Tag Archive for ‘Mary’
Mary’s Life in Stained Glass (4)
The timeline after the Magi left Bethlehem is uncertain. Jewish law required Jesus to be circumcised at 8 days and be presented in the temple after 31 days, and Mary could be purified 40 days after Jesus’ birth. Luke’s gospel records Jesus’ circumcision, when He was named, then His presentation in the temple in Jerusalem, […]
Tribute to Pā Maria
An experience of the Retreat Centre Pā Maria run by the Marist Fathers in Wellington
Mary for Today – Mary in Culture (7) – Art and Literature
Introduction Devotion to Mary developed in the Mediterranean world. Its source lay in the gospels we have plus gospels we do not use (apocryphal) as well as other writings. Mary was presented both in art and literature in terms of the cultural perceptions of females in that world, as maid and mother. Males were ascribed […]
Mary’s Life in Stained Glass (3)
The Visit of the Magi While Mary and Joseph were still in Bethlehem, the three men variously described as ‘wise, ‘kings’ or ‘the Magi’ found their way under a star to the stable and knelt before the baby Jesus and worshipped Him. They brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The whole event is described […]
Mary for Today: Mary and Culture (6)
If Mary is seen as doing God’s will by passive consent, then our culture sees God’s will is done when human beings do their 100%.
Monday 12 September
The Holy Name of Mary 1 Corinthians 11:17-26, 33, Ps 40, Luke 7:1-10 A Marian Church The Roman centurion is an outsider. His nationality, culture, and occupation place him outside the people of Israel. Yet the centurion believes when the insiders do not. Again the disciple learns that Christ chooses the stones rejected by the […]
Thursday 8 September
the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Micah 5:1-4, Ps 13, Mathew 1:1-16, 18-23. A sign of contradiction The disciple is a person of gracious freedom. The disciple is directed to shake the dust off his feet when rejected (Matt 10:14-15), pray for enemies, and love those who hate him (Matt 5:44). Free vulnerable discipleship is […]
Saturday 20 August
St Bernard Ezekiel 43:1-7; Ps 85; Matthew 23:1-12 Christ our Master, our Teacher St Bernard of Clairvaux, remembered today, once preached: “You are calling us. You are sending us. And wherever we settle, you are there already. You who have borne us, moulded, guided, freed us; you are there already. You who lead us in […]
Mary for Today: Mary in Culture (3)
Introduction To find out what any text in Scripture means, it is obvious that the social system behind the text is of prime importance. The world of the first century Eastern Mediterranean had its own social system and its highest values were kinship and concern for honour and shame within a gender-based division of labour. […]
Mary for Today – Mary in Culture (2)
Mary and Mediterranean values With the Emperor Constantine’s adoption of Christianity as a legal Roman religion, Christians felt an urgent need to clarify their ideas about Jesus as Messiah. As Mediterranean males (the ones who did the theologising) they were naturally concerned that the mother of Jesus was part of the project. Mariology developed from […]
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