blood? Obviously not. Therefore, all the blood in Jesus’ body came from Mary. Thus, she is co-redemptrix, because the blood Jesus shed on the cross for our salvation was the very blood of Mary. Without Mary, there would have been no blood to shed on the cross, since this was the way God chose to manifest Himself to us.
Do you know why the Father sent Jesus Christ to be born of a woman and enter the world in this way? Saint Augustine explains: “The world was unworthy to receive the Son of God directly from the hands of the Father, so He gave Him to Mary, that the world might receive Him through her.”
We find many verses in the Old Testament that prefigure Mary, such as:

“The Lord created me at the beginning of His works, the first of His acts of long ago.” (Prov 8:22)

“For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favour from the Lord; but those who miss me injure themselves; all who hate me love death.” (Prov 8:36)

“Who is that coming up from the desert, leaning on her beloved? Under the apple tree I awakened you; there your mother was in labour with you, there she who bore you was in labour.” (Song 8:5)

“A garden locked is my sister, my bride, a garden locked, a fountain sealed.” (Song 4:12)

“What is this coming up from the desert like a column of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and incense, with all the fragrant powders of the merchant?” (Song 3:6).
 
The most sublime hymn of prefiguration of the Mother of God is found in Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 24. Take your own Bible and read this truth, which has been in God’s Word for centuries. Mary is the Mother of Wisdom, Mother of God, and here is highlighted one passage about her, full of divine grace:

"Wisdom sings her own praises, among her own people she proclaims her glory. In the assembly of the Most High she opens her mouth, in the presence of His hosts she tells of her glory. In the midst of her own people she is exalted, and in the assembly of the holy she is admired. In the multitude of the elect she is praised, and among the blessed she is blessed." (Sir 24:1–4).

To prove her Assumption with God’s Word:

 "I took root among a glorious people, in the portion of the Lord, in His inheritance, and I settled in the assembly of the saints." (Sir 24:16).

 From heaven, Mary’s work and life continue to be manifested, opening God’s way for many people, interceding for us, illuminating us so that we may understand and live what the Lord desires from us, working on our behalf. This is truly the handmaid of the Lord.
The Church believes Mary is in heaven, alongside Christ, and that she intercedes for us: when we pray to her, she presents our petitions to Jesus. Christ alone works the miracle, the blessing, the power, but Mary is the channel through which God’s graces reach us. She is still a woman, not a goddess, and we do not adore her. Images are not idols.
We have much more to reflect on about Mary—her virginity, her prayer life, her death, her Assumption, her presence in the Church today, her intercession, her apparitions, etc.—but we leave that for future writings.

To conclude: if we can say that Mary’s work—her “yes” to God, bringing Christ into the world, offering her entire life to Him, interceding for us, protecting us, and helping us remain in Christ—is enough reason for her to be remembered until this day, then indeed she is forever blessed among women. As she herself prophesied in the Spirit: “All generations will call me blessed.

 

"I am the mother of pure love, of fear of God, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In me is all grace of the way and of the truth; in me is all hope of life and virtue. Come to me, all who desire me, and be filled with my fruits. Those who listen to me will not be put to shame, those who act through me will not sin. Those who make me known will have eternal life." (Sir 24:24–31).

 As Saint John Chrysostom said: “Whoever was on Calvary saw two altars, where two great sacrifices were consummated: one was the body of Jesus; the other, the heart of Mary.”

 

May God bless us and lead us to know more of His daughter, His mother, His spouse: the Blessed Virgin Mary!

**Translated and adapted from Brazilian Portuguese from my other blog vounessadirecao.blogspot.com.

Original post written in 2012.