Mary The Virgin Mother Religion Essay

Mary The Virgin Mother Religion Essay Mary was the virgin mother of our savior Jesus Christ. She was born in One night the angel Gabriel came to Mary while she was at her cousin Elizabeths house. The angel said to Mary Hail favored one! The Lord is with you. Mary was frightened at the appearance of the angel. The angel said Do not be scared, Mary, cause you have found favor with God. Mary, you will have a child given to you by the Holy Spirit, and you will name him Jesus. Mary did not understand because she had not had sexual relations with any man. Gabriel told Mary the child was given to you by the Holy Spirit, and therefore the child will be called Holy, the son of God. Also your cousin Elizabeth has conceived a baby in her late years, and this is her six month, for nothing is impossible with God. Mary said I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done according to your word (The Silent Scream). When Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel, she was betrothed to a carpenter from Bethlehem named Joseph. In Jerusalem, if you were pregnant before you were married and the baby didnt belong to the person the woman was betrothed to, the women was stoned to death by the village. Joseph and Mary were married after Joseph was assured by an angel in a dream that she conceived a child by the Holy Spirit (Delaney pg.390). When Mary was pregnant with Jesus, Joseph and her traveled to Bethlehem where Joseph was from, to register in their census that was ordered by King Herod. Mary traveled on a donkey to Bethlehem. When Mary and Joseph finally reached Bethlehem there were no rooms at any of the inns. But a manager at one of the inns told Mary and Joseph they could stay in his manager. So Mary and Joseph stayed in the manager where she had Jesus. Word traveled around that there would be a messiah from the highest of the high, and that he would come and rule his people, and save them from sin. King Herod feared that Jesus would be a rival to his throne (Delaney pg. 390). After King Herod died, they returned and settled back in Nazareth (Delaney pg. 390). The only thing that is known about Mary in the years she lived in Nazareth is Jesus presentation in the temple and one incident on a trip back from Jerusalem when Jesus was lost. Mary and Joseph found him in a temple talking with the doctors there about God (Delaney pgs. 390+ 391). Mary was a key figure in Jesus first miracle at The Wedding Feast of Cana. Mary and Jesus were invited to a wedding, and they ran out of wine. So Mary told Jesus to help, and then she left the kitchen and told the servants, do whatever he tells you. Jesus ordered the servants to fill six big canvases full of water and he turned the water into wine. One could say that Mary encouraged Jesus to perform his first miracle. Mary was present at Jesus death, Resurrection, Ascension as well as the days before Pentecost (Delaney pg. 391). At the crucifixion of Jesus, when Jesus was hanged on the cross, Mary was given into the arms of John the Apostle (Delaney pg. 391). According to tradition Mary went to Ephesus, where she died, but another tradition states that she lived in Jerusalem until her death, which is believed to have occurred in 48 A.D. (Delaney pg. 391).The belief that Marys body was assumed into heaven is one of the oldest traditions in the church (Delaney 391). Assumption means risen into heaven. The Assumption of Mary is celebrated on August 15 (Holiday Year). Mary was the second person of the Holy Trinity, and was free from original sin from the moment of her birth (Delaney pg. 391). Appearances of Mary have been reported in the last century and a half, at Lourdes, Fatima, and La Salette (Delaney pg.391). Other feast days for Mary are The Annunciation of the Lord on March 25, the Visitation on May 31, the Presentation of the Lord on February 2, Our Lady of Sorrows on September 15, Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7, the Queenship of Mary on August 22, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God on January 1, and the Immaculate Heart of Mar y on Saturday following the second Sunday of Pentecost (Delaney pg.391). Mary had the choice to say no, and not have Jesus, it was all done by choice. Mary knew what would become of her if people found out that the baby inside her was not Josephs. She knew she would be stoned to death by the village. Mary might have feared that Joseph would have not believed her but, somewhere in her heart she probably wished he did. Mary also knew what would become of Jesus her only son. To live and raise Jesus and know he would die probably killed her inside, but she accepted the call because thats what God asked of her. You could only imagine what it would be like to lose your son and just sit there seeing him suffer in so much pain and you not being able to do anything about it. I admire Mary for everything she did. Mary was never thinking of herself she was always thinking of us and God. In my opinion Mary is one of the most brave and amazing woman I have ever heard of, and she does deserve the title Mother of God. When we pray the Hail Mary we are praying to Mary telling her to tell Jesus to help us and to pray for us. Mary wants and helps us get closer to Jesus. She wants us to follow the right path and she wants us to be with her and Jesus and the saints in heaven. Delaney, John J. Dictionary of saints. Garden City: Doubleday Company, Inc., 1980.Print. Difiore, Kathy. The Blessed Virgin and Her Examples of Faith in God. The Silent Scream. Several Sources Shelters. April 2007.Web.20 November 2010. Mary, Saint Mary, Virgin Mary.Saint Mary. N.p n.d Web. 13 November 2010. Hoilday Year. Holiday Year. Holiday Year. N.p. n.d. 9 December 2010.