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| Resources > St. Mary’s Resources > | The Virgin St. Mary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Awake, o my harp, your chords, in praise of the Virgin Mary! Lift up your voice and sing the wonderful history of this Virgin, the daughter of David, who gave birth to the Life of the world! St. Ephraim the Syrian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Biblical Reality The virginity of St. Mary is not a matter of her own private life, but rather a “biblical reality”, which belongs with our faith in Jesus Christ. For when the word of God was Incarnated, He was not particular about the kind of place where he would be cradled, or the clothes He would wear, or the food He would eat; but He was definitely very particular about the Virgin who was to be His Mother. Virginity & Christology The Virginal Birth which happened once, never to be repeated, is a proof of our faith in Jesus Christ, that He is not of this world, but from on high, the Son of GOD. This is what the angel Gabriel proclaimed to St. Mary herself when she asked him: “How can this come about, since I do not know man?!” “the Holy spirit will come upon you”, the angel answered, “and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, and so the Child will be called Son of GOD” (Luke1: 34,35). Subsequently, this Virginal Birth formed a principal element in all the creeds of the Early Church, not because it says something about St. Mary, but because it reveals the Person and Nature of Jesus Christ. Virginity & Our Salvation God comes to us, born of a Virgin and conceived not of human seed. He unites Himself with us (humanity), not because of our human efforts or merits, but rather as a divine grace bestowed on us. It is the free gift of love which only comes from GOD. In other words, St. Mary’s virginity is, therefore, a sign of man’s poverty and his inability to work out his own salvation; to bring into being One who can save him. St. Mary’s virginity does not mean that we have to be passive in our spiritual life. For God did not force Himself in St. Mary’s womb, nor did she conceived Him unwillingly, but played an active role. God asked her to accept! The Divine Incarnation was realized by the free grace of God, but she herself humbly accepted obedience. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Last Updated on Dec. 27, 2001. For any comments or problems, please contact the web site maintainer. 1997-2001, St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church, Ottawa, Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
