** In the religious circles, the mention of Mary, the mother of Jesus, immediately leads to very different and opposite disagreements, causing great controversy.
I once heard a Korean church leader say that Mary was worthless at the expense of insulting people in order to show that he was opposed to Catholicism. It seems to make a lot of sense, but how to listen to it makes me feel uncomfortable. Even if we can't honor Mary too much, we should respect it, right?The parents of an ordinary person still need to be respected, but shouldn't Mary, the incarnate mother of Jesus, be more respected?Does the disrespectful person also use blasphemous words about his parents?
On the contrary, both the Catholic Church and the relevant sacred paintings of the past generations have exaggerated the veneration of Mary. These are exactly the two "excesses" that the deans of seminaries in the past said: "Catholicism has disrespected Mary too much, and Protestantism has disrespected Mary too much." ”
So, what should we think of Mary?Thinking about her life, the objective correct answer comes out:
1.Mary did not conceive like ordinary women, and the "Holy Spirit conception" may be regarded by the unreasonable as an "illegitimate child" conceived by "adultery" (this is not even seen in Islam). Not only was Mary burdened with such outward pressures, but she was also misunderstood by her husband, Joseph. If it weren't for the angels, there would be a danger of being divorced.
2.Generally, at least a woman who gives birth to a child will have a solid house, and she is afraid of getting sick from the wind. And during the confinement period, the most basic thing is not to go out for a month, and to recuperate. But during Mary's registration, there was no place in the inn, and the child was born in a manger.
3.Soon after giving birth, he was hunted down by the jealous King Herod and had to flee to Egypt as a sojourner. We all know the feeling of "always good at home, but difficult to go out", and it is really hard to live outside.
4.During Jesus' ministry, Mary visited her because she missed her son, but she was too busy with her work to take care of her. She also heard a lot of words about her son being "crazy" or "demon-possessed."
5.During the period when her son was caught, abused, beaten and suffered, the mother would have trouble sleeping and eating, and could not sleep at night.
6.In the end, Mary saw her own son crucified, tortured and bloodied to death by the cruelest punishment in the world, and her mother's heart was "pierced by a sword." (Luke 2:34).
7.Fortunately, Jesus was resurrected from the dead, and before he said that He would return with a glorious body, comforting the mother who had suffered all her life for her son, who was worried, fearful, and grieving.
Since then, we have seen that neither Peter, nor Paul, nor the letters of the apostles in the Bible mention the Virgin Mary. This is because, apart from exalting God and preaching God, there is no need for anyone who is equal to God to be worshiped as equals. This is what Mary knew herself. She lived a life of obscurity and low profile, without any claim to any privilege, as her confession of faith illustrates: "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit delights in God my Savior." (Luke 1:46).
It is undeniable that although the Bible does not mention Mary's status and honor, it is because it must be doctrinally pure and unambiguous;But I believe that in life, the Church will henceforth give the Virgin Mary the highest respect and reverence. Because she, after all, is the biological mother of the Lord Jesus who came into the flesh and came into the world, who would dare to go backsliding!
We should not "excessively" honor Mary, the mother of the Lord, and let us not "excessively" turn a blind eye to, sneer, disdain, disrespect, disrespect, and rebellion toward Mary, the mother of the Lord. We feel that such a belief is problematic!The Bible tells us: "Honor your father and mother, that you may be blessed and live a long life on earth." This is the first commandment with a promise. —While ordinary parents in the world are still honored, shouldn't the Lord's mother be even more respected?!
Between the "excess" of Catholicism and the "excess" of Protestantism, it is necessary to find a balance and not be biased between the left and the right.
Escape to Egypt" (Altarpiece of Melk painted by Jorg Breu, 1502).