Rebecca Stephens Falcasantos
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History of Mary

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​As we all know, Mary is the proud mother of Jesus Christ. However, there is much more to Mary than what most people know. Therefore, as a group we have decided to look into her background a little bit more and learn about her life and as the mother of Jesus Christ. Hopefully, through our research will provide us with a deeper meaning and understanding of who she truly is, and how she lived her life.      

       
            Mary has had prestige to her name since the day she was born. In his book, First Lady of the World, Peter Lappin writes, “She was given the name Miriam. This is the feminine form of Mar, which means Lord or Master, so her name means lady or Mistress” (Lappin 5). Therefore, Mary’s name demonstrates that she has power and authority even before she was born. Lappin tells us that Mary was dedicated to a life of prayer and to the temple from a very young age. This manifests why Mary remained so dedicated on remaining a virgin throughout her life: she was taught young and continued to practice those beliefs as she lived her life.
            One of the great prophets Isaiah was one of the earliest to mention Mary as being a virgin. As the book of Isaiah claims, Mary is to conceive and a son and yet she still will remain a virgin. The bible states, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son” (Isaiah 7:14). Mary ultimately is proud of this as her life goes on. This sense of pride stems from her own vow that she made by herself and within herself. Lappin writes in his piece, “Since Mary possessed free will, she could have responded to that invitation by saying no. But she said yes.” (Lappin 7). This speaks to Mary’s personal commitment to remain “clean” and chaste, and her unique ability to take action based off of her own free will. Therefore, her faith allowed Mary to control her own fate through her virginity. This decision to bore Jesus Christ also demonstrates Mary’s uniqueness; for, at no point in the bible are any other people given such an opportunity to make a certain decision that is that important and will ultimately influence all of mankind.
            This virginity of Mary is also symbolic of many other things. Basil Cole writes in his piece, “Mother of God” that “Mary transcends all states of life. Being a virgin means that the Triune God is the greatest focus of her love, fulfilling the great commandment to love God with her whole heart, mind and soul.”[1] This speaks to Mary’s great nobility and uniqueness; for, Mary keeps her commitment and promise to God strong and is able to make a decision to conceive a son, which is very important.
            Being a mother is not easy, for with this role come many duties and responsibilities. Mary is the single mother of the most important figure in the Catholic faith. Therefore, because she gave birth to Jesus Christ, Mary has the closest bond and connection to him. This makes her “the closest reality to the divine since she has rights over God himself on earth and has special relationships with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.”[2]  Being the closest relationship to Jesus, it is Mary’s duty to guide and raise him as he grew into a man. Having this duty ultimately is the reason Mary was given such privileges during her lifetime. One of these privileges includes Mary being determined as a worthy member of heaven.
            Mary certainly belongs in heaven because she was the sole figure responsible for bringing Jesus Christ to life. On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII openly declared in his Apostolic Constitution, Munificentissimus Deus, that “By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory”. Therefore, upon her death, it is widely accepted throughout the Catholic religion that Mary ascended into heaven. Many current Catholics claim that Mary can be classified as the “queen” of heaven.[3] She is the queen because the followers of Christ mainly viewed her as being full of grace, unique, and committed. In matter of fact, Mary’s “position is believed to be above the choirs of angels because her charity was higher and deeper than all the billions of them put together.”[4] As one can see Mary was and still is thought very highly of because of her dedication to virginity and her miraculous birth to baby Jesus Christ.

Dean Laughter
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[1] Cole, Basil. 2014. "Mother of God." Priest 70, no. 12: 49-52. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed March 16, 2016). 1.

[2] Cole, Basil. 2014. "Mother of God." Priest 70, no. 12: 49-52. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed March 16, 2016). 1.

[3] Cole, Basil. 2014. "Mother of God." Priest 70, no. 12: 49-52. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed March 16, 2016). 1.

[4] Cole, Basil. 2014. "Mother of God." Priest 70, no. 12: 49-52. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed March 16, 2016). 1.

Lappin, Peter. The First Lady of the World ... New Rochelle, NY: Don Bosco, 1983. Print.

Munificentissimus Deus (November 1, 1950) | PIUS XII." 
Munificentissimus Deus (November 1, 1950) | PIUS XII. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.


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