Mary IS the Mother of God - and Your's Too! - 02/20/2009
I don't understand why you do not accept Mary as the
Mother of God. I really don't. Jesus clearly says "I and My Father
are One." Jesus is God and Mary birthed Him, which makes her the
Mother of God.
Mary is also your mother. As Catholics, we
accept Mary as the Mother of the us all. Read Revelations Chapter 12
and you will realize that Mary is the mother of all followers of
Christ. Therefore, as followers of Christ, she is our mother.
I ask you to pray fervently for Divine guidance from the Holy
Spirit, as He is truth and He leads to truth. I wish that you seek
this truth on your own. Just ask Him one time to lead you to the
truth about this matter and ask with an open mind. I am confident
that He will not lead you to untruths.
It hurts Jesus
deeply when others don't accept his mother for who she is. He loves
his mother with His pure heart much much more than we can possibly
love our own mother... and it hurts Him to see so many people turn
their backs on her. How would you feel if the those you loved
mistreated your mother? Consider that when you pray to The Holy
Spirit. I hope you find the right answers within your heart.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. I send you my sisterly
love.
Serina
CONTENDER MINISTRIES RESPONSE:
Hi Serina. Thanks for writing. While it is true that Mary is the
mother of Jesus' earthly body, she is not the mother of God. Jesus as
God the Son is co-eternal with God the Father. That is, He never had a
beginning. He never sprang into existence. Mary, on the other hand,
DID have a beginning. Mary is not eternal. Jesus pre-dates Mary, as
He is eternal, so she cannot be the mother of anything but Jesus'
earthly body. Secondly, God is triune. That is, He is one God in
three Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These Persons are
co-equal and co-eternal. To say that Mary is the mother of God is to
say that she created God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That's
obviously false. Mary is worthy of our respect as an obedient woman
chosen to give birth to Christ's physical body. But she is not to be
venerated any more than any other human.
You say that Jesus wouldn't want us disrespecting his mother. We don't
disrespect her at all. To the contrary, we respect her a great deal!
But we reserve our devotion and veneration for God, not for humans.
That is the way He intended. Jesus loved Mary, but did not elevate her
above His other followers. In Matthew 12:46-49 we read, "While
Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood
outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, 'Your mother and
brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.' He replied to
him, 'Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?' Pointing to his
disciples, he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers.' " Jesus
didn't say that to disrespect Mary. He said that to show she was not to
be given preferential treatment above His other followers. Again, in
Luke 11:27-18 we read, "As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in
the crowd called out, 'Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and
nursed you.' He replied, 'Blessed rather are those who hear the word of
God and obey it.'" How did Jesus respond when a woman on the crowd
heaped praise on Mary? He corrected the woman. "Blessed RATHER are
those..." He didn't do this to disrespect Mary. He did this because
He doesn't want us venerating any human person. Veneration is to be
reserved for God alone. When people pray to any person besides God
(whether it be to Mary or another saint), they are committing a
blasphemy that no doubt pains Christ and grieves the Holy Spirit.
Mary is likewise not my mother. Mary was a Jewish woman who has been
in heaven for nearly 2000 years. My mother lives in Nebraska (no doubt
considered by many to be heaven, but not quite), and I don't think
there's any Jewish ancestry in our family tree. We pray daily for
wisdom that God promises us. I encourage you to do the same. Pray to
God. Not to Mary, and not to any human saint, but to God alone.
In Christ,
Ben Rast
Contender Ministries
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