St. Mary Mother of God
الجمعة, 10 اغسطس,
2007
St. Mary Mother of God
The entire life and character of
St. Mary is one of inner glories and riches, “for the
Lord does not see as man sees for man looks at the outward appearance but the
Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7). For this reason St.
Paul says, “We do not look at the things which are seen but at the
things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are
temporary but the things which are not seen are eternal”. (2
Corinthians 4:18).
i. St. Mary = Possessed Inner Glory
”You are the ark, overlaid with
gold on all sides, which is made of undecaying wood,
for she was clothed with the glory of the divinity from within and without
(Sunday Theotokia)”. “The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace;
her clothing is woven with gold”. (Psalm 45:13). On
the exterior, St. Mary had nothing for which others could envy her; she was not
famous, nor rich, she kept content and silent in her
inner glory. She gloried in her Lord and Saviour, “My soul
rejoices in God my Saviour.” (Luke 1:46-47).
ii. St. Mary = Possessed Inner Riches
St. Mary was rich in grace;
Archangel Michael greets her: “Rejoice highly favoured one…do not be
afraid Mary, for you have found favour with God. (Luke 1:28-30). “Hail
to you full of grace, hail to you who has found grace, hail to you who has
given birth to Christ, the Lord is with you”. (Saturday
Theotokia). “Many
daughters have done well but you excel thsem all.”
(Proverbs 31:29). St. Mary possessed the inner richness of a
submissive and obedient heart, deep prayer and praises, contemplation and
meditations, gentle spirit and powerful faith in Christ. ThereforeElizabeth exalts St. Mary saying, “Blessed
are you among women, blessed is the fruit of your womb
and blessed is she who believed that there shall be a fulfillment
of these things”. (Luke 1:42-44). The humble St. Mary “kept
all these things in her heart and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).
iii. St. Mary = Possessed Inner Beauty
”The Father looked from above
and could not find any one like you. He came and was incarnated from
you”. (Wednesday Theotokia). In the Morning Prayer we beseech St. Mary, the Father chose
you, the Holy Spirit over shadowed you and the Son, in humility, was born from
you asking to redeem the world He created. St. Mary’s inner beauty
radiated great joy to all humanity as we chant saying, “Hail to St.
Mary the joy of Generations”. St. Mary’s inner beauty is
reflected in her concern for others. Over the mountains she traveled with haste to assist her frail cousin Elizabeth
(Luke 1:39). At the wedding of Cana of Galilee she tells her
Son and Lord they have no wine (John 2:3). This inner beauty made
St. Mary a second heaven where God the Logos dwelt. St. Peter
stresses inner beauty by saying, “Do not let your beauty be that
outward adorning of arranging the hair, of wearing gold, or of putting on fine
apparel; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the
incorruptible ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is very precious in the sight of God.” (1
Peter 3:3-4).
iv. St. Mary = Possessed Inner Purity
St. Mary was most pure in
mind, heart and thoughts. Thus, St. Mary became a living sanctuary
for the Lord of Hosts to dwell. David the Prophet asks, “How can a
young man cleanse his way, by taking heed to your word. (Psalm
119:9). Christ clarified this saying, “You have been
made clean already by the words I have spoken to you, abide in Me and I in you”. (John 15:3). Indeed, “blessed
are the pure in heart for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). St.
Pauladds, “To the pure all things are pure
but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure but even their
minds and conscience are defiled.” (Titus
1:15). “You have become the stock of purity and the vessel that
carries the true Manna; O pure Mother of God, O honoured Virgin” (Theotokia of Tuesday).
v. St. Mary = Possessed Inner Honour
”You are higher than the Cherabim and found more honourable than the Seraphim
(Sunday Theotokia). This honour was because St. Mary was clothed with authentic
humility (1 Peter 5:5), “for God resists the proud but gives grace to
the humble” (James 4:6). Indeed the more we, “humble
yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he will lift you up” (James 4:10). St.
Mary always perceived herself as the handmaid of the Lord. “Blessed
and perfect are you, O who has found all grace, before the King of glory, our
True Lord. You deserved all honour, more than any one on Earth, for
the Word of the Father, came and was incarnate of you.” (Wednesday Theotokia).
In St. Mary we have a faithful intercessor whose inner life is a model to
meditate upon. May this Holy Fast be spiritually rich in which our
inner person is filled with grace upon grace.
