Holy Mary- Mother of God

MOTHER OF GOD

I’ve had an interesting exposure to religion and church doctrines throughout my life.  My father was a devout catholic, my mother converted to the oneness Pentecostal doctrine when I was 2, and I grew up around devout Muslim neighbors, both Shiite and Sunni who taught me first three “kalmas” when i was 5.  In my later years I befriended Zoroastrians, Hindus, atheists and agnostics and in my adult years questioned the concept of “religion” itself.  My question usually was how and where did it all begin?  How did we all become so different?  Of course, at first I questioned the faith I was brought up in.

I was sent to a Convent school, and had to attend Mass despite the fact that mom did’nt want me to. I used to wonder why everything in the school chapel had to be so mechanical….. from the mass to the music…..  In a short while, I had memorized the entire mass, and wondered why God would want us to hear the same thing every week….surely, God had more to say to us. 

In the cathedral I noticed Jesus was depicted as a baby in Mary’s arms or a dead man on a cross, which made her seem so much more powerful.  Devotees would enter church, then make their rounds, kissing the feet of all the statues up to the altar.    I used to watch in awe at the craftsmanship of the statues,  moms church had nothing this glamorous. Every time I saw someone genuflect in front of the statues…..I used to wonder why we even had the first commandment…Thou shall have no other Gods before me. If God is Jealous,  why were we paying so much attention to everybody but HIM ? isn’t GOD the only one worthy of prayer.

The concept of Mary had me totally baffled. I read everything I possibly could to find the answers for.

1.  How could a mortal woman be titled the “mother of God”

2.  Why did the Bible not once mention any miracles performed by her when she     was alive.

3.  Where in the Bible is she said to have ‘interceded’ for us?

4.  Where in the bible is she said to have ascended into heaven body and soul?

5.  Where in the bible does it mention that SHE was free from sin?
Mary the Mother of God
Because she is the mother of Jesus, and Jesus is God, therefore Mary is the Mother of God. (Catechism 963, 971, 2677).
A feminine presence was added to Christianity by the Council of Ephesus in 431 CE where after much debate, the Virgin Mary was named Theotokos (Mother of God).   It is interesting how various councils in Catholic Church History defined the basics of the catholic doctrine, and the way Catholics all over must regard their faith.  It only reinforces that RELIGION is the creation of MAN…..in Catholicism, a few powerful clergymen, bishops and priests all with one agenda- to unify Europe and gain political power and to shape the way people think, formulated in their “ecumenical”  meetings, what they thought Christianity should incorporate which went on till the Christian reformation in the 16th century.  The Incarnation of Jesus was decided after much debate at one of these politicized council meetings.
The Incarnation means that Jesus was both fully God and fully man.  Mary was only the mother of Jesus as man, and not the mother of Jesus as God.  According to the Bible, the world was created through Jesus.  This was long before Mary was born.
Hebrews 1:1-2 says,    “God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds”.
Colossians 1:16-17 says,    “For by him [Jesus] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things [including Mary] were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things [including Mary] , and by him all things consist”.
John 8:58 says, “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am.” Jesus existed before Abraham was born.  That means that He also existed before Mary was born.

In John 17:5, Jesus says, “And now O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”  So Jesus existed even before the world began.  Jesus came first ‑- not Mary.
MARY THE MEDIATOR
Mary is the Co-Mediator to whom we can entrust all our cares and petitions. (Catechism 968-970, 2677) 
Catholics regard Mary as the mediator to Jesus based on a SINGLE event in the bible, where she asks her son to look at the wine.  While it is certainly true that Jesus did what his mother requested at Cana, it is also true that the Lord equally obeyed the wishes of others at times, which also resulted in miracles.  While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples … After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.
(Mat 9:18,19, 25)
There is only one mediator and that is Jesus.
 1 Timothy 2:5-6 says,      “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus: Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”
 Hebrews 7:25 says, “Wherefore he [Jesus] is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
 Ephesians 3:12 says, “In whom [Jesus} we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.”
 If Jesus is constantly interceding for us and He is able to save us “to the uttermost,” then He doesn’t need Mary’s help.  If we can approach God with “boldness” and “confidence” because of our faith in Jesus, then we don’t need Mary’s help either.  If God had wanted us to pray to Mary, Jesus would have said so somewhere in the bible…..something like….  “if you want a miracle, ask my mommy first”
MARY- WITHOUT SIN

Mary was preserved from all stain of original sin from the first instant of her conception. (Catechism 490-492).
In Luke 1:46-47, Mary said: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour”.   Mary knew that she needed a savior.

Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”.   Revelation 15:4 says, “Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name?  For thou only art holy”.

Romans 3:10 says, “There is none righteous, no, not one”.

In the Book of Revelation, when they were searching for someone who was worthy to break the seals and open the scroll, the only person who was found to be worthy was Jesus.  Nobody else in Heaven or on earth (including Mary) was worthy to open the scroll or even look inside it. (Revelation 5:1-5)
MARY THE VIRGIN
 Mary was a virgin before, during and after the birth of Christ. (Catechism 496-511)
Jesus had brothers and sisters.  The Bible even tells us their names. So if the council was trying to portray her as sinless without sex- it makes you wonder why the church was trying to paint “SEX” as evil, perhaps it is the same reason the priests are made to live celibate. 

Matthew 13:54-56 says,
“And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, in so much that they were astonished, and said, Whence hatch this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?  Is not this the carpenter’s son?  Is not his mother called Mary?  And his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?  And his sisters, are they not all with us?”

Unlike catechism, the Bible mentions nothing on Mary or the saints.  Catholics have been disconnected from Jesus Christ and made to connect with the church, the scripted masses and prayers, the saints and the Blessed virgin, the pope and the Vatican.  Let us point out that since Catholicism was the first Christian religion that came into pagan Rome, there are similarities within it to co relate between Pagan and Catholic celebrations from Goddess Worship to Christmas and Easter, that DOES NOT mean that Catholicism and Christianity is in any way Pagan. But, when two cultures collide there will be a blending.

The Early Church, Constantine, the first few popes and bishops all had a major hand in shaping Christianity the way it is today.  The tragedy is that in trying to put together a doctrine to convince the masses and obtain ultimate control, the true message of JESUS CHRIST was lost.  Jesus Christ came to show us the way we could all connect to the father through HIM.  He came to teach us the power of faith, the power of love and the power of peace! He came to show  this power lies with us. We just gotta follow HIM !

He (Jesus) is the door to salvation (John 10:9);
and all God’s grace and kindness are given “through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7)