INCARNATION CATHOLIC CHURCH

121 W. Glenoaks Blvd. * Glendale, CA 91202 * 818-242-2579 * FAX 818-507-4976

2 December 2006

A new movie, ≥The Nativity Story,≤ puts a spotlight on Jesusπ mother, Mary.

It reportedly has Protestants using the movie to talk more about Maryãdiscussion that has reportedly in the past gone by the wayside in some religious circles.

What can we learn from Mary? Has she been ignored?

Mary has always had a prominent place in the Catholic Church. We honor Mary because God honors Mary. ≥Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb,≤ says the angel Gabriel at the Annunciation. We honor Mary because she is the model Christian. It is through her eternal ≥yes≤ that God takes on the flesh of our world in Jesus and becomes like us in all things but sin. When Mary is praised by some of the disciples for simply being His mother, Jesus remarks, ≥Blessed better are they who do the will of my heavenly Father≤. He recognizes her as the perfect disciple. When most of the others abandon Jesus during the crucifixion, it is Mary, John the beloved disciple, and a couple women who stay at his side.

The role of Mary in the Church is often misunderstood by our non-Catholic brothers and sisters. Catholics do not worship Mary, but they do address her in prayer and ask her to pray and intercede to the Lord God on their behalf. We pray this way because we believe Mary continues to have a vital cooperative role in Godπs plan of salvation, just as she did when she accepted Jesus into her womb and became His disciple. We believe Mary is now with the Lord enjoying the glory and reward of faithful discipleship, and has not forgotten her role as mother of the human family, but continues to have a motherly concern and powerful role of intercessor for all Godπs people. We imagine ourselves as the ≥beloved disciple≤ at the foot of the cross to whom Jesus says, ≥Behold your mother.≤

Father Paul J. Hruby

Pastor

Church of the Incarnation

Glendale