[Nemoque]

Every human being is greater than an any angel, archangels included. That was the whole point of the Epistle to the Hebrews. Some believe that the elevation of human nature over angels provoked Satan to rebel. The BVM was truly an instrument of salvation as the Mother of God; however, Mary was a sinner like all human beings. She plays a very small part in the Scriptures when compared with Jesus and the apostles. How many times is Mary even mentioned outside the gospels? The Marian Cult is based more upon superstition than reality.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Nowhere in the Holy Scriptures is Mary described as a sinner. Quite the contrary, she is described as the Kecharitomene --- a unique word, if you want to look into it, since it is a verbal (participle) root used as a title or name, past tense, passive voice, perfect form, feminine gender. We have to express in a sentence what Greek expresses in a single word, since Greek is a highly inflected language that says a whole lot in a single word with its prefixes and suffixes: "She who has been completely filled with grace."

The Lord her Savior did this for her.

Using the analogy of, say, quicksand, one can be saved from quicksand in two ways: by being pulled out of it, or by being prevented from falling into it. We who are saved by Christ are saved in the first way, by being pulled out of the heritable consequences of Original Sin. Mary needed a Savior too, to save her the second way: by preventing her from falling in.

How do we know that? Because of the title by which the Archangel from Heaven addressed her, Kecharitomene: that says it all.

And because the Archangel said, "The Lord is with you." Not "the Lord BE with you," but "IS" with you. Scripture says (Psalm 5) "You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil cannot dwell with You./The sinful cannot stand in Your presence; You hate all evildoers."

So Mary, His dwelling-place, had nothing to do with wickedness; He does not dwell in the presence of sin.

You say: "How many times is Mary even mentioned outside the gospels? The Marian Cult is based more upon superstition than reality."

I know what you mean. I used to think the same way, before I realized that there is a profound, Christ-centric way to read the Old Testament, a way explained by the Lord Himself.

Jesus refers to this when he is talking to the disciples on the road to Emmaus: "Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things referring to Himself." (Luke 24:27)

It turns out that all of the OT -- every book ---refers to Christ, and every book, likewise, contains foreshadowings of Mary: from

• Gen 3:15 - the enmity between the Serpent and the Woman, between his seed (the evil) and her seed (the Christ);

to:

• Rev:12-17 - the war of the Serpent (again) against the Woman (again) and all her offspring: "those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast the testimony of Jesus."

In other words, from Genesis to Revelation, and every book in between.

Are you a disciple of Christ? Then stand with Mary and John at the foot of the Cross, when Jesus says to John and to us, "Behold, your Mother."

Happy New Year to you!