Who was the Virgin Mary?

The Virgin Mary was the woman chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus, his son incarnate on earth. The biblical story tells that God would have chosen the blessed among women to give birth to his direct son, who would come to earth to save humanity.

For this, he would have chosen a virgin woman, whose child would be conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the miracle called the immaculate conception, in which a virgin woman gives birth to a child of God.

Thus, Mary is an example of woman and mother for all humanity, the incarnation of unconditional love and intercessor of men with God. Follow in this article the main issues of the life of the Virgin Mary, such as her history, her presence in the Bible and her strength as a feminine symbol.

The story of Virgin Mary

God's choice of the Virgin Mary of Nazareth was not random. The Bible tells us that out of all the women alive on earth at that time, God chose the one who would be the best of all to be the mother of His Son.

Mary was indeed a special woman, in spite of her simple origin.

Below are the main aspects of the life of the Virgin Mary, such as her family, her birth and the fact that from that moment on she was the link between heaven and earth.

Family of Virgin Mary

The Virgin Mary was born in the town of Galilee, Nazareth, and her parents were Joachim, of the tribe of the prophet King David, and Anna, of the tribe of the first priest Aaron. The couple was of advanced age and until then they were barren. Barrenness was considered a divine punishment and so the couple faced much pain from their countrymen.

Through faith, they asked their whole lives to have a son and Mary was like a reward for so much devotion. Mary's life alone is already a story of struggle and faith and also because of this she was chosen to be the mother of the son of God.

Birth of Mary

The birth of the Virgin Mary occurred on September 8, 20 BC. It is on this date that the Catholic and Anglican Churches recognize the birth of the mother of Jesus, son of God.

Mary's parents were already old and barren, but of great devotion. Thus, the birth of their daughter would be a gift from heaven, to reward the resilience of those faithful, for besides being an enlightened woman and great daughter, she would be God's mother on earth.

Link of union between earth and heaven

Mary is commonly called the intercessor mother because she is attributed this role of asking God on behalf of Jesus, as are all mothers. This is because the love that flows from motherhood is responsible for making this woman think more of her child than of herself.

Intercession is precisely that moment when Mary, with all her existence, asks Heaven for the good of her son on earth. It is for this reason that she reveals herself to be a link between earth and Heaven, because through her prayers, the divine purpose answers her requests and promotes peace according to her intentions.

Mother, educator, trainer

Mary's mission was not only to give birth to Jesus Christ, the son of God on earth, but also and above all to educate him as her son.

It is for this reason that Mary's values were what truly elected her to be the mother of God's son. It was God's will that his son be raised by a pure, sinless mother, so that he would also be her son. The bond between Mary and Jesus, much more than a blood bond, is also one of conduct, values, morals and attitudes, as every son has with his mother.

Blessed among women

Mary, Mother of God is called blessed among women because that is how the Angel Gabriel referred to her when he appeared to announce Jesus' pregnancy.

So, among all the women of that region, and of the world at that time, Mary was the one chosen to be the mother of the Son of God, and for that reason she is considered blessed. Mary was a woman of great moral, ethical and loving integrity, and all these qualities made her the one chosen to raise Jesus.

The presence of the Virgin Mary in the Bible

There are not many passages in the Bible that mention the Virgin Mary, but in those where she appears, they are extremely intense and full of proofs of faith.

The following are some important passages of the Virgin Mary in the Bible, such as her presence in Jesus' life, Mary model of disciple and her constant proofs of faith. Check them out.

Mary, a strong presence in the childhood of Jesus

According to the New Testament of the Bible, Mary's participation in Jesus' life took place mainly during his childhood. Until then, Mary fulfilled the role of an ordinary mother, to raise her son. The Holy Family, as Jesus, Mary and Joseph are called, was always united.

One of the most striking passages of Mary's presence in Jesus' childhood life is when she realizes that her son is not here, and finds him in the temple, discoursing to the doctors. He then tells her that he was attending to his father's business. Mary was thus a concerned and attentive caregiver of the son of God, as all mothers are.

Mary model of disciple

It is in the Gospel of Luke that Mary is recognized as the model of a disciple, the reason why she would have been chosen to be the mother of Jesus. Already in the Old Testament, there is the image that the good disciple is the one who listens to the word of God, keeps it and bears the fruits of perseverance. And it was precisely for this standard of conduct that Mary was chosen.

Thus, Mary was a model disciple because, besides knowing the word of God, she knew how to welcome the teachings and act in the world so that divine ideals would flourish. This is what makes her a true disciple and what elected her as mother of the Son of God.

Mary walks in faith

Mary's life is a test of faith, and the way she always managed to obtain divine grace was by walking in faith. Mary was a woman who went through many and intense trials throughout her life. Being the mother of the Son of God, with a poor background, living the miracle of the immaculate conception (pregnancy by the Holy Spirit) always made her the target of attacks and prejudices.

However, Mary always faced everything and everyone with the certainty of her faith, because God showed Himself to her like no one else, first by sending the angel Gabriel, and then by allowing her to become pregnant while still a virgin.

Mary in the Acts of the Apostles

In the acts of the apostles, that is, the time in the new testament after the death of Jesus and the beginning of the ministries of the apostles, Mary emerges as the firm rock among the followers of Christ for the new world. This is because the apostles were greatly afraid of persecution from the Jews, Jesus having been persecuted and killed.

It is Mary who renews everyone's faith, defending faith in the Holy Spirit. This is the great moment in which Mary proves again her infinite faith, for it is she who leads, now as mother of humanity, the faith and teachings of God for the spread of Christianity in the world.

Worship of the feminine through the Virgin Mary

The relationship between feminine strength and the Virgin Mary is complex, for she who was chosen to be the mother of the Son of God should serve as an inexhaustible source for the recognition of the responsibility of the feminine figure in the creation of humanity.

However, the fact that a virgin was chosen to give birth to the son of God, distorted the image of Mary, as a submissive woman and of little sexuality, which is not true.

Follow the analysis of this issue, such as the question of virginity, the decrease of female sexuality and the existing contradiction.

The virginity

The virginity is probably the most intriguing question in relation to Mary, because it is precisely the virginity of the mother of God that proves the miracle of faith, since the son would be the direct work of the Holy Spirit. The mother of Jesus should be a virgin to show mankind that he could only be the direct son of God.

However, Mary's virginity was eventually distorted to justify a patriarchal view that female sexuality was a bad thing, or that a woman's purity was determined by the sexual relations she had.

A strong-minded leader

Contrary to what many people think, Mary was not a submissive or passive woman. This image is also, erroneously, associated with her virginity. In fact, Mary was a strong-minded, decisive woman, dedicated to her family not out of subservience but out of love, which caused her to be harsh several times, aiming to protect those she loved and what she believed in.

She was also a woman of great strength, for besides getting pregnant before marriage, without her husband's, which in itself made her the target of prejudice, she was at Jesus' side for her whole life, having endured all the pain of seeing her son suffer, even though she knew of his divinity.

Decrease in female sexuality

The controversial issue involving the Virgin Mary is in relation to her virginity, since this valorization of the sexually untouched woman could mean that female sexuality is something bad. In fact, this is just an interpretation aligned to patriarchy, which somehow rules modern thought.

The virginity of Mary as the mother of Jesus comes to prove the miracle of faith, since Jesus is the son of the Holy Spirit, and this is proven by Mary's virginity. Moreover, Mary and Joseph would have had other children, which dissolves this theory of virginity and voided sexuality of the mother of the son of God.

The contradiction

The supposed contradiction in relation to Mary is in the fact that this woman who would be the symbol of feminine strength in the Christian history of humanity was a virgin woman, which would take away from all women the right to explore their sexuality, for being supposedly this the presupposition to become a divine woman.

Actually, this is an interpretation loaded with machismo, because Mary's virginity only served to prove that Jesus was the son of the Holy Spirit. She would not have been chosen for being a virgin, but for being the impeccable woman that she was, whom God chose to be the mother of his son.

Symbols of Virgin Mary

The Virgin Mary is one of the most present and intense figures in Christianity and in all its dismemberments, and so there are numerous symbols that represent her, from flowers, to songs, ornaments, paintings, perfumes, etc. Representing the Virgin Mary is a way to bring the idea of unconditional love, purity and redemption.

The following is an explanation of the relationship of each of the main symbols to the figure of the Virgin Mary, such as the lily, the rose, the pear, the almond, among others.

The lily

The lily appears as a symbol of the Virgin Mary, because to this flower are associated the qualities of beauty and sublime perfume, as well as wisdom, dignity and marriage. In fact, this symbolism originates in the Song of Songs: "I am the Rose of Saron, the Lily of the valleys".

It is possible to find mentions of the Virgin Mary also as Our Lady of the Lily, mother of Jesus. This flower unites the beauty of body, soul and spirit, just like Mary, immaculate in every way.

Mystic Rose

The Virgin Mary is also known as Mystical Rose, in this case Our Lady Mystical Rose. This mention refers mainly to how she is known in Italy, where she is said to have appeared in the years 1947 to 1984.

The rose is commonly associated with the Virgin Mary, referring to love or purity, depending on its color. There is also the image of the rose and the thorns, being suffering and redemption, which always marked the life of the mother of the son of God.

The iris

Iris is a genus of flower that includes over 300 species of flowers, to which the fleur-de-lis belongs. The image of the iris is associated with French royalty, and so the Virgin Mary was depicted with irises, as she would be the queen of heaven.

In ancient Egypt, the flower represented faith, courage, wisdom and life after death. All of these virtues are also associated with the Virgin Mary, and so this entire group of flowers is associated with the mother of Jesus.

The pear

The pear is also historically associated with the Virgin Mary. This fact has its origin in the pear's symbolism of purity. In essence it symbolizes the passion of Christ, but as the fruit has a very feminine energy, it came to be the representation of the mother of Christ.

The flowers of the pear tree are also related to the symbolism, since they are white flowers, which symbolize suffering and pain, but also peace, purity and redemption, main elements of the representation of the life of Christ, since the conception by the immaculate conception.

Almond

The Almond is a symbol of divine approval, and became a symbol of the Virgin Mary by the biblical passage Numbers 17: 1-8, in which Aaron was chosen to be a priest by his budding rod.

The passage said "And behold, the rod of Aaron by the house of Levi had budded, produced buds, burst into flowers, and yielded ripe almonds."

Pervinca and Amor-perfeito

The Pervinca is the flower that represents purity and protection, and is therefore also associated with the Virgin Mary, as the ultimate symbol of these attributes.

Pansy is the flower that is known as the trinity herb and is associated with mother's love, as the love that does not end. Therefore it is also associated with the Virgin Mary, the mother of all and mother of the son of God.

Fleur-de-lis

The fleur-de-lis is a flower of the lily family and is a flower much associated with royalty in the renaissance, and is therefore also depicted with the saints in the arts. It is given to the Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven.

Is the Virgin Mary still a symbol of faith today?

The Virgin Mary is undoubtedly still today a symbol of faith. Her story alone is a demonstration of the power of God and the importance of unconditional faith and love. To understand the life journey of the Virgin Mary is to understand the greatness of the mystery, and that no matter how difficult the situations, the power of God is greater in Christianity.

Mary is also the greatest figure of motherhood, an example of life for all women and mothers. This is because her son had perhaps the hardest life that a man can have on earth, and she was always at his side and interceded for peace to reign. Mary was also a strong woman, with personality.

Thus, Mary's story continues to inspire believers and people around the world and of all faiths in truth. For Christians she is a spiritual intercessor mother, and surrounding oneself with her energies means intending peace, love and faith.