Dialogue with Mary

Dialogue with Mary updated their address.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is not an Envelope!
A Fraternal Response to a Non-Catholic Pastor

The Matters Arising:
From time immemorial, the beliefs of the Catholic Church have been attacked and repudiated using different strategies. One of those beliefs that have received much of these attacks is the veneration and honour given to the Blessed Virgin Mary. While these attacks have been confronted with the light of faith and reason, one will actually hope that issues about the role and place of this special woman in human history would have grown from rejection and caricature to finding profound reasons to give her more venerations since she prophesied through the Holy Spirit that “all generations will call me (her) blessed” (Luke 1,48). Unfortunately, but interestingly, my brother from another denomination has continued to believe and teach that Mary is simply an envelope, she is just the container of Jesus, the content is the only thing important, the container is just dropped and forgotten. Not a few sustain this idea especially among our fellow brethren. Yet, we dare to know why the Mother of God should be described in such manner.

The nature of an envelope:
From the origin and nature of an envelope as documented by Wikipedia, we know that an envelope is a common packaging item, usually made of thin, flat material. It is designed to contain a flat object, such as a letter or card. Initially envelopes were used to store gifts of money or to distribute monetary gifts to government officials. All envelopes both ancient and modern day types have similar nature. An envelope is a material storage object, used in packaging, preserving and safeguarding an information (usually a vital information) from a sender to the recipient. In most cases, the content of an envelope involves some secrecy/privacy over important matters that are meant to be undisclosed until it gets to its projected recipient. Naturally, the envelope is addressed to the recipient which is a kind of the “image” of the recipient. Significantly, the function of an envelope which contains a mail ceases the moment the recipient removes the mail. In most cases, the envelope is then used for another lesser thing or even destroyed. This is our common way of handling envelopes used to deliver paper messages or other messages capable of going through the envelope either big or small. Thus, the relationship between the envelope and the content is short-lived.

Jesus Christ as Word of God & Message of God:
At the heart of the claim that Mary is an envelope is the implicit assumption that Jesus Christ, her son, whom she bore is a letter from God. Either Jesus Christ is taken to be a letter in the literal sense or in the metaphorical sense. Perhaps this idea is coming from the biblical description of one character of Jesus Christ as the Word of God (Cf. John 1,1 and Heb.1,2). In these two passages, Jesus Christ is seen as the message of God to humanity. In this light therefore, he is seen as a letter from God to humanity in any possible sense. If Jesus Christ is so, then the means through which he comes to us, that is his mother the Blessed Virgin Mary, becomes the “envelope” containing God’s message or letter for humanity, which is Jesus Christ. This is the bulk of the whole idea albeit implicitly. Jesus Christ is the Word of God and God has spoken through him to humanity. But Jesus Christ is the Word of God that is actually a Divine Person in eternity. There in John’s gospel 1,1, the Scripture tells us that this Word is God too. In the pericope of John 1,1-14, this Word of God is described not as a letter but as a person, a Divine Person with a supernatural and supreme substance. The Divine Logos is not a letter and is not like a letter; he is not a material thing and he is not like a material thing as an object. The Word of God is a Divine Person from all eternity and he is the second person of the Blessed Trinity, sharing the one Godhead of the Father and the Holy Spirit. Even as human, he is not a letter in any sense, just as none of us humans is seen as such.

At the appointed time set by God (cf. Gal. 4,4), this Word of God took up a second nature, the human nature, in order to save mankind. From the moment of his Incarnation during the Annunciation of the Lord to Mary by Angel Gabriel (Luke 1,26-38), this Word of God, who had been a Divine Person with only one Divine nature, now acquired a second nature, which is human nature. From then till he ascended into heaven, he is the Word of God who is a Divine Person with two natures: Divine and human which are hypostatically united. This is the Jesus Christ whom God sent to us as a message; not a message in a material object or in abstract terms; but a message in Divine-human identity, who can be called a message-messenger. God sent his Son to us, not as letter or an object bearing his message. Instead, God sent us his only-begotten Son, who is God and who is a person, and this person dwelt among us for about thirty-three years. Jesus Christ was not a letter in the literal sense or in metaphor. The only metaphor we can ascribe to his personality is to say that Jesus’s Words were like God the Father speaking to us. Yet this is not a metaphor as much as it is truly what it is in reality. The word which God speaks to us in Jesus is not simply one word among many, but his eternal Word (cf. Heb 1:1-2) (cf.Lumen Fidei, 15).

The Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother of Jesus Christ:
If we have successfully proven that Jesus Christ is and was never a letter in any sense, then his mother is and was never an envelope in any sense. Because Jesus Christ is a person and was human, the means through which he came to us was the means of a natural mother, like everyone of us. If we are not letters and our mothers are not envelopes, how then can one of us become a letter and the mother an envelope, since he was like us in all things but in sin? Going further in the hierarchy of truths, if Jesus Christ is a Divine Person who dwelt in his earthly mother’s womb through the power of the Holy Spirit, how then can this special woman and human being be reduced to an envelope? Having given birth to a human being of her kind, the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Mother. Having given birth to God the Son, she is Mother of God (the Son), the Theotokos. Thus, the Blessed Virgin Mary was never a package nor a container for an object. Just as human beings are not packaged nor preserved in a container but in the womb of their mothers, so also was Jesus preserved in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Human wombs cannot be equated with ordinary envelope nor containers or packaging materials. Mary is the august treasury of God and the human container of the uncontainable through the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary is Mother and envelopes cannot be in comparison.

The Relationship between Christ, Mary and Humanity:
It is in the context of describing the relationship between Christ, Mary and humanity that many have claimed that Mary is simply an envelope. Christ is God the Son, who was sent by God the Father, through the Holy Spirit, to live with us, teaching us how to relate with God and finally to restore the broken relationship with God by his death. The Blessed Virgin Mary is a woman chosen by God and specially prepared from the moment of her own Immaculate Conception to be the Mother of Christ. As a mother and like all mothers, there exists an unending relationship with her son, such that even after birth, the son and mother is ever connected, unlike the short-lived relationship between an envelope and its mail-content. Through Mary, the mother-instrument, like all mothers-instrument for bringing people into the world, humanity received its Saviour, not as a human word without life, but as a Divine Word with a Divine life and personhood. Christ comes to us as God in human form, to reveal God’s will for us. After giving birth to Christ, Mary’s connection with Jesus never ended. It continued up to the Cross, where Jesus now gave her a further responsibility: to be the mother of all believers (John 19, 26-27). Mary was faithful to this role of being a mother to all those who follow her Son starting from the early Christians in Acts 1 and 2. Mary’s attachment to Jesus continued into eternity with her Assumption into heaven, where she was carried body and soul into heaven and then made Queen of Heaven and Earth, sitting by the side of Christ the King. This is only a summary of our conviction about the relationship between Christ, Mary and humanity, in which Mary is not an envelope but the Mother, of God the Son, of Christians and humanity. If none of us can describe his mother as an envelope, how much more the mother of God? If our connection with our mothers is unending, how much more the connection between Christ and his mother Mary? Thus, the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Mother and the Mother, but never an envelope!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/11c2DlMn-GQKgg6n8smBxXXl5RtA-nQYF/view?usp=drivesdk

The Blessed Virgin Mary is not an Envelope.pdf

Wishing in His supreme goodness and wisdom to effect the redemption of the world, "when the fullness of time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman...that we might receive the adoption of sons". "He for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit from the Virgin Mary." This divine mystery of salvation is revealed to us and continued in the Church, which the Lord established as His body. Joined to Christ the Head and in the unity of fellowship with all His saints, the faithful must in the first place reverence the memory "of the glorious ever Virgin Mary, Mother of our God and Lord Jesus Christ". (Lumen Gentium, 52)

The Virgin Mary, who at the message of the angel received the Word of God in her heart and in her body and gave Life to the world, is acknowledged and honored as being truly the Mother of God and Mother of the Redeemer. Redeemed by reason of the merits of her Son and united to Him by a close and indissoluble tie, she is endowed with the high office and dignity of being the Mother of the Son of God, by which account she is also the beloved daughter of the Father and the temple of the Holy Spirit (Lumen Gentium, 53)

Saturday 18th Dec. 2021
Merciful Father, instil your patience in the lives of all who use our roads during this season. May they ply these roads with such a calmness as to protect the lives and properties of people. May they also be motivated by safety of transportation rather than the profits/duration of transportation, as we pray, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen!

Saturday 11th Dec. 2021
Loving Father, bring radical conversion to the hearts of all people involved in the hoarding, delay & denial of workers’ salaries, wages and pensions. Turn the hearts already conceiving of this inhuman acts to compassion & justice. Provide for your people who suffer in this predicament, as we pray, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen!

Wed. Wk.2 of Advent ----8th Dec. 2021. Immaculate Conception.
We celebrate Mary’s singular privilege of being conceived in her mother’s womb without original sin, in view of Christ, the God who is to come & redeem his people from sin & its progenitor, the devil. From the moment of her conception, Mary’s whole body & soul were untouched by any iota of sin, neither original nor actual sin, so that God in Christ will have a befitting place to start his dwelling on earth. As we prepare for the Lord, let us look up to Mary seeking her intercession to always sin less & imitate her noble example of doing God’s will constantly. The Immaculate Conception teaches us never to have friendship with the devil.

Saturday 4th Dec. 2021
Merciful Father, bring your compassion to those confined to their homes & hospitals, & withdrawn from their normal/previous social life due to old age & ill health. Visit them in their loneliness & grant them the grace of happiness & peace, as we pray, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen!

Saturday 27th Nov. 2021
Almighty God, the salvation & hope of his people, bring to us reasons & occasions to increase our faith, hope & charity, especially now when our leaders increase their insensitivity to the plights of the citizens, as we pray, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen!

Saturday 20th Nov. 2021
Merciful Father, show your mercy to our siblings who lack meaningful shelter, who sleep by road sides, in slums & in horrible conditions. May they know your compassion & support through the care of those who meet them, as we pray, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen!

Saturday 13th Nov. 2021
Ever living God, give strength & wisdom to all who are involved in providing good health care to our world. May they in seeing their work as a Vocation to Save Life, know compassion, integrity & respect for human life in the exercise of their duties as we pray, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen!

Saturday 6th Nov. 2021
Lord grant radical conversion to those who make life difficult for others in any way; may those who assume and desire public leadership and control of the people know compassion & true love for the people in their policies & endeavours, as we pray, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen!

Saturday 30th Oct. 2021
Lord God, give repentance to the hardened hearts of all personnel in our institutions of learning who make life difficult for students and staff through intimidation & all manner of exploitations. May those in-charge know compassion & respect for human dignity, as we pray, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen!

Saturday 23rd Oct. 2021
Ever-loving Father, protect our pregnant women & all those nearing the time of delivery. Assist the medical personnel to save the lives of the mother & child. May there always be a joyful sound from the favoured-labour rooms, as we pray, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen!

Saturday 16th Oct. 2021
Lord be near those who suffer for standing for what is right, true & just, especially those who face hostility in their places of work for courageously resisting what is contrary to their faith. Strengthen them with your Holy Spirit, as we pray, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen!

Saturday 9th Oct. 2021
Gracious Father, who constantly guides his people through his Word, graciously grant us through the intercession & example of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the docility & openness to your Word, so that our wills may be firmly bent on following what you command, as we pray, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen!

Saturday 2nd Oct.2021.
Loving Father, look with pity upon our troubled country. Listen to the cries of your suffering people & deliver us as you once did for your people Israel, as we pray, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now hour of our death. Amen!

Mother of Nigeria, pray for us.

Saturday 25th Sept.2021. Almighty Father, bless all those who have given us their help in various ways throughout this week. Reward abundantly all people of goodwill who assist others selflessly especially those who care for the sick & the aged. Help us to imitate their generosity as we pray, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now hour of our death. Amen!

Saturday 18th Sept. 2021
Merciful Father, deliver your suffering people from the hands of middlemen in the society who make things more difficult for them. Bring these our hardened siblings to radical conversion, as we pray, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen!

Saturday 11th Sept. 2021
Merciful Father, show your mercy to our brothers & sisters who are mentally sick & all those who roam our streets & spend their lives on debris & garbage. Inspire us to show them love & concern as co-members of your one human family, as we pray: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen!

To honour Mary is to listen to Jesus, for whom she was born.

Saturday 4th Sept. 2021
Loving Father, be near to migrants & all those who risk their lives in a bid to survive a harsh society, as well as those who suffer greatly to meet their basic needs. Give them your support and brighten their hope which does not disappoint, as we pray: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen!

Saturday 28th Aug. 2021
Merciful Father, be with Social Workers & all those who care for the poor, downtrodden, & suffering. Bring a sense of calm over them, as they bring calm to situations of need & crisis, as well as the strength & confidence over them that can only come from you, as we pray: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen!

Saturday 21st Aug. 2021
Almighty God, be merciful to all who have been led into captivity through the hardened heart of their fellow human beings. Deliver your people from the hands of heartless fellows who trample upon the natural rights of your people, as we pray: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen!

Saturday 14th Aug. 2021
Loving Father, look with pity on children stricken with sickness, hunger & poverty, who are exposed to all kinds of exploitation, abuse & dangers. Inspire us & all people of goodwill to care for & protect them as you desire, as we pray: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen!

Saturday 7th Aug., 2021
Merciful God, be close to the blind, deaf, dumb, lame & all the physically challenged. May they & those who care for them know your support, as we pray: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen!

Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome is the First Place of Worship dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. (Mem. Aug. 5)

The Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major- August 5 (Memorial)

As we commemorate the First Church and Place of Worship dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, we beg her Mother of the Church to support us in our journey through life.