According to an astonishing headline in a purely Catholic online magazine, Mary should no longer be praised as a mother. But this supposed rebellion quickly turns out to be a prime example of outrageous self-interpretations of the Bible. Just Catholic.
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First astonishment, then disillusionment
The headline for an article on the Internet portal of the Catholic Church can amaze you. “Stop praising Mary as your mother!” was the call, which actually didn’t go with the excessive Marian cult of this Roman church at all. After all, she is the “Mother of God” with the little “Jesus child” in her arms.
But already the first lines bring the great disillusionment. The expectation that “there will not be someone from their own ranks rebelling against the spiritual cult of the dead cloaked in Christian garb” is not fulfilled. Then the surprise: “Maria is often reduced to her role as a woman giving birth and mother” and men “like to stylize it as a silent servant in the same breath”.
With this “swatter” the first glimmer of a possible reflection is darkened again. Because the reasons for such “mother reductions” follow promptly: “These are attempts to keep women small”.
Catholic Feminism
Friederike Frücht, head of the communications department of the “Catholic Women’s Community Germany” (kfd) and editor-in-chief of the members’ magazine “Junia”, represents this conviction.
Indeed, as Frücht points out, Maria is without a doubt one of the most well-known women in the Catholic faith. For them, the entire month of May is dedicated to the “Mother of God”. Maria has been given many nicknames over the centuries and these also give her a certain character, according to the author. Despite all the nicknames, Maria is almost exclusively reduced to her role as a bearer and mother.
Mary decisive for salvation?
Until then, the statements could still be left as pure opinion and peculiarities of the Catholic Church, but then it becomes “critical”. Frücht ascribes an important role to Mary in the history of salvation. The greening says that without Mary Jesus Christ, i.e. God, would never have come into the world.
That’s already far-fetched. God chose Mary. Point. If it hadn’t been her, it would have been another woman. However, it is true that without Jesus Christ, Mary would not exist at all. The Pharisees were already allowed to listen to something similar when they vehemently denied the true identity of Jesus:
John 8:58
But this dependence does not fit into the Catholic concept.
Maria decided to do this?
According to the author, if one simply stylizes Maria as a “passive, serving and taciturn woman par excellence”, then something is often overlooked. Maria must have been extremely strong-willed and courageous to “decide in the patriarchal ancient world for a child that was not her fiancé’s,” says Frücht.
In memory of:
Luke 1:30-31
Is there any clue in this text that would indicate a question? The angel Gabriel said to Mary “you will conceive” and not “do you want to conceive?”. In addition, Gabriel assured her in advance that she had found grace with God and was blessed by Him.
Maria trusted that she was doing the right thing, says Frücht. Yes, what was she doing? Nothing! Because:
Luke 1:35
Mary the prophetess?
The author points out that according to Luke’s Gospel, Mary “prophesied” that God would do great things for her and that “he would overthrow the mighty from the throne and exalt the humble”. After all, “no man, no disciple, no angel announces the Good News here, but Mary herself,” says Frücht.
Luke 1:32-33
However, that is what the angel Gabriel said and Maria at best repeated this information. Gabriel’s announcement can just as little be counted as a prophecy of Mary, like a reader of a chapter of the prophet Isaiah. It takes a lot of “willpower” to portray Maria indirectly as a prophetess.
Mary as a role model for women in the church
The author asks how Mary can be glorified in this way without “acknowledging her true role in the history of our faith and drawing consequences for the Church?”. The role of the disciples is also easily recognized, while “their contemporary counterparts are given an ‘appropriate’ role in the institution.” Mary is a role model for women. She is complex and has more than one character trait, according to the author, with a view to the current situation of women in the Catholic Church.
From dream to tradition
The author’s series of arguments only deals with the “exclusive” faith in the Catholic Church, nothing more and nothing less. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith pretends and the sheep have to follow without contradiction.
The self-understanding of apostolicity is based on usual misinterpretations anyway on very sandy soil. This task, which has been transferred to today’s clergy, is a purely internal definition and should be roughly equivalent to the “Donation of Constantine” in terms of quality. So pure lies and fraud. But who cares?
Nevertheless, it is very interesting to understand how one and the other kind of erroneous teachings of this church came about and have been considered a tradition for centuries. Own, very imaginative interpretations of the Holy Scriptures, combined with own wishes and dreams, for the pursuit of one’s own agenda.
Bible verses from King James Version