hanks Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? What a blessing and privilege to be the mother of our Lord and Saviour Jesus! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? These titles are based entirely on what is said about Mary in the Gospels and in particular what is said by the angel Gabriel and by Elizabeth as evidenced in Luke, and in Matthew. The bible tells us that Mary was a virgin, and in Luke the angel tells her that first; she was "favoured of God", and second "the Lord is with" her. To be favoured of God is to be blessed and therefore the first title is clearly appropriate. In Luke we are told that the son she will conceive "will be called the Son of the Most High" and "the Son of God". Even clearer, in Matthew (1:23) the angel speaking to Joseph tells him that the son will be called Emmanuel, which means God is with us". It therefore seems completely appropriate to call her the Mother of God. Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? I don't believe that there should be any hesitation in exalting her as "blessed among women" for that is what she clearly was and is. The hesitation among some protestant christians however stems I think from the final sentence of the Hail Mary prayer which says " Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death" (at least that is the way we say it in my Church). There is nothing wrong, and in fact everything right, in asking Mary to pray for us, in the same way as we might ask anyone else to pray for us. This however is sometimes misinterpreted, in my view, as putting Mary in the same position as Jesus as a mediator, and even a sole mediator to God. I do not believe that this is what this prayer is saying and I certainly don't think that it should in any way make us hesitant in exalting Mary as "Blessed among women". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poetmom Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? I don't believe that there should be any hesitation in exalting her as "blessed among women" for that is what she clearly was and is. The hesitation among some protestant christians however stems I think from the final sentence of the Hail Mary prayer which says " Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death" (at least that is the way we say it in my Church). There is nothing wrong, and in fact everything right, in asking Mary to pray for us, in the same way as we might ask anyone else to pray for us. This however is sometimes misinterpreted, in my view, as putting Mary in the same position as Jesus as a mediator, and even a sole mediator to God. I do not believe that this is what this prayer is saying and I certainly don't think that it should in any way make us hesitant in exalting Mary as "Blessed among women". Paul H, I could not have put it better myself. For most of my young Christian life I was hesitant to even talk about Mary because of all the fears and stereotypes promoted by fellow Protestants. Yes, some Catholics may misinterpret the prayer, but I haven't met one who actually believes that Mary is on equal footing with Jesus. She was given one of the most difficult, yet wondrous, tasks in the Bible. The fact that she was most likely only twelve is very humbling; I complain about the stupidest little things, and I am three times her age! She is indeed blessed, as are Noah, Abraham, Esther, David, Paul, and a whole litany of normal humans who were asked to do big things for the kingdom. But to carry Jesus in your womb, then stand back and watch as he sacrifices himself for the world? A stunning victory of faith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caboodle Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 Mary was blessed in that she was the one God chose to give birth to His son. Elizabeth calls her blessed so if the Bible calls her blessed then it has to be an appropriate term since the Bible is God's word. She was the "mother of God" as she carried Jesus in her womb and gave birth to Him. God was His father-we need two parents so Mary was His chosen mother. I think we hesitate to call her blessed among women as we want to give her her proper place and not take the chance of giving her more prominence than she should have or letting her overshadow Jesus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leihaynes Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? It's appropriate because God chose her and she is infact the mother of God. I think because of the lack of education/understanding (like me). If we exalt her the way the angel and Elizabeth did then we are appropriate. It's when we worship her as being above God then we are in trouble and we have misunderstood her role in this miraculous event. "Blessed among women" that she truly is. For God to chose her says that she was the only one worthy on the face of the earth for such a task. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WALT39 Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? "Elizabeth recognizes the unique blessedness of Mary (blessed are you among women) because of the child she bears (blessed is the child you will bear). The remark is rhetorical and should not be read as if Mary is the most blessed of all women. It means she is "very pleased" (compare Judg 5:24; Song 1:8). The attitude of Elizabeth is representative of what Luke desires in any believer. What a joy to share in the events associated with Jesus." Per the IVP New Testament Commentaries - http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Luke/Marys-Meeting-Elizabeth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rekohu Posted December 5, 2009 Report Share Posted December 5, 2009 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Elizabeth had called her Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferburn Posted December 18, 2009 Report Share Posted December 18, 2009 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? These title are appropriate for Mary simply because she believes what the Lord had said to her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theresa VJ Posted December 21, 2009 Report Share Posted December 21, 2009 The word bless, in Hebrew, is the word Barak...Strongs.1288. It means to bless or to kneel. It also comes with the understood acknowledgement that to be blessed, one must be in a POSITION to "be" blessed. The picture of a knight kneeling before His king is an appropriate one. The idea of putting myself in a position to be kneeled....hence, blessed. A position of bodily kneeling is an outward sign that shows acknowledgement that my King is very high and lifted up....and that I am NOT. We established last question that Mary had willing given consent for God to work through her and with her. Hence, she has of her free will placed herself in a kneeling....blessed.....position. A really great use of one's time would be to look at all the places in Scripture that tell us what a position of blessing...or being kneeled....looks like. Mary choose to be in a position to be blessed....that submission of heart and spirit,... and she had kept herself a virgin, and was pure in that regard, bodily. She is both blessed, and a virgin. Mary is blessed among women. She willingly allowed God to work in her as He desired. We should aspire to her example of a humble, face to the ground, heart and body kneeled, attitude. He who lifts himself up is brought low...but he who places himself humble and low is lifted up in due time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jr4624 Posted December 25, 2009 Report Share Posted December 25, 2009 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? Elizabeth said to her "Blessed are thou among women" and "the mother of my Lord." Both of these titles would then be appropriate for Mary. Many would want to be careful not to exalt her above Jesus in some way, and also to make sure that she isn't herself an object of worship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara A. Lee Posted October 14, 2010 Report Share Posted October 14, 2010 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? The titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" among many other titles of this young lady, is appropriate because she was chosen among many teenagers to bring into the world The Lord Jesus Christ, God's son. She did what was expected of her. I think the reason we are sometimes hesitant in exalting her to this high realm is because we can't understand what it is like to be hailed as a holy person. She was just an everyday teenager before being approached by Gabriel, doing the normal things a teeenager did back in her time. Her upbringing, though not known to an extent, must have played a very big part in her being chosen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guard Guy Posted November 29, 2010 Report Share Posted November 29, 2010 Please see my response to Question 3, above; I think I pretty well covered these questions in that response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guard Guy Posted November 29, 2010 Report Share Posted November 29, 2010 Q5 Among all women, God chose and favoured Mary, a virgin maiden and because of her humble submission, God in return blessed her as exclaimed by Elizabeth when she greeted her as the "Blessed Virgin Mary." Since Mary is the one who gave birth to Jesus and Jesus being God himself in the flesh made Mary to be the 'Mother of God.' In this aspect Jesus made a special place for her with the apostles and in heaven. Many Christians regarded Mary as an ordinary human chosen by God to bear Jesus and has no special significance thereby making them hesitant to exalt her as 'blessed among women.' Whereas the Catholics highly regarded her and give reverence to her in the church. How often can one be approached by God and be chosen to play such an important and prominent role like Mary? We need to exalt her for without her humble submission and obedience and her yes, God's plan of salvation for mankind would not have materialized today. We should give due honour and respect to Mary as God did. Janel, I respect what you've said here and agree with your observation that anybody who is approached by God for a task is truly special! I want to encourage you to be careful about suggesting that if Mary had refused God's request, His plan would have been defeated; rather, trust that He will complete His plan according to His will, using any human who says "yes" to participation in His plan. - Guard Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foofee's Nana Posted December 1, 2010 Report Share Posted December 1, 2010 In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? I think these titles are apporpriate for this little young girl who willlingly accepted being the mother to the Son of God....she was indeed a Blessed Virgin....and her faith is an example of how we should trust and believe. Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? Maybe we are afraid that we might be seeming to worship her...when she really is "blessed among women"....WOW ...can you imagine being picked for the honor to be the mother of our Christ Jesus??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramon Posted December 8, 2010 Report Share Posted December 8, 2010 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? Answer; 1. In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Mary was indeed Virgin,and as everybody who believe in God,She was blessed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highohfaith Posted December 9, 2010 Report Share Posted December 9, 2010 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? Gabrial a messenger of God came to both Elizabeth and Mary telling them they both would have a baby. In contrast Elizabeth is very old and past her child bearing age. Mary is a very young teenager (possibly 13 or 14).The miracle is two fold, the old lady conceives a son which she always desired (John the baptist) and the young girl is Chosesn to be the Mother of God's only son! If one truly loves God they cannot discount Mary, but exalt her as most blessed among woman! It is God who chose Her to carry and give birth to His only begotten son.In that respect we must love Her, she is the carrier of God's message ( His new convenant) of grace and redemption to the world, Jesus! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramon Posted December 10, 2010 Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? Gabrial a messenger of God came to both Elizabeth and Mary telling them they both would have a baby. In contrast Elizabeth is very old and past her child bearing age. Mary is a very young teenager (possibly 13 or 14).The miracle is two fold, the old lady conceives a son which she always desired (John the baptist) and the young girl is Chosesn to be the Mother of God's only son! If one truly loves God they cannot discount Mary, but exalt her as most blessed among woman! It is God who chose Her to carry and give birth to His only begotten son.In that respect we must love Her, she is the carrier of God's message ( His new convenant) of grace and redemption to the world, Jesus! Hi... Yes I love Mary,as I love all brothers and Sisters in Christ..I but to exalt Her,as in to worship her,and make her intercede for me...NO And mind you I LOVE GOD..So your statemet if ONE TRULY loves GOD....please dont make that sweeping satatement.. I say this in Love.. In Christ Jesus... Amen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosegarden Posted December 16, 2010 Report Share Posted December 16, 2010 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? 5. a. The title "Blessed Virgin Mary" is appropriate for Mary because she was Blessed to be chosen to be the Mother of God, Virgin because she was one. Just as God chose Mary to carry the Christ, he has chosen us (those who have asked Christ to be their Lord and Savior) to carry Jesus, as we are now the Temple of the Living God, Christ in us the hope of glory. "Mother of God" --- Mother of the God/Man who came to die for us sinners and redeem us by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. b. I am hesitant because being brought up in the Catholic faith I have seen where people exalt her as one who answers prayers and gives favors by praying to her. She truly was blessed among women, but so are we now to have Christ in our hearts. I worship the Triune God, Father, Son & Holy Spirit. To God be the Glory great things he has done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosegarden Posted December 16, 2010 Report Share Posted December 16, 2010 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? The titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" are true in describing Mary. She was a virgin, blessed and was choosen to be used of God to be his mother on earth when he was on earth. I think hesitancy comes from the fact that she was the mother of Jesus while he was on earth. She wasn't the mother of God in the sense she created God or was before God in any way. I think Mary was blessed with a special opportunity to be used of God. She was, however, a vessel, used by God to accomplish His purposes. God uses believers today to accomplish His purposes in the same way. God is to be exalted and given all honor. I think we are hesitant to exalt her for fear of forgetting the fact that she was completely human. As a human who was submissive God's will, any kind of exhaltation that would take away from God's glory and honor would be wrong. AMEN!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trusting God Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? The titles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpryor2448 Posted December 17, 2011 Report Share Posted December 17, 2011 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? The terms "Blessed Virgin Mary" and Mother of God" are appropriate because the very essence of each term indeed discribe who Mary was and is. While I am not catholic, I can understand why most protestants would be hesitant to call her "blessed among women" because she is wholly human. However, I do consider her blessed among women because God could have chosen any woman for this honor, but He chose Mary........ Blessed indeed is she among women. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marloes Posted December 22, 2011 Report Share Posted December 22, 2011 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? Because the Bible itself says she is blessed and the mother of God. Indeed we have to respect her, and can we see her submission as an example. On the other hand, she was just a vessel to do God's work as we all are. Therefore it is very wrong to pray to her, and things like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepearlturtle Posted December 30, 2011 Report Share Posted December 30, 2011 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? The titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" is appropriate for Mary in that she was a virgin when she conceived our Saviour and she was declared blessed by God Himself; the title "Mother of God" is appropriate for Mary in that she both carried and gave birth to and raised the Lord Jesus, caring for Him until He was old enough to be on His own as a human man. I believe that we are sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women" because there is such a tendency to fear exalting anyone or anything above the level of Jesus, and we fear that we will worship Mary instead of Jesus. There is a tendency in our society to fear honouring anyone lest we see them as prideful, but if we see them as they truly are in the eyes of God, then that is not pride but humility. To see ourselves for less than who we are in the eyes of the Lord is false pride, and not humility at all. We need to give each and every one of us our proper place as special and unique creations of the Almighty God, holy and dearly loved by Him, so much so that He sent His only Son to die for us, and not be afraid to see ourselves as loved and special. To see Mary as highly exalted above women does not demean us in any way, nor does it take away from the glory of God; it is only an expression of the Truth of the Scriptures. As the willing mother of God, our Heavenly Father chose to give Mary special honour, and we need to respect and honour His Word and do the same. We also need to recognize what she teaches us on the importance of obedience to the Lord. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoiKosum Posted November 14, 2012 Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 The titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" are appropriate for Mary as these are literally what she was. However we are sometimes reluctant to exalt her as "blessed among women" as there is a fear that this could distract us from worshipping God and Jesus to worshipping Mary. To remove this fear, we must seek to understand that while Mary was also flesh and bones like the rest of us, she was the chosen vessel to bring Jesus to earth. For this we must accept that Mary was blessed among women. However, this does not mean that Mary is God. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platoz Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Because they are true. They are not titles given to her in worship of her as a God that bore Jesus. They are adjectives that describe her being. Mary was the mother of Jesus, she was a virgin and how much more lifted up could she get than to be chosen as the female to develop Jesus and be trusted in his care. Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"?
 Probably because it could be surmised that we are calling upon her as a God, someone to worship. Actually, I do not feel the need to refer to her in any of those names as a title. http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=713 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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