Mary of Nazareth delivered Jesus into a world where women were looked upon as property to be traded or sold. Women were considered to be inferior to men: they had no voice in the Temple, or anywhere in public. Men were not allowed to speak to a woman outside of his family, and yet Jesus spoke to many women, including gentiles and foreigners. Jesus loved men and women equally, and he did all that he could to restore women to a position of respect. While women and girls were not allowed to study the Torah, Jesus taught as many women as would listen to him. And though Jesus chose twelve men to be his disciples in keeping with the requirements of society, there were many women in his inner circle of followers. It was these women who accompanied him to the cross, who stayed with him throughout his trial; and it was two of these women to whom he first appeared after his resurrection.
Jesus did everything he could to remind men that women were equally loved by their creator. While he did not succeed in raising women to the position of equality he wanted them to have, his respectful attitude toward the female gender did open the way for women to hold positions of importance in the Way Followers’ religion. There was Priscilla of Rome, who, along with her husband, Aquila, risked her life by spreading the teachings of Jesus. There was Lydia of Macedonia, who became a leader of the first church to be founded on the European continent. There was Phoebe of Corinth, highly respected by the Apostle Paul as a deacon and patron in the church at Cenchrea.
Saint Paul also revered his cousin, Junia, who he wrote was “prominent among the apostles” (Romans 16:7). Later Bible translators changed her name to Junias, which could have been a man’s name – except that such a name was not used in ancient Rome! Even John Chrysostom, a theologian who lived in the fourth century, who did not usually speak highly of women, wrote of Romans 16:7, "O how great is the devotion of this woman that she should be counted worthy of the appellation of apostle!"2
In spite of the efforts of Jesus and Paul to elevate the status of women, most men continued to enjoy the power that a patriarchal society gave them. When the first church Fathers gathered to make the decisions that would bar women from the priesthood forever, one of them said slyly: “If we point out that Jesus and his apostles were all men, and they chose only men to be priests, that will settle the point for all time.”
“But what about Junia?” another replied. “Saint Paul regarded her highly among the apostles.”
“Oh, you mean Junias?” the first Father said. “Junias lived 300 years ago. Who can prove there was a woman named Junia if we write the name Junias in our scriptures?”
“Hah! You are so clever, wise one.”
How easily civilization slipped back into the old patriarchal ways, before women even had the chance to emerge fully from the murky corners of society where their men had been keeping them for hundreds of years. Little did the church Fathers know that the time spent in voicelessness; nurturing their families, sacrificing their own needs, quietly working in the background of life, was strengthening the connection between the feminine spirit and Divine Love.
In countries where belief in a male God was required, and women’s voices were not heard in temples, churches, or governing bodies, the divine feminine maintained a place in human consciousness through the personality of Mary, mother of Jesus; through the female saints; and through courageous women of the Bible such as Sarah, Rachel, and Esther. Mary was raised to the position of Queen of Heaven by the very patriarchs who insisted that the kingdom of heaven belonged to a male godhead, and that the power of the church should remain in their masculine hands. But the most machismo of these men recognized their need for a gentle, motherly goddess who would soften the edges of the harsh decrees made in the name of the judgmental Father God they themselves had placed on heaven’s throne. And while they have never referred to Mary as a goddess, her titles: Queen of Heaven and Mother of God, have allowed devotees to adore her with as much love and devotion as the Egyptians had bestowed on Isis, if not more.
Jesus had taught his followers to pray to their heavenly father – radical enough for the Jews who were not accustomed to thinking of their god, Yahweh, as their parent. Jesus realized that these patriarchal folks would never accept the idea of God as mother, so he did not even suggest it. And yet, the church founders encouraged their members to pray to Mary and think of her as their heavenly mother! These men came from cultures that had worshiped goddesses before the advent of Christianity. They were Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians, who had worshiped Demeter, Athena, Isis, and many other goddesses. And then there were the founders of the Celtic church: men who had worshiped Aine, the Irish goddess of love, growth, cattle and light; Branwen, Welch goddess of love and beauty; Habondia, British goddess of the harvest, abundance and prosperity, and many others. They knew that people must connect with the feminine qualities of divinity if they are to experience sincere devotion to a religion.
For a thousand years, millions of people have shown devotion to Mary, reciting over and over the beloved words:
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Because so many people believe that Mary listens and cares for them, Mary, unlike her divine but forgotten sisters, can manifest and speak to people all over the world. Some of her apparitions have been approved by the Roman Catholic Church; some have not. Mary does not seek approval for her appearances – she simply goes where she pleases to bestow her mother-love and healing gifts on the world’s children. She reminds us that we are loved, and that we should love others just as she loves us. Mary has appeared to devotees in England, France, and Ireland; Spain, Portugal, Egypt; Vietnam, Venezuela, Mexico, and Bosnia. Any spot where Mary has appeared is considered sacred and becomes a destination for pilgrims who may travel great distances to visit, to pray, and ask for healing. Miracles often occur during these pilgrimages.
When Mary makes a request for constant prayer; the building of a shrine; the unearthing of an underground spring from which healing water flows . . . the visionaries feel compelled to publicize their experience in order to make Mary’s wishes known. But Mary and her sister goddesses also make quiet visits to lonely, sick, or sad people who just need the touch of a mother’s hand or the sight of loving eyes gazing into their own.
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| by Tim Ashkar |
During the era of slavery in the United States, when children were sold away from their parents, Mary would appear as the Black Madonna to motherless children, like Laura. When she was eight years old, Laura was taken from her mother and her twin sister to be a wedding gift for Benjamin and Elizabeth Jones. When she cried at night, muffling her sobs in the crook of her arm, so as not to awaken her mistress, Mother Mary would come to Laura, lift her up, and cradle her wordlessly in her arms. No words were needed; no message given – just the soft warmth of mother-love, to remind the little girl that she was not forgotten; that she was an important part of the great Divine Love that had given her life.
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