Dusty Fro Posted May 21, 2004 Share Posted May 21, 2004 Isn't that kind of hard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Adam Posted May 21, 2004 Share Posted May 21, 2004 We are too fully devote our lives to Christ and doing the Lord's will. What prompted the question? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good Friday Posted May 21, 2004 Share Posted May 21, 2004 [quote][b]Dusty Fro writes:[/b] Isn't that kind of hard?[/quote] I'm not quite sure what you're asking. I don't know if you're asking how people can be like Mary, and using "men" as a generic term for humanity; or, if you're asking how men, as in males, can be like Mary, who was a woman. Since I don't know which one you mean, I'll do both. Believing that Mary was sinless, it's entirely impossible for us to be [i]completely[/i] like her, but it's not impossible for us to imitate her the best way we know how. We will never be sinless, but we can be faithful and dedicated -- we can "fully devote our lives to Christ and doing the Lord's will" as Bro. Adam says -- and in that sense, we can be like her. If you're asking how men can be like Mary when she was a woman, that one's easy. While there are some things about Mary that are distinctly feminine -- she was a mother, she was a wife, etc. -- there are many characteristics to her that could apply to either gender. Her unquestioning devotion and reliance on God, for instance, are not strictly feminine characteristics. Her concern for the poor and marginalized, as displayed in her [i]Magnificat[/i], is not confined to the female gender. Her life of prayer and contemplation is not just for women. And, in a more mystical sense, we can even be God-bearers like she was -- she carried God in her, in the flesh. We do the same thing when we receive the Eucharist, and we carry him within us in a mystical sense every time we bring his Good News to the world. She was the Ark of the New Covenant in a very special and unique way, but scripture tells us that each and every one of us is a temple of God. I hope that helped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theculturewarrior Posted May 21, 2004 Share Posted May 21, 2004 Men are like Mary in one very important way. (My apologies to BeenaBobba for this but...) every soul is feminine. God is in a sense masculine, although he is spirit and has qualities that we as humans would call both masculine and feminine. But God's relation to the Church is masculine. God is the husband of the Church. And the Church is "the Bride of Christ." And we are members of the Church. The traditional teaching on the Song of Songs was that the bridegroom was Jesus, and the bride was the Christian. You can also see it in the poetry of St. John of the Cross. But, to make a long story short, we become like Mary (who is the mother of the Church), when we give God our fiat. "Be it done unto me according to thy word." I am realizing however that I do not know much about the theology of the body, so I welcome corrections and elaborations. God bless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sojourner Posted May 21, 2004 Share Posted May 21, 2004 That's it, TCW. It's in reflecting Mary's openness and willingness to receive God's gift that a man can be like Mary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Fro Posted May 21, 2004 Author Share Posted May 21, 2004 The question was prompted by some "important topics" in a few forums, one for boys, and one about imitating Mary. How come there isn't a thread about imitating Jesus, since there's more in the Bible about His actual actions than Mary? I can see what you're saying about souls being feminine, like the "Bride of Christ." I can see how that relates to Mary because she was kind of like a bride because of her carrying the Son of God, being a virgin, and openness to God's gift. She accepted Christ LITERALLY I guess I get a little confused because I see Mary as a specifically feminine figure, and can't imagine burly bearded men saying "I want to be more like Mary." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulls Posted May 21, 2004 Share Posted May 21, 2004 good friday, are you being catholic today? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enda Posted May 21, 2004 Share Posted May 21, 2004 [quote name='Dusty Fro' date='May 21 2004, 05:57 PM'] I guess I get a little confused because I see Mary as a specifically feminine figure, and can't imagine burly bearded men saying "I want to be more like Mary." [/quote] Well, first of all noone really knows if souls have a gender, and many who do believe in a gender-soul believe they are the same as the gender we are pyscially. The point St. John of the Cross made by calling us "the Brides of Christ" was alleorgcaral. As for Mary being a femmine figure, she is, but so what? Do you have [i]no[/i] women who are role models for you Dusty Fro? Do you refuse to imitate you mom since she's THE femmine figure in your life? Of course not, I'm sure you love your mom, and so, since Mary is our mom we should imitate her and love her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theculturewarrior Posted May 21, 2004 Share Posted May 21, 2004 [quote]I guess I get a little confused because I see Mary as a specifically feminine figure, and can't imagine burly bearded men saying "I want to be more like Mary." [/quote] Imitating Mary doesn't necessarily mean patterning your gender after hers. We ALL should strive to imitate her faith, her obedience, her committment to God throughout the Passion, etc. That does not mean, "Hey...I'm going to go out and buy a blue dress so I can be like our mother." But think about it...don't you think at some point in your development, you learned things...morals, language, how to love, etc, from your mother? Well, Mary was your mother first! BTW, I was having trouble completing this thought earlier. Souls are feminine because they receive and reciprocate God's Love. God is masculine because he initiates this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theculturewarrior Posted May 21, 2004 Share Posted May 21, 2004 you beat me to it Enda! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enda Posted May 21, 2004 Share Posted May 21, 2004 [quote name='theculturewarrior' date='May 21 2004, 08:26 PM'] BTW, I was having trouble completing this thought earlier. Souls are feminine because they receive and reciprocate God's Love. God is masculine because he initiates this. [/quote] Right, and that's all allegorical. It doesn't mean I'm a girl on the inside... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theculturewarrior Posted May 21, 2004 Share Posted May 21, 2004 I wasn't trying to say that you were But it is edifying to look at spiritual things as sort of gametes... Mary was completely feminine...her soul has an X, as well as her body. I guess all women have XX alleles. I am a man, and while I may not be a girl on the inside, I have a spiritual X chromosome. I am an XY. A man. Jesus is unique in creation, because he has YY chromosomes. He has a spiritual Y chromosome because he is God, and he has a incarnate Y chromosome because he is a man. Can't get more manly than Jesus! HAHA but then again, I have no idea of what I'm talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_rev Posted May 22, 2004 Share Posted May 22, 2004 To imitate Mary, would be to live a good life, a good faithful life, to her son, to the church, and to her immaculate heart. It really isn't hard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovechrist Posted May 22, 2004 Share Posted May 22, 2004 [quote name='theculturewarrior' date='May 21 2004, 07:37 PM'] HAHA but then again, I have no idea of what I'm talking about. [/quote] yeah.. that gametes thing made some sense.. but i'm tired.. it's driving me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Livin_the_MASS Posted May 22, 2004 Share Posted May 22, 2004 [quote]I guess I get a little confused because I see Mary as a specifically feminine figure, and can't imagine burly bearded men saying "I want to be more like Mary." [/quote] Why not? Mary was the perfect disciple to Our Lord and God. "May it be done to me according to your word" Her whole life is an example on following Christ. Thats why we have devotion to Her, I know I do! She contemplated His Life first, now we through the Holy Rosary contemplate that same Life Of Christ with Her. When we pray the Rosary we pray the Gosples, the Life of Jesus Christ though Mary. Mary is an example for all Christians to follow Here is something from "The Imitation of Mary" [quote][b][u]"Marks Of True Holiness"[/u] "One day a woman cried out to the Savior: "Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts that nursed You!" But Jesus answered her: "Blessed, rather, are those who hear the word of God and obey it" (Lk 11:27-28). Here Jesus intended to tell us that what most distinguishes Mary is not her dignity as Mother of God by her constant fidelity to all her religious duties. Her greatest merit does not consist in the prerogative of her manternity which came to her from God and from God alone, but her holiness which, while indeed requiring the grace of God, also was the fruit of her correspondence to grace and her cooperation. What merits God's rewards is not what He does for us but what we do for Him."[/b][/quote] [i]Nihil Obstat: Richard T. Adams, M.A. Censor Deputatus Imprimatur: James P. Mahoney, D.D. Vicar General, Archdiocese of New York[/i] Pax Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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