She could have said no, but didn’t. Of all of mankind SHE said yes. She participated in God’s gift in a way you and I never will. To that we owe her our gratitude. I don’t think it’s too much to say that this was HER gift to mankind. She nourished Him in her womb, she nourished Him in his life raising the child of God. He was born of her.
Don’t be so quick to belittle that in Mary. God chose to have her participate.......you insult God as well to do so.
“She could have said no, but didn’t. Of all of mankind SHE said yes. She participated in God’s gift in a way you and I never will. To that we owe her our gratitude. I don’t think it’s too much to say that this was HER gift to mankind. She nourished Him in her womb, she nourished Him in his life raising the child of God. He was born of her.
Don’t be so quick to belittle that in Mary. God chose to have her participate.......you insult God as well to do so.”
With respect. I am not belittling Mary. Mary is a magnificiant example of true faith, of dedicated love for God, of someone who willing served her Savior. She was blessed in the most glorious way and she is someone who I respect greatly. After all, she was told by Gabriel that the Lord favored her highly and had chosen her to bear His Son! My point is that Christ, the Savior, is the gift from God alone. Even the Magnificat shows Mary’s appreciation for what God has done with and thru her.
Mary’s Song
46And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers.”
I am NOT saying that Mary was simply the vessel that bore Christ. No, rather it is clear she is a chosen servant of God who he honored among all other women ever by delivering on His promise of Salvation by having the Third Person of the Holy Trinity conceive the Second in Mary, using her lineage to David as the completion of His Promise.
But, and this is big, the gift of Christ is God’s gift. Mary certainly participated in a way that you adn I can’t...of course, she was the one who did all you noted. In that sense I understand what you mean and what a gift she gave to raise Christ well, in God’s desired fashion. The gift I refer to is the deliverance of the promise of the Messiah. That is God’s doing pure and simple. It is not taking Mary’s importance away but rather glorifying God for doing what you, me and even Mary we could not do without God making it so and bringing the impossible to a glorious reality.
I hope I have clarified what I originally meant in my previous post.
Blessings to you thru Christ Jesus, our Savior.
PM