All Things Mary

Honoring the Mother of God—An Anthology of Marian Reflections

Mark G. Boyer

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN:
  9781532664830
  9781532664847
• eBook ISBN:
  9781532664854
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Theology

All Things Mary provides reflections on all Scripture texts associated with celebrations in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary during the liturgical year, in addition to biblical texts presented in the Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It honors the Mother of God as the exemplar of the Christian life by presenting an anthology of Marian reflections grounded in Scripture texts, litanies, and catechetical teaching about Mary. This book is designed to be used by individuals for private study and prayer and by ministers for study, prayer, and preaching. The goal of this book is to foster ordinary Marian spirituality as it flows from the Bible. An eight-part exercise is offered for each of the entries: (1) a title; (2) a footnote listing where a specific Scripture passage is used in Marian masses; (3) a text giving the notation for the biblical passage; (4) a few verses from the biblical text; (5) a two-paragraph reflection on the biblical text and its application to the Blessed Virgin Mary; (6) a second footnote identifying references to various post-Vatican II documents about Mary; (7) a journal/meditation question for personal appropriation of Mariology; and (8) a concluding prayer.

1

Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and Old Testament (Apocrypha)

Genesis

Work1

Text: Genesis 1:26—2:3

Scripture: “. . . [O]n the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done.” (Gen 2:3)

Reflection: In order to create humankind, God works. Portraying God at work is, of course, a projection of people at work. The author of this part of the HB (OT) book of Genesis reflected on all the work he had done and imagined that God must have worked in order to create everything that exists. God even speaks to his assembly or counsel of advisors, saying, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness . . .” (Gen 1:26a). It is important to note that the image of God consists of “male and female” (Gen 1:27b). Male and female are given dominion over all other creatures that God had worked to make. Because the biblical author is reflecting on his own experience of work and projecting that onto God, he declares that God rests from his work on the seventh day. This priestly author was interested in reinforcing the command about rest on the sabbath (Exod 20:8–11; Deut 5:12–15). Furthermore, the Hebrew verb to rest, shabat, is the source for the word sabbath.

Joseph, fiancé of Mary of Nazareth, is a worker. More specifically, he is referred to as a carpenter. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is known as the carpenter’s son (Matt 13:55a), which leads to the conclusion that Joseph was a carpenter. In chapters 1–2, Matthew provides little information about Joseph (and what he does provide is based on Joseph, son of Jacob), and his mention of him at 2:21 is the last time he is named in the First Gospel. Joseph’s occupation may stem from his Markan source in which Jesus is characterized as a carpenter (Mark 6:13). The point of identifying the fiancé of Mary as a worker is to focus on the holiness of work. Some people see work as a curse; it is necessary to work in order to make money so as to survive by providing shelter, food, and clothing. But work of any kind is holy. According to Genesis, even God works. Also, according to Genesis, even God rests from all the work he does.

Journal/Meditation: What work do you consider to be holy? Explain.

Prayer: God of work and rest, after creating me in your image, you rested from all the work you had done. Give me good and healthy work that I may contribute to your world. Give me rest and healing that I may be renewed through Jesus Christ, you Son, now and forever. Amen.

Enmity2

Text: Genesis 3:1-6, 13-15

Scripture: “The LORD God said to the serpent, ‘I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.’” (Genesis 3:14a, 15)

Reflection: When addressing the serpent in the HB (OT) book of Genesis, the LORD God declares to the snake that there will be extreme ill will or hatred between the serpent and the first woman, who is not yet named (Gen 3:20). That hatred will extend to their offspring. The enmity will cause people to strike the snake’s head in order to kill it, and it will cause the snake to strike at people’s heels in order to bite them and/or poison them. Christianity understands this passage to be a type of proto-gospel; this means that Jesus—Son of Mary, the new woman—has contended with evil, the serpent who tricked the first woman, and beaten Satan (Mark 1:13; Matt 4:1–11; Luke 4:1–13). Thus, through Mary, one of Eve’s descendants—who is depicted in iconography with her foot on the snake and named Our Lady of Grace—Jesus conquered the serpent. Furthermore, Mary, as the new woman or new Eve, through her God-given sinlessness, has also struck the head of the serpent and defeated Satan’s power in light of what her Son would do.

Thus, Mary is the help of Christians. In the LBVM(LL), she is invoked as help of Christians and the comforter of the afflicted, and in the LBVMOCIBVM, she is invoked as champion of God’s people. Furthermore, one of her many titles is Our Lady of Perpetual Help. As the perpetual and powerful help of Christians, the Virgin Mary is asked by pray-ers to intercede with God, asking him to give the pray-er the favor which he or she needs in a given situation. Mary’s role in the church flows from her union with her Son, who struck the head of the serpent with his cross and destroyed it for all time.3

Journal/Meditation: What help has the Blessed Virgin Mary been to you?

Prayer: Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, and sought your intersession, was left unaided. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions; but in your clemency hear and answer me through Christ my Lord. Amen.

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Table of contents

• Title Page
• Abbreviations
• Notes on the Bible
• Notes on the Lectionary for Mass
• Introduction
• 1: Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and Old Testament (Apocrypha)
• 2: Christian Bible (New Testament)
• Appendices
• Bibliography