Week Five

Lesson two

Marian Devotions

The name Mary: Mary \m(a)-ry\ as a girl's name is pronounced MARE-ee. It is of Latin origin,
and the meaning of Mary is "star of the sea". Saint Jerome associated the Virgin's name with the
Latin phrase "stella maris". She must be our guiding star as we seek to guide our families,
communities, guilds, parishes and our Church. Imagine if the wise men from the East have
travelled all the way without a guide – how long could they have taken to find the baby Jesus?
Maybe they may have never been able to find him at all. Mary is therefore our surest and shortest
vector to her Son.

Mary is the meeting place between the human and the divine: It is within her womb that the
greatest mystery has unfolded – God becoming man. A mystery beyond comprehension. A
stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks. St Athanasius one of the Great
Church fathers talks of the exchange of properties – God becoming man so that men may become
God. Through her humble fiat, Mary entered a new and mysterious relationship with the Trinity
– as daughter of God the Father, mother of the Son and spouse of the Holy Spirit. Through this
humble, yet unique and mysterious instrumentality of incarnation God entered time. He become
Immanuel and dwelt among us. The Word who was there from the beginning humbled himself –
went through Mary to reach all mankind. Likewise, we ought to humble ourselves – go through
Mary and ascend to the Divine.

Mary is the model of faith: In the darkest hours of her life – she moved by faith rather than
sight. Remember the implication of being found with child in the Jewish community. The
penalty was certain – death. And she was well aware of the consequences – yet against all this
she still said yes. Like Mary we all experience dark moments in our spiritual journeys. There are
moments in our lives that the walls of Jericho mount about us. There are situations when we feel
imprisoned in our marriages, families, communities, guilds and Churches – everywhere in
chains. There are moments when we travel in the valley of the shadow death. We have moments
when we become a centre of unwanted attention. At times even the burning bush that we

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experienced when we first encountered our invitation to follow Christ may fade away. Indeed,
there are moments when even Mass becomes a stupid drama – like the tell of an idiot – full of
fiery but signifying nothing. At times we feel the Eucharistic Lord has stopped communicating to
us. In these moments – we must look up to Mary, the one who walked by faith in the face of death
– the unfailing star which guides us back to the burning bush – the place of our first encounter
with the Lord.

Mary is the model of true discipleship: Discipleship is a noble invitation to follow Christ more
closely – to know him more clearly and to love him more dearly. Who among the daughters of
Eve could claim to have been closer to Jesus than she who was the first moving tabernacle?
Who could have known Christ more than she who suckled him for two years? Who could claim
to love Jesus more dearly than she who embraced his lifeless body at the foot of the cross of
Calvary- when all the disciples had disserted him. This is where we fail most as humans. We
find it so hard to identify with the broken. Whether one is broken by old age, sickness or vice –
the greatest temptation is to keep a distance – isolate or send him on a lonely road without a
return ticket. At times we become pharisaic. We insist on the love of the law forgetting the law
of love. How beautiful to have these young and energetic girls about us – but once they are
broken by weakness or sickness at times we through them away viciously like a hot potato. Let
us learn from Mary who stood by her Son in his worst moments - when he was condemned, when
he was helpless on the cross, when he was necked and lifeless. Once we do likewise, we too
become little Maries, the little stars and signs of hope to those who are travelling in the valley of
the shadow of death.

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Marian Dogmas

1. Mary is the Mother of God (QeotokoV, Theotokos), proclaimed at the Council of

Ephesus in 431.
2. Mary was Ever Virgin, before, during and after the birth of Jesus, proclaimed in 649.

3. Mary was immaculately conceived, proclaimed by Pope Pius IX on 8th December 1854.

4. Mary was assumed into heaven body and soul, proclaimed by Pope Pius XII on 1st
November 1950.

5. Final Dogma (Proposal) - Mary Co-Redemptrix, Advocate and Mediatrix of all Graces.
The movement Vox Populi Mariae Mediatrici is at the forefront of the growing
enthusiasm for this fifth dogma. Since 1993 this movement has collected more than five
million signatures in 157 countries in support of the proclamation of this dogma.

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