Mary, the Mediator

Today is not just the last Sunday of May nor Pentecost Sunday; but, it is also the last day of the month that the Catholic Church has dedicated to honoring Mary, the Mother of Christ. She is the Mediatrix between the people and the all powerful Christ.

The New Testament actually tells very little of Mary.  At the start of the Gospel according to Luke there is Angel Gabriel sent by God to a “...a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph of the House of David and the virgin’s name was Mary.” He then told Mary what was being asked of her.  After we only see brief appearances of Mary.

We see her visiting Elizabeth; the birth of Jesus; the arrival of the Magi; the flight to Egypt; Passover in Jerusalem, Mary at the wedding in Cana, her efforts to see Jesus during His ministry throughout the Holy Land, her presence at His crucifixion  and then as she is surrounded by her son’s followers after the Resurrection.

This is all that the New Testament tells us of the Mother of God. They do not tell of Mary’s life; but, are really focused on the life of Christ. It is clear, however, that as the only person present at all the important stages of His brief presence on Earth, she was the human who was and still is closest to Christ. Christians and non-Christians have wanted to know more about Jesus’ most devoted disciple despite the paucity of information about her. Scholars have only tried to make some conclusions about her life despite the lack of information.

What kind of life did Mary lead while raising Jesus? Joseph, her husband, could claim royal descent from the House of David. Matthew and Mark, both refer to him as a carpenter. Most of Jesus’ parables refer to agriculture so it is likely that Joseph farmed, with carpentry, which he taught Jesus.

Bethlehem, the place of Jesus’ birth is where King David tended his sheep and his grandson King Rehoboam in the 10th century BC fortified the town. Nazareth, where Mary raised her son was a tiny village halfway between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee.

In the second century, Saint Justin Martyr identified the cave where Mary gave birth. During the fourth century, Emperor and his mother had a basilica built there, which Samaritan rebels destroyed in the sixth century. Emperor Justinian rebuilt it soon after; inside lay a sacred grotto, the spot of the miraculous birth marked by an altar with a 14-point silver star embedded in a marble floor.

The Gospels tell us little about Mary during the time of Jesus’ childhood in Nazareth. There is one story in the Gospel of Thomas, a noncanonical sayings gospel, which tells of Mary doing her chores. She asked Jesus to “draw water and bear it into the house.” But as the six-year-old child headed out with the clay jug, others jostled him and his jug knocked against someone else’s container and broke. So when the boy arrived at the well, he spread out the garment which was upon him and filled the cloth with water. When Jesus returned, Mary kissed him and wondered why the water did not leak through the fabric, yet “she kept within herself the mysteries which she saw him do.”

Though Mary is central to the story of Jesus’ birth and childhood and appears when Jesus was crucified, there is very little written during this three-year-period while her son travelled, preached and cured people. And while there’s some limited discussion of Mary at this time, Joseph disappeared from the narrative following the family’s Passover visit to Jerusalem when Jesus was 12.  

Joseph was much older than Mary when they married. According to James, he quotes him as saying he should not be considered as a husband “because I am an old man.” So by the time Jesus was around 30 and set off to see John the Baptist, Mary was probably a widow.

Life at that time was difficult and widowhood could have been a harsh burden. There is one story about Mary’s only other appearance. It is a tale not so well known.

Mary came with her family to see Jesus because they were concerned about his safety from the authorities. Someone told Him: “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside waiting to speak with you.” Jesus answered: “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” He then pointed to his disciples and distanced himself from his birth family by saying: “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother and sister and mother,” (Matthew 12:47-50)

The Catholic Church accords cultus latria, adoration, solely to God. Saints and angels receive a form of veneration, the highest form of veneration as the holiest. Over the past 16 centuries, the Church has approved four dogmas: the belief in the Theotokos, that Mary is the Mother of God; the Immaculate Concepcion; the Assumption into Heaven; her Perpetual Virginity.

We do not know when Mary died; but, we believe that she was assumed body and soul into heaven. There is a long and rich tradition of people and groups devoted to Mary. As the Mother of God and the great intercessor, she helps bring about miracles.

“Let us run to Mary and as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence.” – St. Francis de Sales

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While Write Things is in hiatus from its regular Saturday sessions at Fully Booked BGC, it has tried to keep its clientele busy with weekly writing topics and prompts disseminated every week to its mailing list. If you should wish to avail of these writing ideas, please message us your email address at Facebook.com/writethingsph or email writethingsph@gmail.com.

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