Mary: Defined by Men

While reading all of these books about Mary, I've noticed a pattern. She is always defined by her relationship with Jesus or Joseph. No one seems to want to talk about who she is; everyone talks about who she is to her family. Now, I do understand that when looking at the Bible there isn't a lot of information on Mary and that is understandable. The New Testament revolves around Jesus, as it should. However, why haven't people even speculated on Mary as an individual? Marianism is prevalent even today as you can see with the many religious orders devoted to her, the religious rituals around her, and even simply the prayer The Hail Mary. I have been told my whole life that I should imitate Mary and from that I have become a slight Marianist myself. However, I can't help but notice that other than the obvious wonderful qualities such as chastity, devotion to God, and humility, this seems to imply some qualities that I am not sure I really like. To be like Mary, do I also have to be defined by the men in my life? Do I have to be "Joseph's wife" and "Jesus' mother" and nothing else? I beg my readers to understand that I know these are wonderful and honorable titles. Being the mother of God incarnate is the highest honor for a woman. However, I feel like scholars have mostly ignored any other titles she bears. Even in Milagros she is looked at via her connection with a man. Look at her apparitions in Fátima, Portugal, Our Lady of Light, or in Lourdes, France. Why are we not truly amazed by these? Why are Christian children not taught this in Sunday school? It is so wonderful to me to hear of my religion being truly alive! Am I the only woman who feels that these apparitions by Our Mother are as significant to our religion as the work of the original apostles? I feel that the only reason they are not given as much respect is because they do not include a man.

It is these Marian apparitions that bring peace to me. She told Sister Agnes Sasagawa in Japan (1973) that "Those who place their confidence in me will be saved." Berceo certainly was thinking that when he was writing Milagros. Maybe Berceo helped boost the popularity of seeing Mary as a holy entity by herself. After the middle ages we seem to see more and more the works of Mary. Maybe while living in our world she was simply a servant of God, a woman devoted to the men of her family. But now, as part of the community of saints, she is Our Mother. She is loving and protecting us by herself just as every mother loves her children. Maybe we have seen her works more because we need to believe in her more. Maybe this world is searching for it's true mother and she is desperately trying to tell us that she has always been here.

A Feminist Mary

While at the library today, I had a pretty cool little thought about Mary (mom of Jesus, not Magdalene). In Milagros de Nuestra Señora, when we strip every story down to the basics, they always have  a woman (Mary) save a man (a sinner). Considering that this was written in medieval Spain, that's a pretty big deal. It has that feminist "anything you can do, I can do better" feel to it. Mary confronts Satan over the souls of these men and always wins. As my boyfriend pointed out, Mary in the Bible is exactly what feminists are fighting against: being type-casted as a mother, homemaker, virgin, quiet, obedient to the male rulers in her life, etc. In Milagros, she is a feminist hero. Damsel in distress? No, we have idiotic men being saved by Mary. Yes, she still is very feminine but not in the derogatory way of being weak and without a backbone. In a polite medieval way, she is kicking a$$ and taking names for those who love her. She doesn't need any help from a man at all. That's not to say that I don't respect Mary for being humble, chaste, and a mother. I just think it's nice to see her in a more powerful role. Instead of suggesting Jesus helps (wedding at Cana), she takes charge herself. Man, thinking about all of this woman-power makes you want to burn a bra.

Idle Hands

At this juncture in my life, I am taking a Summer course while my boyfriend has the Summer off. Like any relationship, we have had our ups and downs. However, it seems that having one of us working while the other is on vacation is a definite down. He feels like I will bite off his head if he interrupts me while I'm working (which is fairly accurate) and I feel like I don't have a chance to do my work because I need all of my attention on my task at hand. So we had a long discussion today. Lesson: we grew up in very different families and we work in two totally different ways. We are learning how the other person functions and are trying to adjust to that. I have to be very verbal about when it is ok and not ok to interrupt me and he has to be more verbal about what his plans are so that I can figure out my day to mesh with his. In the end, it's all about communication. Slowly but surely we are getting into each other's mind and we are seeing a new world. Let me tell you something: those shades of gray are really tough to distinguish.

Wow, this is probably the worst writing I've done in a while. I blame the time of day and the stress I'm feeling. I'll admit that I half-assed this. Oh well. Next time I won't have six pages of translations to work through. Oh my gosh, I ended a sentence in a preposition. I ought to get to bed. My writing is only getting worse as the hours pass by me.

I speak for the trees!

While walking from my car to class this morning (since I'm too cheap to get a parking permit), I noticed that some university employees were cutting down a tree. I am assuming and hoping that it was diseased or dead already. While thinking about the poor tree, I remembered a little story from my days at nerd school.

Before I arrived at this particular school, there was a beautiful, large tree next to the dormitory. It provided shade for the book nerds and something to climb for the athletic nerds. However, to the shock of all the residents, it was cut down one day. It had been declared dead and a risk to the building if it should fall the wrong way. All that was left was a stump. The nerds would not stand for this! In Dr. Seuss fashion, a Lorax was carved into the tree and the words "I speak for the trees" were etched next to it. You see, once the tree was chopped down, it was realized that it had actually been completely healthy. After a while the school took away the stump and planted a new tree upon the request of the students.

So here's your lesson for the day. Measure twice and cut once . . . or never!

Not enough time to think of a cute title

I need to get something off my chest. I am Roman Catholic. Yes, the church along with other religions and Christian denominations can be really screwy. Yes, it is difficult to explain why I am so adamant that non-Catholics should not receive communion at a Catholic church. No, not everything we do comes from the Bible. Yes, our services are not as laid back as other denominations and it has a very certain order to it. No, I don't agree with all of the teachings of the Catholic church. Yes, I'm still Catholic (see the Nicene Creed). Now can we all just chill out? I like to discuss my beliefs and the beliefs of other people. It fascinates me how many beautiful religions we have. I don't appreciate feeling like I need to defend every detail about my faith or everything that people of my faith have done. Have major leaders in the Catholic church messed up? Oh heck yes! People are imperfect. End of story. No matter what religion, nationality, sex, gender, or age, we all err. Now, can we get back to finding out how to feed to hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, and spread love? 'Cause that's what really matters.

/rant