There's Something About Mary (the Mother of God)

There are a few things that have been on my mind a lot lately, and Mary, the Mother of God, is one of them. I know she isn't a thing. I'm referring to the title "Mother of God", or as the original Greek word theotokos. 

Now, some people get really upset about this topic of discussion, and that's ok, I am fully aware that we don't all agree on this title; however, believe it or not, agree with it or not, it is what it is. She is, in fact, the mother of God. Why? How? Well, it's actually quite simple to explain. 

I'd say that all Christian denominations believe in the Holy Trinity--God, the Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit. In this belief we are ask to accept the unexplained notion that there is ONE God, but that one God has three identities. This is one of the oldest beliefs held by all Christians, before the rise of the heresies in the 1st century. It was defended and defined as official dogma at the first council of Constantinople in 381AD. In believing this, we accept that Jesus is God. He is a member of the Holy Trinity, the 3 in 1. He IS God. So, if Mary is the mother of Jesus, she is the mother of God. 

Now, we aren't saying God originated with the physical birth of Christ. I mean, seriously, that's absurd, and anyone who thinks we are saying Mary is the mother of God in the sense of preceeding Him or having authority over or equal to Him needs to do some research. What we are saying is that, in being the mother of Christ, she is the Mother of God, because Jesus IS God incarnate (in the flesh). 

If you believe in the Incarnation--which you do, if you believe that Jesus was God--then you believe, whether you like it or not, that Mary is the theotokos: the Mother of God. Sorry if this disappoints you, but it is the truth. 

Second thing that is on my mind: Praying to Mary and the saints. Oh, good grief, I just offended a whole lot more of you, I know, but just keep reading and try as hard as you can to have an open mind. 

Okay, so we have established that Mary is the mother of Jesus, and that Jesus is God, and that in order for Him to be incarnate, he had to be born. He was born, raised, and buried by his mother. Is she totally human? Yes. Does she play a special role in the history of our salvation? Yes. Can we expect her to have power or divinity over that of any human mother? No. What she has is the place any mother would have along side her son who loves her, and her son just happens to be Jesus Christ, the savior of the world. Can she hear our prayers? Yes. How? Well, I can explain it the way I understand it, but it's going to give you a headache. 

Time, for us, exists in a line. It is broken down into segments of minutes, hours, days, years, etc. We exist on a plane that only allows us to move about within the restrictions of linear time. Time, as a whole, exists infinitely, meaning there is no defined beginning or end. All events can be seen and observed simultaneously if you have the right seat from which to observe. This isn't a theological concept alone, it's actually a very serious scientific concept that involves all kinds of slices and stuff. Einstein actually explained it in his theory of space time continuum. So, the spiritual realm of Heaven is not linear. It doesn't exist like we do, governed by laws of time. Also, if you believe in the truth of the Bible, then you know that when we die, it's only our flesh that dies. Our souls, which is who we really are, goes on to either Heaven or Hell. We are no longer governed by our fleshly laws of time. We no longer exist on a fixed plane.

Mary, and all of those who have gone before us, no longer exist on a fixed plane. They can see all that has been and all that will be. It's not ridiculous to know that they can hear us! Why not? They aren't dead!!! Just as we ask people here on  Earth to pray for us, we ask those in Heaven to pray for us. Who better to ask than those that are right there in the presence of God? They pray just as we pray, with the power of the name of Jesus. What more "power" could you ask for, if you believe in the power of the name of Jesus (which I hope you do).  That's all the power we need anyone to have to perform miracles. 

We don't "worship" Mary and the Saints. We acknowledge that they are very special people who lived exemplary lives that we want to mimic. It isn't crazy to say they have performed miracles! Jesus said we would, if we believe! He said that there would be works done even greater than His, so why would we say that miracles can't be attributed to the actions of the Saints? 

So, there you go. That's my ramble for the night. Mary is special...she's the Mother of God. I ask her to pray for me and my family all the time, because I know she has a special place, and I know that she and all of those who have gone before us are still alive! Do they have power to help? Yes, they do. They have the power to invoke the name of Jesus in prayer, which is the most powerful thing anyone can do. 

She Has Shown Great Love

“Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;
one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other owed fifty.
Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both.
Which of them will love him more?”
Simon said in reply,
“The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.”
He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,
“Do you see this woman?
When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet,
but she has bathed them with her tears
and wiped them with her hair.
You did not give me a kiss,
but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.
You did not anoint my head with oil,
but she anointed my feet with ointment.
So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven;
hence, she has shown great love.
But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
The others at table said to themselves,
“Who is this who even forgives sins?”
But he said to the woman,
“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

This has always been one of my favorite passages from Luke's Gospel.  It tells us so many things about faith, love, and acceptance.  The most striking thing in it for me today, is that the woman is saved, because she puts her faith into action.  Without fear, and fully knowing what could happen to her as a sinful woman, she comes to Jesus and proceeds to honor Him and show Him her complete devotion.  While the others would have cast her out,  Jesus accepts her gift and rewards her faith with forgiveness and salvation.  
How often are we the the others who want to turn her away? How often do we, in our pride and arrogance, assume to know what it is God wants or expects of someone? How often do we completely fail to put our faith into action simply because it's easier to sit back and let others be the ones to risk it all?
Most of the time, I think we forget that our faith is meant to be a lifestyle, and that all of our choices are to be guided by our desire to do God's will.  This reading reminds me that we are to step out boldly and put our fear aside to act on our faith.  It's not a "if we feel like it" sort of option.  It's a necessity to continue to grow in our faith, and to work toward our salvation. 
We need to get out of our safety net, and reach out to those who need us.  They probably aren't sitting beside us in church (sometimes they are), but they are out there and it is our job to find them.  Someone said to me recently, "We shouldn't be asking ourselves what would Jesus do, we should be asking what did Jesus do?"  

The Least of These

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdomprepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Matt 25:31-46

I finished an amazing book this morning.  It was Another Seat at the Table by Kathy Harrison.  In it, she describes a period of time in her life as a foster mom.  There is nothing glamorous or flashy about her story. It is simply raw, painful truth, but even as I was sobbing for the tenth time while reading it, I was so grateful for her honesty, and for who she is. 

As I read the book, the scripture from Matthew kept coming to me..."whatever you do for the least of these..".  There was no way to avoid the connection between what this mom does and the statement Jesus made. Never once in the book did she mention God or religion, but what she did was give an example of a home that was willing to wash the dirty, feed the hungry, love the unlovable, and offer safety for the most forsaken.  By the time the book was published, she had opened her home and her heart to over one hundred children, and, very often, she had three or four at a time in addition to her own 5 (two of which were adopted from foster care).  

This story of willingness and of heartache was one that made me think of all of the children that are in such need of a smile, a hug, a pair of loving arms...

I think that so often we think of the homeless, the poor in other countries, the elderly, etc., but we often forget the children. There is a world outside of our bubble, and the harsh reality is that, in the state of Georgia alone, there are around 22, 000 children in need of foster care in a typical year. Those are children of abuse, neglect, and abandonment who just want more than anything to know they are safe and loved.  We may not all be able to offer a home, but we can certainly offer a prayer. 

Strong or Stubborn

I've  been in a bit of a slump lately, which I guess is probably why I haven't posted in a bit. This morning I woke up again with pain all over my body. I don't like to whine or complain, and I certainly can't just sit around feeling sorry for myself as there is entirely too much to do every day of my life, but here I am drinking my coffee and feeling sorry for myself. 

The truth is that I don't really feel sorry for myself as much as I'm just over this whole  inflammation thing. You know what the odd thing about it is, though. I don't think I've prayed about it a single time since this most recent flair began. Why in the world would I sit here continuing to be in pain, avoiding talking about it, and even avoiding praying about it. It's not that I don't think praying will matter. I know it will. I know that even if the pain doesn't go away, that I will be given the grace to deal with it and a way to turn my slump around, but maybe I don't want to. Maybe I just want to sit here feeling like this so I have an excuse. I don't know what I need an excuse for other than doing nothing, but maybe that is exactly what I want. The irony is, though, that I could use this excuse to call in to work, lie on the couch all day watching TV, or sit here reading a book, but I won't. 

This all made me think about what our priest talked about on Sunday. The whole "false humility" thing that seems to be more and more predominant. People "humble" themselves to the point of ridiculousness only for the purpose of other people saying "oh, wow, look how much you do for everyone" or "oh, how wonderful that you do so much for others", and what it really all is is a sense of pride in themselves that they are seeking. It is pride masked by humility. How does that relate to my issue? I think it is sort of the same thing, only my thing isn't humility, it's strength. 

I can't be weak. I refuse to be seen as the one who needs medication, or the one who needs help. My body may be hurting all day every day to the point of exhaustion, but you better believe I can handle it. I, my friends, am Super Woman, and NOTHING is going to convince me otherwise.  Sigh....

So, here it is, right? Deep down, even praying is a sign of weakness. When the ONE thing that will probably make the biggest difference in all of this is prayer, I have avoided praying. While Jesus stands there patiently waiting for me to turn this over to Him, I am being strong (stubborn) and refusing to let Him have it. Isn't that crazy? I agree.  Now that I've realized this, and confessed it to you, I am going to pray. 

"Dear Lord, during this trial,
I offer up to you my confusion
Give me clarity
I offer up to you my despair
Give me hope
I offer up to you my weakness
Give me strength
I offer up to you my pettiness
Give me generosity of spirit.
I offer up to you all my
Negative thoughts from Satan
So that when he asks ‘Where is Your God now?”
I may respond “Right here with me, giving me His grace
As a Heavenly beam of light penetrating your darkness!"

Not Peace, but Division

"Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? 
No, I tell you, but rather division."  Lk 12:51

This was a part of yesterday's gospel reading.  Just after I finished my post on atheism and anti-theism,  I went to mass and heard this reading.  It's funny how that happens at times, and then I find myself thinking that there really must be something for me to learn here that I'm just not quite getting.  

Most people like to think of Jesus as this very calm and peaceful man, who spoke softly and acted gently toward everyone at all times. I'm not so sure that is the accurate portrait of the man who came to bring division, or who turned over the tables in the temple, or who was known to scold his followers for their folly and misunderstandings.  People who are passionate in their mission tend to lead with a very fervent and energetic way, and they don't back down easily from whatever it is they are trying to do or the point they are trying to make. 

Imagine Jesus, the man who was going to be put to death for the sins of the world, sitting around with his followers calmly telling them that the fate of the world rests on their shoulders, and, if they feel so inclined, they need to go out to the world and let everyone know.  With a message of that level of importance, I'm pretty sure it wasn't just a calm and quiet day.  Proclaiming that He came to set the earth on fire and to bring division was most likely not stated in a soothing monotone voice, either. So, this peaceful and loving messiah has now said that He came to set the earth on fire and bring division, not peace.  Look around!

I would have to say, at this point, He certainly achieved His goal! There is peace nowhere. In Egypt, we have Islamists torching Christian organizations and killing Christians, as well as other people, in large numbers.  In China, to openly practice a true Christianity can bring death to the one practicing as well as a great threat to their families.  In many Arab countries, to convert from Islam to Christianity means death, or, at the very least, banishment and compete detachment from family and friends. Up until now in America, Christians have had it pretty good. Compared to most places, we still do, but we are also slipping into a very shaky territory when it comes to openly and truly living out our faith. 

The Freedom From Religion groups are getting larger and larger and building up more and more steam, and their goal is to completely secularize everything audible and visible to the majority.  They are offended by everything religious, and they will stop at nothing to ensure that not even the most significant aspects of history can be displayed if they have something to do with a religion.  http://dispatchpolitics.dispatch.com/content/blogs/the-daily-briefing/2013/07/07-17-13-freedom-from-religion.html
There even had to be a court case about the labeling of food in a grocery store http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/tag/usa-new-york-kosher-jewish-freedom-religion-food-kashrut/

Both of the above examples have to do with Judaism, not Christianity, but the point is that God's people are always being told that we can't be pushing ourselves out into the public eye. As in this example http://ffrf.org/news/news-releases/item/15083-ffrf-victory-cross-removed-from-steubenville-logo where the city had to change its logo to NOT include the University that has been there for years and years and aided in the prosperity of the city. It's ok for the people and businesses of the city to profit from the Christians being there, but don't even think about including it on the city's symbol! 

So, to make a long story short, there is division, and a lot of it, and it will continue. As time goes on, Jews, Christians, and any other religion that likes to make itself public will be sqashed by the fact that there are people who are made so incredibly uncomfortable by the thought of faith and morals that they can't even stand the sight of a basic symbol. Now, I know I'm going to get blasted by that last statement, so just let me say that I know anti-relgious people have morals, but let's stop playing that game. It is obvious that there is a big difference between Christian morals and secularist morals. One is grounded in absolutes, and the other in relativism. Hence the fact that there is more...DIVISION. 

I don't think all non religious people are bad, or that their morals are "loose". There are non-religious families who have very conservative morals (especially once they have children), and they are good people! I'm not bashing anyone or their moral grounding, but I am pointing out that there are differences, often big ones, that do cause issues and arguments. The problem is, we can only agree to disagree for so long before, inevitably, we will be faced with an issue that we can't avoid debating or discussing. Just remember to always be loving, no matter what! Division will happen, but hatred doesn't have to. 

Atheist or Anti-theist

I've been doing some reading and thinking about atheist viewpoints, and I've come to realize that there are really two distinct camps that are quite different in both their views and their approach. Actually, if you look closely, there are more than two; however, only two primary distinctions that really stand out to be of major importance.

The first is the typical view that there is no God. These atheists simply accept the belief that there is no God, and that everything can be explained through science and reason without the "need" for a Creator or an overarching religious belief system. They have no hidden agenda, and they simply seek to live a good life. Most people I've personally known that are in this camp are good people, who truly are compassionate and seek to live good lives. Their morality may be different, but they accept that it's okay for people to have a difference of opinion.

Then there are the others: they claim to be atheists, but what they really are is anti-theist. I hate to say it, but these are the people that make me want to react violently. These are the people who spread hate and hurt all over the place, and set out to make anyone who has a belief in God look like a band of fools and bigots. They are angry, insensitive, arrogant, and down right loathsome. As a Christian, I have to love these people, but I really don't like them at all. Not only do they think they are so much better than anyone stupid enough to believe in God, but it is also literally impossible to attempt any type of rational discussion with an anti-theist. They claim to be intelligent and only believe in reason and what is tangible, yet they do nothing but argue emotionally and irrationally without any ability to process or accept counter information of any type. Their mind is made up, and by lack of god, they are going to be stubborn as hell for all eternity.

What I have found largely in common in the two groups, is that both are primarily (and I know this doesn't apply to every single one, but what I found in many articles/blogs) driven to their lack of faith by some tragedy or loss. They are lead to their atheism by questions that they feel are answered inadequately, such as "Why would a loving God allow __________ to suffer and die in such a horrible way", or "How could God sit back and watch the world rip itself apart?"
This is very understandable in the sense that those types of issues are difficult to process, and it seems that no one ever really has an answer.
Others are guided into a lack of faith by other people they look up to, such as a college professor or an author. I used to think it was largely an issue of science, but I've found that isn't true.  There are huge numbers of believers involved in scientific fields of research and study.

So, what I've mostly learned from all of this, is that there are people who are atheists because they are seeking the truth, and there are those who are anti-theists because they hate the idea of anyone believing a different truth.  Either way, they are people who deserve the same love and compassion that Christ teaches us all to give, and we should always remember not to allow our own personal emotions to cloud the fact that we know we are children of God whose purpose is to show love and be a light in the darkness.

On Dragons

For the record, I love dragons. I love the idea of something so large, beautiful, and powerful flying through the sky and hunting its prey. Ever since I was a little girl, I have been fascinated with the mythical stories and fantasy fiction of dragons. When Christopher Paolini released Eragon, I was so happy to have a new series devoted completely to dragon lore. To say I devoured the books would be an understatement. Waiting between installments for the release of the next in the series was borderline torturous.

I bring up the subject of dragons, because there are those who feel that all dragons are representations of evil characters, or that they are among the monsters of fantastical mythology, and I want to set the record straight. Also, considering the quote that I have placed on my Facebook page as the cover photo, I feel that I need to explain what that actually means to me and why I chose a quote that appears to say I want to kill dragons. For those of you who have not visited the FB page, the quote is this: "Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."

Discussing dragons can be somewhat controversial in certain circles; however, I feel that you can't assume that those who are "into" dragons are automatically included in some sort of gothic circle. There are those, like myself, who love dragons in the same way that I love unicorns; primarily as a magical other-worldly creature spawned from something in the past that led people to tell tales and create legends of times and places we can only see in our wildest imagination or deepest dreams.

As I said, not all dragons are evil. They are creatures that can be either good or evil. Take, for example, the dragons in The Inheritance Cycle. The nature of the dragon depended on the character of the rider he was bound to. In these stories, the dragons and humans are extensions of each other. They end up, just as men always have, fighting each other in a gripping battle of good and evil. In most fantasy stories involving dragons, they are bound somehow to a human companion or they are a type of extension of a person. Consider Maleficent: the beautiful creepy evil witch villain from Disney's Sleeping Beauty. She allows herself to transform into a fearsome dragon in order to try to prevent Prince Phillip from breaking her spell and rescuing the princess, but the dragon is only evil because Maleficent is evil.

Often, Satan in the garden is represented as a dragon. There is even a popular Christian children's book called The Dragon and the Garden in which the "serpent" is portrayed and illustrated as a dragon. So, we have good and we have evil in all things from the beginning of time.

When I chose Chesterton's quote, it wasn't to say I think all dragons need to be defeated. Using a dragon as a metaphorical powerful enemy makes perfect sense, though. Look at what dragons are capable of compared to humans! How terrifying would it be to have a dragon that was with the enemy forces and you were faced with the task of defending yourself and defeating the enemy to achieve a good end? Knowing that we can defeat a powerful enemy is the key to winning any war. What Chesterton is referring to is the dragon of evil, of tyranny, of heresy, of modernism in society.  I chose the quote, because we are at war every day with powerful enemies, and it is important to know that not only do powerful creatures exist, but that they can be beaten.