| Who is Mary? |
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| Written by Chris Padgett | |
| Wednesday, 15 September 2004 | |
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THE LIFE OF MARY 20. Into how many periods may the Life of Mary be divided? The Life of Mary may be divided into two great periods: (1) from Her Nativity to the Annunciation; (2) from the Annunciation to Her Assumption. FIRST PERIOD FROM THE NATIVITY TO THE ANNUNCIATION 21. From what family did Mary descend? Mary descended from the royal family of King David, although Her progenitors by ill-fate lost the renown of their pristine greatness. 22. Who were the parents of Mary? According to ancient tradition, the parents of Mary were two holy persons named Joachim and Anne. 25. When was Mary born? We know neither the exact year nor date of Her birth. In all probability, She was born in the year 733 after the founding of Rome , (21 B. C.). 26. What name was imposed upon the Blessed Virgin? By divine inspiration the Virgin received the name of Mary which signifies "Lady" or "Beloved of God." We should pronounce the name of Mary with great respect, confidence, and love because it is the greatest, most powerful, and most lovable name after the name of Jesus. 27. Where did Mary spend the years of Her girlhood? According to ancient tradition, Mary spent the years of Her girlhood in the seclusion of the Temple at Jerusalem, in a life of prayer and labor. 28. What did Mary do after She left the Temple? After Mary left the Temple, she married Saint Joseph who was also of the royal family of David. SECOND PERIOD FROM THE ANNUNCIATION TO THE ASSUMPTION 29. What is the Annunciation? The Annunciation is the message delivered by God to Mary through the instrumentality of the Archangel Gabriel, containing the proposal of elevating Her to the dignity of Mother of God ana Mediatrix of the human race. 30. How did the Annunciation take place? The manner in which the Annunciation took place is clearly described by the Evangelist Saint Luke in the following paragraph: "Now 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 when the Angel had come to Her he said: 'Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women.' When She had seen him She was troubled at his word, and kept pondering what manner of greeting this might be. And the angel said to Her: 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for thou has* found grace with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and shalt bring forth a Son; and thou shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High; and He shall be King over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.' But Mary said to the angel: 'How shall this happen, since I know not man?' And the angel answered and said to Her: "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee; and therefore the Holy One to be born shall be called the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth thy kinswoman also has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month; for nothing shall be impossible with God.' But Mary said: 'Behold the Handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to thy word.' And the angel departed from Her." (Luke 1, 26 - 38.) 31. Where did Mary go immediately after the Annunciation? Immediately after the Annunciation Mary left Nazareth and undertook a journey through the hill country to visit Her cousin, Saint Elizabeth, who was about to give birth to the Precursor, Saint John the Baptist. 32. How did the meeting of Mary and Elizabeth take place? The meeting of Mary and Elizabeth took place in the following manner as narrated by Saint Luke: "Now in those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town of Juda. And it came to pass, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe in her womb leapt. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and cried out with a loud voice, saying: 'Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb! And how have I deserved that the Mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, the moment that the sound of thy greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is She who has believed, because the things promised Her by the Lord shall be accomplished!' " (Luke 1, 39-45.) 33. How did Mary accept this eulogy from the mouth of Elizabeth? Mary's heart answered the praise of Elizabeth with the solemn outburst of the "Magnificat" in which She foretells the universality of Her cult in the following canticle: "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior: Because He has regarded the lowliness of His Handmaid; for, behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed; Because He Who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name; And for generation upon generation is His mercy, to those who fear Him. He has shown might with His arm, He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and has exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. He has given help to Isreal, His servant, mindful of His mercy- Even as He spoke to our fathers— to Abraham and to his posterity forever." (Luke 1, 46-55.) 34. How long did Mary remain with Saint Elizabeth? Following the chronological order of events as narrated by Saint Luke, Mary remained with Saint Elizabeth for three months, returning to Nazareth before the birth of Saint John the Baptist. 35. What happened to Joseph after the return of Mary to Nazareth? After the return of Mary to Nazareth, Joseph was troubled at seeing Her pregnant because he had not known Her. Wherefore, he designed to put Her away privately in order not to expose Her to public reproach. But while asleep, an angel reassured him that the Child of Mary was conceived of the Holy Ghost; he retained Her as his lawful Wife. 36. What happened during the expectation of the Savior's birth? During the expectation of the Savior's birth, the Emperor Caesar Augustus decreed that a census should be taken of the whole world. All were to go to their own town to register; and Mary and Joseph; being of the house and family of David were to register at Bethlehem, the town of David. 37. What happened when Joseph and Mary arrived at Bethlehem? When Joseph and Mary arrived at Bethlehem they were refused admittance to an inn because of lack of room. They then sought refuge in the open fields in a stable, where the Redeemer of the world was born. Mary wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, placed Him in a manger, and adored Him. 38. What prodigies occurred at the birth of Jesus? Several prodigies occurred: An angel announced the nativity of the Redeemer to the shepherds and invited them to come and adore Him; a multitude or angels sang: "Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth among men of good will"; an unusually bright star guided the wise men of the East who came to adore the new-born King lying in a manger, offering Him gold, symbolical of His regal majesty, incense of His divinity, and myrrh of His humanity. 39. What happened eight days after the birth of Jesus? Eight days after the birth of Jesus, according to the prescription of the Law, the Child was circumcised and received the name "Jesus" which means "Savior." 40. What happened forty days after the birth of Jesus? Forty days after His birth, Jesus was presented in the Temple by Mary who was then legally purified according to the prescriptions of the Mosaic law. Although Mary was not obliged to obey this law because of Her supernatural fecundation, out of humility She submitted. 41. What happened at the Presentation of Jesus and the Purification of Mary in the Temple? At the Presentation of Jesus and the Purification of Mary in the Temple, the high priest Simeon, led by divine inspiration, turned to Mary and said: "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and for the rise of many in Israel, and for a Sign that shall be contradicted. And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that the thoughts of many hearts shall be revealed." Thus he foretold the bitter passion of Her Son and Her own dolorous participation. 42. Did the Holy Family remain in Bethlehem a long time? No, after the rite of Purification the Holy Family was obliged to flee from Bethlehem to Egypt because an angel informed Joseph that King Herod sought the destruction of Jesus. 45. What did Mary do at Cana at the beginning of the public life of Jesus? At the beginning of the public life of Jesus, Mary was invited with Him to a marriage feast at Cana of Galilee. During the celebration She noticed that the wine had failed and besought Jesus to remedy the embarrassment of the newly-wed couple. He answered Her prayer and wrought the beginning of His miracles by transforming water into wine. 46. What did Mary do during the three years of the public life of Jesus? During the three years of the public life of Jesus, Mary followed Him, and shared in the sorrows and joys of His Apostolate, being also present at times amidst the crowds. 47. What did Mary do in the time of the Passion of Jesus? Having been informed of the treacherous betrayal and unjust condemnation of Her Divine Son, Mary went to meet Him on the journey to Calvary and fearlessly witnessed His painful crucifixion, death, and burial. While dying upon the Cross, Jesus proclaimed Mary the spiritual Mother of all men represented in the person of John. 48. To whom did Jesus appear first after His Resurrection? It is the common opinion founded upon tradition and good sense that Jesus appeared first to His most holy Mother after His Resurrection. Without doubt, He visited Her at other times during the forty days before His Ascension. 50. What did Mary do after the Ascension of Jesus? Immediately after the Ascension of Jesus, Mary retreated with the Apostles to the Cenacle, there to await in recollection and prayer the promised descent of the Holy Spirit which occurred ten days after the Ascension on the day of Pentecost, in visible forms of tongues of fire. 51. How long did Mary live upon earth after the Ascension? We know not the exact time, but we do know that in the remaining years of her life She guided the Apostles as a most loving Mother; sustained and comforted with Her sweet presence and holy examples the faithful of the early Church, 52. as Our Lady subject to death? According to the common opinion, Mary died either at Jerusalem or at Ephesus, in order to resemble more closely Her Divine Son. However, She did not die from sickness but from an ecstasy of love. 53. Was Mary assumed into heaven in Body and Soul? Yes, it is a dogma of our Faith that Mary, soon after Her peaceful death, was taken up into heaven, where amidst the ineffable exaltation of the entire heavenly court, She was crowned the Queen of Heaven and Earth. Roschini, Gabriele, O.S.M. Who is Mary, An Advanced Catechism of the Blessed Virgin, St. Paul Pub.1950 Pg. 11-18. |
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