Oh, I could not wait to sink my teeth into this question:
“Was Mary quiet and submissive, or very assertive?”
You can read my answer at BustedHalo.com.
The Annunciation by Henry Ossawa Tanner
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Posted in Question Box
I get some fascinating questions through the BustedHalo Question Box, and this one was no exception:
“Shouldn’t the proper term for Mary be the ‘birthgiver of God’ instead of the ‘mother of God’?”
What do you think?
Because of the format, I have to keep the answer short, but believe me, Â I could have written volumes about this. There are a few ways to approach this question, and I tried to touch on all of them, but for me, the answer really comes down to this: Â Anyone who has been in the mothering business knows that “mother” is a verb as well as a noun. Â It’s a state of being, of doing, of acting. Â And mothering doesn’t stop when the kids are old enough to dress themselves, to fix their own meals, to strike out on their own. Â At the age of thirty-seven, I still rely on my mom to prop me up through the bad times and celebrate with me in the good. Â At the age of thirty-three, Jesus relied on Mary for the same things.
Yes, Mary gave birth to Jesus … but she was also, memorably and beautifully, Â His mother.
Image: Madonna and Child by Giulio Romano
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Posted in Images of Mary, Question Box
Have you ever wondered:
— What is a Marian apparition?
— When Joseph decided to “divorce  Mary quietly,” why didn’t she get mad?
— What does the Council of Ephesus have to do with Mary?
Click on the links to get the answers!
And if you have a question about the Blessed Mother, submit it to the BustedHalo Question Box! I’ll answer any Mary question, even if you feel stupid asking it (and remember what your elementary school teachers always said: Â There is no such thing as a stupid question.) Â And if you have questions about other areas of faith (Catholic tradition, history, ethics, etc.), you can submit those, too. Â I won’t tackle those, but other writers will.
And just to brighten your day, here’s a lovely picture of the Madonna and Child. I don’t know about you, but I always find that a great moodlifter.
Our Lady of Japan holycard from HolyCards for your Inspiration
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Posted in Images of Mary, Question Box
Posted in Question Box
1. Okay, I know I’m an English teacher, and therefore I pay obsessive attention to things like punctuation. But I find it empirically odd that the label for Luke’s current prescription says GIVE “LUKE” 4 MLs TWICE A DAY FOR TEN DAYS.   What’s with the quotation marks ?  Am I calling him by the wrong name? It’s like the Walgreens people are saying, “Well, go ahead and CALL him “Luke,” if that makes you happy. We know better.”
2. I’ve been pretty remiss about linking to my BustedHalo Mary questions.  If you would like to know how many times Mary talks in the Bible, or how she relates to the communion of saints, or how she was treated after Jesus died, then click away.
3. I absolutely adore lilacs. It’s weird and primal and totally beyond any semblance of control. I see a lilac bush and I stop dead in my tracks, sniffing and gazing in rapture, like some sort of botanical maniac.  (They are not very common here in CA, alas, though I have spied a few in my neighborhood, which gives me hope that one day I can have a lovely lilac of my own.) So imagine my emotion when my friend Lisa posted a link to the Rochester, NY Lilac Festival.  I look at their photos and my heart beats faster. Yes, I am a freak — a freak who is getting a great new idea about taking an impromptu cross-country trip.
Happily, there are no volcanic ash clouds between here and Rochester.
Posted in Question Box, Really random
