Bible Studies for Women
Women of the Bible - Mary, the Mother of Jesus
Mary, the Mother of Jesus
(Her name may mean bitterness)
She was a virgin from a poor family in an obscure village in Galilee. Her response to Gabriel reveals a young woman of unusual faith and humility. Her unqualified yes to God's plan for her life entailed great personal risk and suffering. She must have endured seasons of confusion, fear, and darkness as the events of her life unfolded. She is honored, not only as the mother of Jesus, but as his first disciple.
Her sorrow was to see the son she loved shamed and tortured, left to die like the worst kind of criminal.
Her Joy was to see her child raised from the dead; to have received the Holy Spirit along with Christ's other disciples.
Key scriptures: Mattnew 1:18-25; 2; Luke 1:26-80; 2; John 19:25-27
Choose one episode in the life of Mary--her encounter with Gabriel, the birth of her child, the scene with the shepherds, the presentation in the temple, the Magi's visit, the escapt to Egypt, her son's agony on the cross, or her presence with the disciples in the Upper Room. Imagine yourself in her place. What are your struggles, your joys? What thoughts run through your mind? Does anything or anyone take you by surprise? Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your reflections, to help you imagine the sounds, sights, and smells that will bring each scene to life. Let the Scriptures feed your sould with deeper understanding of God's intention for your life. Pray for the grace to be like the woman who said: "I am the Lord's servant, May it be to me as you have said.
"My soul is full of you, my God, and I cannot hold back my gladness. Everyone who sees me will call me blessed because you have noticed me. You saw the lowliness and my need and filled my emptiness with your presence. Form your likeness in me so that, like Mary, I can bring you into a world that desperately needs your love.
Christmas Blessings,
Pastor CeCe
