Women's History Month - Week One - Miryam

She has been called Full of Grace, Blessed among Women, the Mother of God, the Cause of our Salvation, the Advocate of Eve, the Ever-Virgin, the Immaculate Conception, the Queen of Heaven, the Star of the Sea, Our Lady, The Ark of the New Covenant, and the Seat of Wisdom. She is the perfect starting place to begin the contemplation of women's history during Women's History Month.

James Martin, SJ, wrote at Slate in 2009:

Though I believe in all these titles, such lofty theological images can obscure Mary's earthy humanity and distance her from us. And that's lamentable. The human Mary has a lot to teach Christians—actually, everyone: men and women, from the devout believer to the doubtful seeker to the disbelieving atheist.

Just look at her story as recounted in the Gospel of Luke. Even if you doubt that the narrative is told accurately, you have to admit that buried within this supposedly pious and saccharine Bible tale is the vivid image of a strong, resilient, and self-possessed woman.

Martin continues by highlighting the favoritism toward Mary as opposed to Zachariah - Mary's questioning is met with an answer (Luke 1:34-38), Zachariah's is met with a censure (Luke 1:18-20) - and whose direct communication with God will see an echo at the empty tomb, as the women are tasked to bring to the disciples the good news of the resurrection.

Perhaps it is her place as a woman in se that puts her in a special relationship with God. Perhaps it is her stature as a woman that places her among society's marginalized and oppressed, and her status as oppressed in se places her in a unique way in God's special care. Whatever the case, it is obvious that Mary counted herself among the lowly when she sang:

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

In her Magnificat, Mary praises a God who has lifted her up despite her lowly status, a God who has special compassion on the downtrodden. She is a picture of one whose wisdom and insight is present even in times of distress... a true human, whose anxieties and sorrows coexist with her faith and her sense of peace. Again, from James Martin:

Mary's final words in the New Testament come at Jesus' traditional first miracle, the Wedding Feast of Cana, as recounted in the Gospel of John. When she suggests that Jesus help the host who has run out of wine, Jesus turns to her and says sharply, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me?" Placidly, his mother turns to the host and says, "Do whatever he tells you." Perhaps she understood Jesus' ultimate ministry better than even he did at that moment.

That wouldn't be surprising. After all, Mary had more time to think about her son's destiny. Moreover, she had the benefit of years of hard-earned wisdom gained from living a fully human life.

In her fully human life, Mary is the icon of womanhood. She endured in faith a questionable pregnancy while betrothed to an older man, she struggled to be mother to a boy who was, divine nature aside, fully able to worry her, she likely watched proudly as he grew into a prophet and a rabbi, and she suffered as he was executed in a most heinous way. She became a central figure in the earliest days of the Church, and her unique feminine strength has exalted her in not only Christian tradition, but also Islam - the only chapter in the Qu'ran to be named for a woman is named for Mary. She is strong, resilient, insightful, wise, interceding, transforming, patient, concerned, and motherly.

Meditations on Mary for Women's History Month:

1) In a time of great worry (Luke 1:26-56), Mary turned not to Joseph, not to priests or authorities, but to other women and to God. What unique insights have women (in our lives, or otherwise) offered us in times of crisis?

2) Mary was the first human being to know the Good News of the Incarnation, and she new it intimately, being indwelt with God's person. The very flesh of the Incarnate Word was given to God by a woman. What unique wisdom have we gleaned in our relationships with women, both personally and as a society?

3) As Advocate of Eve, Mary is truly the advocate for all women. Her complete surrender to the Divine Other marks her as uniquely holy among the holy, uniquely chosen among the chosen, and from this surrender is birthed the salvation for all humanity, and the vindication of Eve. What unique and admirable traits have women (in our own lives, and throughout history) modeled for us? How have they transformed our world?

*Clicking this link will take you to a free download of "The Canticle of the Turning," arranged and performed by Michael Iafrate.