The Virgin Mary Essay -- Religion Christianity

The Virgin Mary â€Å"The turbulent course of Mary’s remarkable life, the difficult choices she made, the terrible ordeals she survived, changed history and transformed the lives of millions for all time† (Biography - Mary of Nazareth,1996). Mary, the mother of Jesus is thought highly of by all Christian faiths. In addition, Catholics hold Mary as the first saint and worship her. I feel Catholics are more accurate when it comes to praising Mary for her devotion to God. Mary should be more of a model for every Christian follower, because of the trust she had in God and the sacrifices she made for all of us. The New Testament does not mention Mary’s birth or her childhood; she is first brought up in the gospel of Luke as a thirteen-year old girl betrothed to Joseph. Thankfully there is a historical text called Protoevangelium of James, which was written around 120 AD and it discusses the events surrounding Mary’s birth, childhood and betrothal, and embellishes on the biblical account of Jesus’ birth (Devotion to the Holy Infant Mary, n.d., par. 5). The birth of Mary was also miraculous. Mary was born in Nazareth to her elderly Jewish parents Joachim and Anna. Anna was unable to bear children, so she prayed to God to grant her a child. An angel visited her and told her that she would conceive a child. Anne promised to dedicate the child to God's service. According to the Catholic doctrine the conception of Mary was without any original sin; known as Immaculate Conception (Biography - Mary of Nazareth, 1996). In Mary’s time the most education a child could ask for, especially a female would consist of learning the basic survival skills of cooking, faming and weaving. Mary was more than likely illiterate, and poor. As illustrated in t... ...m the New Testament:. About.com Christianity. Retrieved December 6, 2010, from http://www.christianityabout.com/od/newtestamentpeople/p/marymotherjesus.htm Slick, M. (n.d.). Did Mary Have Other Children?. CARM - Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry. Retrieved December 6, 2010, from http://carm.org Sri, Edward P. (n.d.). The Original Mary: Our Lady's Life Before the Annunciation. Holy Spirit Interactive - Catholic Information Resource. Retrieved December 5, 2010, from http://www.holyspiritinteractive.net/columns/edwardsri/knowingmary/01.asp The Virgin Mary. (n.d.). Encyclopedia of Death and Dying. Retrieved December 7, 2010, from http://www.deathreference.com Were Mary and Joseph Married?. (n.d.). Bible Truths, Salvation, Creation, Angels, Jesus, God, Holy Spirit. Retrieved December 4, 2010, from http://www.bibletruths.net/sermons/btso140.htm