Finding our Womanhood in Mary’s Story
Reflection One
Focus: Finding our Womanhood in Mary’s Story
Opening Prayer: Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Quote for reflection:
"The woman's soul is fashioned as a shelter in which other souls may unfold."
~Saint Edith Stein
Reflection:
Take a few moments to reflect on the qualities of Mother Mary. What comes to mind? She is dainty, pure, strong, faithful, trusting, patient…
Now, think of your own womanhood. How would you describe yourself as a woman? What are the qualities that stand out to others? How do others describe you? How do you describe yourself?
When we think of the Blessed Mother, we often think of her as ‘unblemished without stain or sin’ and sometimes frankly, “unrelatable”…..but maybe Mary is more like us than we think. Mary endured a ‘scandalous’ relationship with Joseph; a joyous encounter with her cousin and bestie Elizabeth; a series of parenting experiences with Jesus that were similar to our own-- fleeing a difficult situation while pregnant, anxiety over ‘losing’ Jesus in the temple, surrendering when Jesus began ‘adulting’ in his public ministry, and suffering the loss of a child. Let’s reflect on Mary’s relationships and struggles through the following bible verses:
Joseph’s Annunciation/Matthew 1:18-25: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
The Visitation/Luke 1:39- 55: “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
The Flight to Egypt/Matthew 2:13–23: “When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.”
The Boy Jesus in the Temple/Luke 2:39-52: “Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers.”
The Wedding at Cana/John 2:1-11: “When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” [And] Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.”
The Passion of Christ- suffering and surrender.
Do you see your story in Mary’s life through scripture? What bible passage stood out to you the most and why? Do you find hope in Mary’s story? Why or why not?