- Meaning: Divine originating from God. Exceeding the limits of human capability. Purity The state of being sin-free; oneness of heart and thought in the pursuit of God.
- Mary's supernatural purity was proved in the following way: “Everything in Mary was of God.” Her thoughts and feelings were pure. She lived her life with a single goal in mind: to love and honor God with all of her heart, mind, and soul (see Deuteronomy 6:5).
- How may we practice this virtue? Through prayer and frequent attendance at the Sacraments. Strive to keep your heart and body clean, as well as your thoughts pure and focused on heavenly rather than earthly concerns. Purify your intentions as much as possible. Don't use others to your advantage, such as stating something to elicit a specific response. Act with simplicity and directness with everyone you come into contact with. Allow your yeses to be yeses and your noes to be noes (see Matthew 5:37).
What is Mary's virtue of obedience?
Mary's yes, on the other hand, gives a more complete understanding and recognition of obedience. The word itself is derived from the Latin root obaudire, which means “to thoroughly listen.” Because it is so important to communal health and harmony, Saint Benedict included it in his Rule for monastic life. “Those who practice obedience set aside their own concerns, goals, and tasks, even going so far as to leave a task incomplete… in order to immediately answer to the request,” Jane Tomaine writes in Saint Benedict's Toolbox. Isn't that what Mary did? When she was urged to give up everything in order to react to God's grand plan, she had her own hopes and goals, maybe picturing a tranquil life with Joseph. She personified the two-step process of obedience: first, opening oneself to the light of God's presence, and then being led in the path of love. What better way to proceed through Advent, a season of patient waiting, than by following Mary's faithful heart's example?
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What values can we learn from Mary?
“The angel said to her,” the angel said “Mary, don't be scared; you've found favor with God. You will conceive and deliver a son, whom you are to name Jesus.” 1:30-31) (Luke 1:30-31).
Christians eagerly anticipate Resurrection Sunday in the midst of the Lenten season. While we eagerly anticipate Jesus' triumph over death, now is an excellent moment to look even further ahead to Christmas by commemorating the Annunciation.
Because it is an announcement, the meaning of the Annunciation is simple to remember. Nine months before Jesus' birth, the angel Gabriel is sent to the Virgin Mary to announce the Holy Spirit's conception of the Son of God. Although it's unlikely that Jesus was born on December 25, the most natural day to commemorate the Annunciation is March 25, nine months before Christmas. Here are three practical things we may learn from Mary as we reflect on this historic moment:
1. Be ready for God to utilize you. Mary has a poor social status as an unmarried young lady from Nazareth, but God doesn't seem to mind. Mary joins a long history of Bible characters who felt insufficient (Moses, Rahab, David, Jonah, and Naomi, to mention a few) who God used to carry out His promises.
2. Place your trust in God. In stark contrast to Zechariah, John the Baptist's father, who doubts Gabriel's announcement that he'll have a son, Mary's cousin Elizabeth describes her as “She who has trusted” (Luke 1:45).
3. Live your life as if you were a servant of God. Finally, Mary speaks to Gabriel with the stirring words, “I am a servant of the Lord. May your promise to me be kept” (Luke 1:38). We have an outstanding illustration of the Apostle Paul's subsequent appeal for followers of Christ to be a blessing through Mary's willingness to be used by God “I am a live sacrifice” (Romans 12:1).
What does Mary represent in Christianity?
One of the functions that Mary plays in early Christianity is that of a mother; she is a role model for moms. She also plays a significant part in Christian history by providing us with a female figure who is right in the middle of things. After all, Christianity can be a largely male-dominated religion. The Holy Trinity has long struck feminists as being male-dominated; there is a Father, a Son, and a Holy Spirit, and the New Testament characters are all male. However, as a Christian woman, we now have someone with whom we can interact.
What are the virtues of Mary?
We are to model our lives after the life of Jesus Christ. When this seems overwhelming, it's helpful to look to the saints as examples of people who did a good job of imitating Him.
In the end, though, no one has done a greater job of imitating Jesus than His own mother. Mary, Mother of God and Mother of Souls, has been set before us as a model for us to follow. She brings us to her Son as we get closer to her.
St. Louis de Montfort outlines the “ten great virtues of the most Holy Virgin Mary” in his famous work True Devotion to the Mary.
These virtues may appear daunting at first, but with God's mercy, there are simple methods to put them into practice in everyday life.
What was the significance of Mary's role in Jesus life?
- Mary is best known for being the mother of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the world's Savior. She was a willing servant who trusted in God and followed his instructions.
- Mary, Jesus' mother, is mentioned in the Gospels and in Acts 1:14 of the Bible.
What can we learn from Mary and Joseph?
Would you undertake anything if you had absolute certainty that God was calling you to do it?
What if He asked you to do something that would jeopardize your friendships or reputation? What if He asked you to do something utterly out of character? Would you do it regardless of the consequences?
You may read about Mary's commitment to marry Joseph in Matthew 1:18-25, but before that, she got pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. The story continues with an angel appearing to Joseph in a dream to reassure him of God's purpose for their lives.
Doesn't that sound neat and tidy? It's easy to read the Bible and forget how difficult it must have been for Mary and Joseph to carry out God's will.
What about Mary, who must persuade her parents and Joseph that she is pregnant, not because she was unfaithful to Joseph, but because God chose her to give birth to the Messiah through the Holy Spirit? That might have been a difficult story to swallow as a parent. Consider your daughter coming to you with a story like this! At this time, we know Joseph was considering quietly breaking the marriage contract!
Then there's Joseph, who is a good person in the community. There are just two options available. Either Joseph got Mary pregnant, causing him to lose his reputation as a good man in their culture, or Mary became pregnant by another man, implying that she had committed adultery!
Even as a little lad, I'm sure Mary had to deal with such dirty “looks” from neighbors because Nazareth wasn't a metropolis. Even today, there are well-intentioned people in our communities who count down the months until the first kid is born!
Consider that for a moment. If you lived throughout these periods, would you be able to carry out God's plan?
It goes without saying that Joseph and Mary's experiences played a significant role in God's plan of redemption! They are far more than a “vessel” and a “good man who taught Jesus a trade.” They risked their lives to safeguard the Messiah, even while he was still growing inside Mary's womb.
What do Joseph and Mary teach us? We may learn a lot from their example of following God's call. They realized that serving God and carrying out His will was far more important than social acceptance.
What a vital message for our children to learn, especially now, when they live in a world that values social acceptance and political correctness far more than we did. Are we raising children who will one day be willing to stand out from the herd and choose to obey God, even if it means ridicule or exclusion from society? Mary and Joseph are excellent role models for our children in terms of being obedient to God's purpose.
Is there something on your heart that God has placed on your heart? Has God called you to do something that may lead others to criticize you unfairly or to look at you differently?
What is the meaning of Mary?
Mary is a derivative of the ancient Hebrew name Miriam. In the Old Testament of the Bible, Moses' sister was named Miriam. This name could be derived from a root meaning “beloved” or from a word meaning “bitter” or “rebellious,” alluding to Miriam's time as a slave in Egypt in the Bible.
Why is the Assumption of Mary important?
Roman Catholics believe in the Assumption, which says that Mary, the mother of Christ, was carried body and soul (i.e. both physically and spiritually) into heaven at the end of her life to live with her son (Jesus Christ) for all eternity.
Humans must wait until the end of time to be resurrected bodily, but Mary's body was able to ascend straight to paradise since her spirit was not contaminated by original sin.
Every year on August 15th, Catholics commemorate the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, or the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God, is celebrated on August 28th by Eastern Orthodox Christians who follow the Julian calendar.