So I am in the church editorial committee and the book seen above is this month’s issue of the magazine….
I wrote quite a few articles…
May being the month of Mary, wrote the following article about her…
Divinity of Mother Mary
Many friends and cousins started joining this relatively new movement called AG, which stands for Assembly of God, where the service usually revolves around some pretty awesome praise and worship session (a full-fledged band, with a superb choir that induces people to sing along) with an hour of preaching. I’ve gone for a few of these services on Sunday with my cousins and I did have a nice time there. Apart from their indifference to Mary and the saints who according to them are just ordinary people, they believe pretty much everything we believe. Truth be said, a few of them have told me to change my church too, they have given me loads of reasons why their way is the right way and how I seem to be worshipping idols. I used to argue with them initially, but then I let go, you can’t really argue with fanatics. So nowadays, I just smile and vaguely listen to whatever they vehemently proclaim while saying a prayer of thanks in my head for not becoming a crazed fanatic like them (I refer only to my friends and cousins here).
Once while attending mass, a priest said something that was quite brilliant and honest. He said that the other denomination Christians who get upset that we pray to Mary to intercede for us don’t really understand that they perform the same thing to a lesser degree when they tell their own pastor to pray for them. Their pastor is after all a mere human being, and they often say ‘Pastor please pray for us’, believing that their pastor, a good and holy man will genuinely pray for them (which is a good thing). Just think, how much more powerful it is to have the Mother of God, pray for us, and intercede on our behalf. Even when it wasn’t time for her Son to start performing miracles, He did convert water into wine cause His mother wanted it (John 2:1-11). In the same way, Mother Mary listens to our prayers and tells her Son to help us too, in our times of suffering and strife.
Now you might argue that God already knows what we need and there is no need for anyone to pray on our behalf. Which is partly true, I agree, but if you remember in the Old Testament Abraham repeatedly kept beseeching God asking Him if He would spare the town if there were only fifty or forty or thirty or twenty and finally only ten good people left in that town (Gen 18:20-33). It is apparent from this bible passage that Abraham interceded for the town people, and that’s why God spared that town. So holy people interceding for us is a good thing, saints interceding for us is even better, and the Mother of God interceding for us is one of the most powerful things.
There is this story in the bible about a woman who was immediately cured of her ailment as soon as she touched the edge of a cloak Jesus was wearing (Mark 5:25-34). If a piece of garment worn by Jesus can transfer power, how much more powerful is the womb that bore Jesus? Just imagine the power present in Mother Mary whose blood stream provided sustenance for our Saviour for nine months, her body is a living tabernacle. At the foot of the cross, Jesus told his beloved disciple John, ‘Here is your Mother’ (John 19:25-27), and if we are all Disciples of Christ, shouldn’t she be our Mother too? Shouldn’t we look to her and ask her to protect us, as only a Mother can? Our Blessed Mother is to this day appearing to the faithful in Lourdes, Velankanni, Guadalupe, and many other places as she did ages ago. In February she even graced our grotto with her divine presence. She comes to us to spread the word about her Divine Son, that through Him salvation is possible. She comes to save us all, because that is what Mothers do; they help us in this journey called life.
I loved the closing line – "She comes to save us all, because that is what Mothers do; they help us in this journey called life." – This is haunting me – ever since I read the line – My trip to Velankanni is long overdue – need to visit!!!!