Mary, mother of Jesus

By Trish Patrick in All Sorts

Who is this Mary of antiquity who, simultaneously, has been elevated and trivialised by dogma, creed and magical thinking, depriving her not only of her humanity but also her son?

Mary, mother of Jesus, has always been for me an enigmatic figure. We know so little about her and what we do know is so shrouded in mythology and religious dogma the real Mary
and her essential humanity are lost. However, I do love the cadences of the birth narratives. Their poetry and familiarity transport me to some hopelessly sentimental and romantic place where, common sense suspended, I'm loathe to ask the difficult questions swirling around the advent story. In truth, the whole event may have been Mary's first annus
horribilis (Possibly Joseph's as well!) What was she really like? What was it really like for her?
The gospels would have us believe her to be meek, and submissive, overjoyed to be used, her voice sanctified and constrained by centuries of patriarchal influence. This perception is reinforced by religious artists through the centuries, portraying Mary as passive, enigmatic...resigned to her fate, a vessel 'fit for purpose.' She would become pregnant, give birth and raise her equally enigmatic child, a child whose life and death were to change the course of history.
What was it like for Mary raising this child who must have been something of a handful? A child who followed the beat of a different drum and was known to provoke controversy from time to time. Recently I came across a cartoon which delighted me, yet gave me pause for thought. Imagine two year old Jesus defiantly standing ATOP his bathwater, arms folded obstinately across his wee round tummy, bottom lip virtually 'dragging on the floor' a scowl on his infant brow. Mary kneeling beside the bath, eyeballing him, equally determined, with a 'you better do this or else' look, and a very purposeful index finger pointing into the bath water , saying 'IN'.
In my experience little boys are usually very happy to be immersed in water, providing soap isn't involved. Jesus may have been no different. But what the cartoonist might also be suggesting, is that Mary was no 'pushover'. No 'terrible two' year old was going to outwit her even if he could walk on water! Love it!!!
Colm Toibin in his stunning and thought provoking book 'The Testament of Mary' releases her from the shackles of mythology to reveal her humanity. A strong, wise, highly intelligent woman, fearing for the safety of her son who persisted in following the dictates of his youthful conscience and the other young rebels who he saw as his 'family'. Colm mercilessly strips away the notion that Mary was completely supportive of her beloved son's convictions as he relentlessly pursued a course she knew could not end well.
Who is this Mary of antiquity who, simultaneously, has been elevated and trivialised by dogma, creed and magical thinking, depriving her not only of her humanity but also her son?
Perhaps the most pertinent and searching question one might ask of Mary is 'was it worth it?' Colm Toibin doesn't shrink from asking it! This advent season, I invite you to reflect on this ordinary yet extra-ordinary young woman who arguably, apart from Jesus, had the most to lose in this situation, but the least power to influence
events which would change her life and the lives of countless others for millenia to come.
Trish Patrick

Mother or disciple
Mary, did it hurt to have repeated to you that Jesus saw the foreign crowd as family to him now?
How far had you come to greet him this famous son of yours only to find he was too busy
about his father's business to come out to greet you?
Did you wonder bitterly what rights nine months of pregnancy hours of hard labour years of nuture
carried with them?
Was it then you decided that you would join him in this adult work not as mother only
but as disciple too?
Matthew 12: 46-50
Susan Jones. 'What was it like'
(used with permission)