The mother of Jesus

On Saturday the Catholic Church in New Zealand celebrates the feast day of its patron saint and national day for New Zealand on the great Feast of Mary, the Assumption. Depending on your point of view, that choice of patron was courageously myopic or inspired. The early Church held Mary in very high esteem - but since the Reformation Catholics have often overstated her role or downplayed it, and many do not "get" the Assumption.

Mary was important during Jesus' life, and after his death Mary became even more a touchstone. It was a crazy time: the ruthless Roman authorities found the Christians challenging, and the Jewish leaders found their intensity and refusal to compromise difficult. On top of that, everyone was trying to make sense of what had just happened. Paul was soon speaking authoritatively - but often in seeming contradiction to the understanding of those who had known Jesus. 

People like us were trying to understand the bits of the teachings we might have heard in the light of things we had previously believed - and there was no established church to explain it all or pull it all together.

In that environment there were two solid teachers everyone trusted: James the Just, bishop of Jerusalem and the first leader of the Christians - recorded as the brother of Jesus - and Mary. Sadly for us, both were people-people and pray-ers, rather than writers, and we have just one sermon from James recorded as his letter - and nothing from Mary. But there are many many surviving references to show the high esteem in which they both were held.

Mary's body seems to have disappeared after her death and a tradition grew up that as the one woman in all history chosen to carry the little boy we now know as the Christ, she was such a holy person that God lifted her body to heaven.

We know so little of Mary. 

We know she enjoyed "God's favour". She accepted God's call. She was "full of grace", "blessed", and "the Lord was with" her. Mary was a woman of deep prayer: proclaiming the greatness of God from her "soul" and rejoicing in her "spirit". She is the model of humility. She was there (standing silently) in the difficult times. We can't be sure of much else. 

Perhaps we see her values in the actions of her son: his care for women (particularly those on the margins - indeed all those on the margins), his gentleness, perhaps his anger at hypocrisy and double standards and people treating others badly, his passion for God (and maybe his anger when God was taken for granted or minimised).

Probably because we know so little, many people see in Mary what they want to see. 

• She is the model for contemplatives who need to empty themselves to be able fill themselves with God. 
• Feminist Christians see her strengths and independence.
• Mothers pray for her intercession (she is the one who said "My child, why have you done this to us?" the cry of every loving parent who has been let down). 
• For many religious orders she is the model for their vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
• The only saint I can remember invoking as a teacher was Mary - when I had to tell classmates that one of our students had died. I remember the words I used: "let us ask Mary for her prayer and support - if anyone knew the pain of a child dying, it was Mary." I then led them in the Hail Mary.

So the Church in New Zealand chose Mary as our patron, and this particular Marian feast, as our national day. Why? 

For me it is because we too seek God's favour: we are blessed with wonderful people and a land where the Creator's hand is so apparent - we are brimming over with potential! 

As well, we are a humble people. 

We are often stunning when it comes to supporting people in need. We are idealistic, peace-makers and peace-keepers. 

I believe that although we are not a "religious" people, kiwis are a spirit-filled people - idealists constantly searching for beauty and peace and goodness. 

As a people (like all peoples) we fail too often - but Mary's perseverance in the face of difficulties should be a constant reminder that being there, standing solidly with those in pain, refusing to buy into the conventional self-serving values of the world around us is always important - and may be the only thing we can do. 

Finally, the choice of this feast was also a conscious act of hope for our people: after our earthly life, we look to a next life. As the prayer for the feast says: "All-powerful and ever-living God: you raised the sinless Virgin Mary, mother of your Son, body and soul, to the glory of heaven. May we see heaven as our final goal and come to share her glory."

My prayer is that we may each see heaven as our final goal and come to share her glory.