Sunday, November 25, 2007

Thinking about Mary

One month from now is Christmas. And this happens to be the time of year I start thinking hard about Christmas. We aren't talking about Presents and all that stuff. I'm talking about Christmas it's self and all the symbolizim and just the story about it.
There is one person I usually start thinking about because no matter what, she was probably the most effected by Christmas.
If you are thinking Mary you are right. I was watching the movie The Nativity Story last night and I was really suprised at what I discovered. They showed Mary just the way I have always thought her to be.
And as this is what I think about it, I will just say that you are entitled to think differently because no one really knows.
Mary lived a hard life. How could she not? Israel at that time was not an easy place to live because of the Romans. Ceaser, along with Herod were coniving men. They murdered themselves right to the top leaving anything and everything desolate. Mary's family was no exception. They lived on the land. Purhaps her father was a merchant, but more than likely he was a farmer or even a shephard. Nazareth very well could have been a small out of sight little village that no one really cared about other than to collect money no one really had.
I expect that when Mary was betrothed to Joseph she either had known him all her life, or her father had decided that a carpenter would be a fine husband for his daughter and arranged the marriage. (As I have seen what they did in Fiddler on the Roof I would suppose that an arranged marriage was not unlikely.)
I don't believe Joseph was an old man. I think he was a man purhaps around 30 years old because that according to custom of the time was the age that a man was established and considered a man.
Mary really could have been any age. I think her age was between 16 and 21 years old probably more younger than older, but that part really doesn't matter.
The thing that I really like about the movie I watched last night was the fact that Mary was not perfect like so many people think her to be. Almost as if she were God himself. But that is not true. She was a regular, every day, ordinary person working to help feed her family. And as Jewish women hoped that purhaps God would pick her to be the Messiah's mother. Because even back when Eve gave birth to Cain she had the hope of being the mother of the Deliverer.
What must Mary have been thinking when she was visited by an angel? I know what I would have done. I would have fallen to me knees in fright and yet Mary actually started asking the angel questions.
Then the angel said some of the most wonderful words "But with God all things are possible". I think that must have been the kicker that made Mary agree with such a frightful concept.
What could she have been thinking as she walked away from the conversation knowing that she was about to carry a very beautiful gift for the next nine months with the likelyhood of being ostrosized and purhaps even stoned to death.
And yet the girl had faith that God would protect her dispite everything that people would say. And Joseph.
God purposly told Mary about Elizabeth. I think he knew that she would need to get away to really think about what was happening to her and to learn from her cousin just who it was that she was now carrying.
How many sleepless nights did Mary have while she was at Elizabeth's house? How many people starred at her? And to be the cousin of a priest. Shame Shame!
And when she went back home very likely by that point showing around the middle, what did her family and friends think of her?
They shunned her. So shocked because dispite the fact that she was a normal human being, she was always known for her purity. And now for her to come home pregnant.
It must have broken Joseph's heart knowing he would have to throw the first stone at his beloved Mary.
Was Mary scared with the prospect of being stone, forgetting the promise of the Messiah who was growing inside her womb?
Even after Mary gave birth and then came back many years later with a young son to her hometown, I am sure those who knew Mary looked down on her as a sinner. Unclean.
It must have been very hard to continue on, but dispite all of that she had Joseph who believed in God's promises and she had the promise of her Jesus as being the Messiah.
What faith this woman must have! This must have been the real reason why God had choosen her above the thousands of other women God could have picked.
Oh to have Faith like Mary.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I was searching Google today to find thoughts on "what did mary think about?" and your blog came up so I took a minute to read. Very well written. I pondered the point that Mary was probably shamed and wondered if some of the disgrace that she felt lead Jesus to be filled with so much compassion for the woman at the well. Keep your childlike spirit - God is surely pleased - and most definitely, keep on writing! The best is yet to come!!!