Mary

Today is the feast day in the Catholic church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

This refers to the belief that at the end of her life, Mary was transported body and soul into heaven. Narratives enshrining this belief have existed since the early centuries of the church, although it was only declared as official doctrine of the Church in 1950.

Hmmm. Like many Christian women, I’ve had trouble with the Maryan cult. The sickly-sweet presentation of Mary the Mother of Christ has fed the virgin/whore dichotomy that has in turn led to the polarisation of Christian churches over the position of women.

I would like to see a re-examination and reclamation of Mary the Mother of Christ from a feminist perspective. (If anyone has recommendations for good resources on this, please point me to ‘em.)

But whatever layers and questionable beliefs the Church has built on to her story over the centuries, this young girl was the mother of Christ, and this middle-aged woman cradled her Son’s dead body in her arms. In a sense she stands as mother of all of us.

Muslims, who revere Christ as a holy prophet, also reverence his Mother, and a whole surah (chapter) of the Qur’an is devoted to Mary – Maryam. I came across this video celebrating the motherhood of Mary as related in the Qur’an: