For Advent this year, Fr. Gabriel Bullock of St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church is leading us in a study of Mary. As background to our study, I am reading through the Protoevangelium of James, Mary and The Fathers of the Church by Luigi Gambero, and The Mystery of Christ by The Very Rev. John Behr. This study is for two weeks.
(Advent 2015)
Mary – The Mother of God, pt.1
Mary is the “Theotokos” or the “god-bearer” and thus necessarily draws our attention to the full nature of Jesus as fully God and fully human united in a single person.
Mary – The Mother of God, pt.2
Irenaeus says that Mary is the new Eve. Just as Eve caused sin to enter the world, so Mary caused the salvation of humankind to enter the world.
Mary – The Mother of God, pt.3
Fr. Gabriel brought out two points concerning the role of Mary. First, Mary always points to Jesus. The second point is to see Mary as the personification of the Church.
Mary in Islam
Mary is mentioned by name more times in the Quran than in the Bible and she is the only woman mentioned by name in the Quran.
Mary – The Magnificat, pt.1
How does your soul magnify the Lord? How does your spirit rejoice in God our Saviour? In what ways does God cast down the mighty and lift up the lowly in your life?
Mary – The Magnificat, pt.2
Mary’s hymn is not a wholly original composition but draws heavily on then-existing scriptures, and particularly the Song of Hanna and various Psalms.