The first time I ever prayed a Hail Mary was during my miscarriage. With my own mother 1500 miles away, I needed to be mothered: particularly by someone who also experienced the pain of child loss.
One year later, in active labor with my daughter for several days, every contraction felt like it would break me in half (both epidurals – yes, more than one – didn’t take). I needed the comfort of someone who knew, on the most intimate level, that redemption often comes through intense suffering.
Sometimes I wonder what the mother of a perfect child could possibly teach me. I mean, how hard was her job, really? Did Jesus ever throw food, or tantrums? Refuse to nap? Wet the bed? What was Mary’s postpartum healing like? These are details the Bible doesn’t tell us.
As a Protestant, it was easy to give her an appreciative nod around Christmas time, and not give her a second thought at any other point in the year. As a mother myself, her legacy hits differently.
While I am more appreciative of her influence today, it took a long time to understand why Catholics believe she was both sinless and a perpetual virgin. Where is this mentioned in Scripture, Protestants ask?
The answer requires a historical, contextual deep dive back into the Old Testament. It’s an answer that is, not surprisingly, steeped in ancient Judaism:
The Ark of the Covenant held three items: “the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant” (Heb. 9:4). Observe the three items contained in the Ark of the Covenant: stone tablets containing the commandments given to Moses, the rod belonging to Aaron, and the bread of heaven (manna) that fed the Israelites. It is easy to see that the Ark of the Covenant can be described as a pure or spotless enclosure holding bread, the word of God, and a priestly staff.
Now, what was contained inside Mary? The Word of God, our great High Priest and the Bread of Heaven, which are all analogous to the contents inside the Ark of the Covenant. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit “overshadowed” the Ark of the Covenant, bringing God’s presence to the people.
In the New Testament, we discover that the Ark of the New Covenant, Mary, was likewise “overshadowed” with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). As with the Ark of the Covenant, which perpetuated special graces to the people, the Ark of the New Covenant (Mary) also then perpetuates graces to the followers of her Son, Jesus.
Since the Ark of the Covenant was created pure inside and out and set aside for divine purpose, Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, was likewise created pure and holy, set aside for divine purpose. Here we discover the Catholic doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, where Mary is kept pure for a special purpose in God’s redemption plan.
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One of the discussion questions at RCIA this week had to do with the “yes” that Mary gave to God, the result of which is what we celebrate this month: saying “yes” to carrying and birthing Jesus.
It was no small decision for just any woman. Mary’s “yes” would mean bringing on judgment and scandal for becoming pregnant with a child that was not her husband’s (whom she had yet to even officially marry).
The question for the group: what “yes” have you given to God that required some kind of sacrifice?
That’s an easy one for me to answer: saying “yes” to Jesus is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Answering “yes” to the questions from Jewish acquaintances who heard rumors that I was a Christian was hard, too. I wish I could say that my answer — same one I’d give to my family, months later— was confident and unshakable, but it wasn’t. I felt cowardly and backed into a corner, waiting until the last possible second to keep my secret. So very not Mary. I wasn’t prepared for the rejection, the occasional nasty messages to my Facebook inbox.
The good news, though, is having faced that — and survived! — saying “yes” to hard things today is a lot easier. Protestant husband asks if I’m thinking of becoming Catholic? “Yes.” Acquaintances ask if I really believe all that “archaic, fundamentalist” Christian stuff about sex, abortion, and other touchy subjects? “Yes.” Rejection will always hurt, but it doesn’t terrify me. There’s no reason to answer “no” that’s truly beneficial.
And we saw what became of Mary’s “yes”: she delivered the savior who saves the world. We have no idea what God can do with a willing heart.
Photo by Jonathan Dick, OSFS on Unsplash
