The Virgin Mary-her life in detail

"But you,Bethlehem in Ephrathah ,small as you are to be among Judah's clans ,out of you shall come forth a governor for Israel.....Therefore so long as a woman is in labour shall he give up Israel"

Micah 5:2-3

This is the reference to the birth of the Lord in Micah via the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Virgin Mary is the Mother of God. In St Matthew 1:25 we are told that Mary gave birth to Jesus. According to St John 1:1-5 Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. As Jesus was truly God from the moment of his conception we can say for definite that Mary is the Mother of God.

Mary shows great humilty and patience in her daily life. Theologians accept that she was without sin during her life. Mary is also our Mother . In Romans 8:29 we are told that we,as Christians,are " shaped to the likeness " of the Lord Jesus. As Christians,and followers of Christ,we can therefore say that she is also our Mother. She became our Mother from the moment she agreed to give birth to the Word of God, the Head of the Church,whose members we all are.

References in the Bible to the Mother of Our Lord.

“….and there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads ,and ten horns ,and on his heads seven diadems…and the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to be delivered; that when she should be delivered he might devour her son. And she brought forth a man child ,who was to rule all nations with an iron rod; and her Son was taken up to God ,and to his throne. And the woman fled to the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God ,that there they should feed her 1260 days.” Revelations 12:1-16.
The dragon or the evil one, tried to kill the Baby Jesus from his birth by inflaming Herod into killing the 5000 innocents and later by stirring the Jews into Crucifying the Lord.

There are other instances in the Bible where the Lord refers to his Mother.
“Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father, is my brother, my sister my mother. Matthew 12::50

On another occasion a woman in a crowd said to him “Happy the womb carried you , and the breasts that suckled you ” He replied “ ..happy are those who hear the Word of God and keep it.” Luke 11:27-28.This shows that Jesus values holiness and the love for God, above the relationship between parents and child. He is however, in this way paying his mother the greatest compliment possible because she excelled all people in holiness and dignity, and her devotion to the will of God.

The Virgin Mary was of the House of King David. There are a few references in the Bible to Mary's family tree..
St Paul tells us that Jesus was “of the stock" of David (Romans 1:4.)

There is also a reference during the Annunciation when the Angel Gabriel was sent from God to a “girl betrothed to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David .” Luke 1:26-27 .

It is believed that this phrase “descendant of David” refers to Mary and not Joseph.

Mary's parents were called Joachim and Anna. Joachim was of the House of David. Anna it is believed was from the priestly family of Aaron. Mary was born because of the fervent prayers of her mother and father who were old in age at her birth.The Lord God heard their prayers and granted them their wish.

The Birth Of Mary:

It is believed that Mary was born in a House called Probatica in Jerusalem . The house was very close to the pool at Bethaisda.It was here that The Lord cured the crippled man who had been ill for thirty eight years(John 5:1-15). In the fifth Century the Empress Eudoxia built a Church on the site where Mary was born and where her parents lived . The present church of St Anna stands at a distance of about 100 feet from this pool. It is believed that this is the location where Joachim and Anna were buried. There is a crypt near St Anna's tomb where the Virgin Mary , it is believed, was born.

21 st November:

When Mary was three years old she was presented to the Lord God in his Holy Temple . She mounted the steps herself ,and made her solemn vow of virginity on this very occasion. She stayed there till about the age of fourteen. There she prayed and enjoyed visions and daily visits of the Holy Angels. This day is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on 21st November every year.

The Birth of the Lord

When Mary became of age she was betrothed to a man called Joseph. Betrothal lasted for about a year before the marriage ceremony took place. It was during this time that the Angel Gabriel came to Mary and told her that she would give birth to the Son of the Most High. The Angel also told Mary that her Cousin Elizabeth ,who was thought of as barren, was pregnant too. Elizabeth 's baby was to become the Lord's Herald ,St John The Baptist. Mary rushed to visit her Cousin Elizabeth, where all the Angel Gabriel had told her was found to be true. The journey to her Cousin's home would have taken about thirty hours. As she entered the house and greeted her Cousin, the baby in Elizabeth 's womb leapt for joy. It was then that Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit cried out:
“ God's blessing is on you above all women ,and his blessing is on the fruit of your womb."Luke 1 :42

It was here that Elizabeth for the first time refers to Mary as the “Mother of My Lord.”(Luke 1:43-44).Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and returned home .

When Mary returned home, and before she and Joseph had formally come together as husband and wife, ie before the marriage ceremony had taken place, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. Joseph was a just and honourable man. He did not wish to expose Mary to any shame –in those days adultery was punished by stoning- decided to “have the marriage contract set aside quietly ” Matthew 1:19-20 .

It was then that Joseph had the vision of the Angel in his sleep who told him “do not be afraid to take Mary home with you as your wife.It is by the Holy Spirit that she conceived this child." (Matthew 1:20 -21).

Joseph ,after the revelation, took Mary into his house as his wife. In effect, he became her guardian as he was considerably older than her. Mary kept her vow of virginity for the rest of her life. She was ever a virgin .During the reign of Quirinius, Governor of Syria ,the Emperor Augustus issued a decree for a census.To be officially counted in this census everyone had to go back to their own town. In St Luke 2:1-7 Joseph and Mary travelled from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census. Because of the number of people coming to Bethlehem at the time for the same purpose, there was no room at the inns in the area, and the couple were forced to seek refuge in a cave which served as a shelter for animals.

It was here that one night Christ was born. Mary wrapped him up in “swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger ,” Luke 2:7 This is a sign that Mary did not suffer from any pain or weakness in childbirth. This was a sign that Mary was not subject to the punishment pronounced in Genesis 3:16 against Eve and her sinful daughters.

"I will increase your labour and your groaning,and in labour you shall bear children."

It was in this cave that the shepherds came, after the Angel's invite, and the wise men from the east followed the star and came to offer their gifts to the Lord, of gold, frankincense and myrr.

Herod:
King Herod who ruled Judea at the time of the birth of the Lord had been visited by the wise men on their way to find the Lord. They had asked him " Where is the Child who is born to be King of the Jews?We observed the rising of his star,and we have come to pay him homage." (Matthew 2:2-3)

Herod was greatly worried by this news and had the wise men followed hoping that they would lead him to the Lord so that he could kill the Baby Jesus. Being warned that King Herod intended to find the Baby Jesus and kill him,once they had presented their gifts, the wise men decided to go home another way.

Simeon's Prophesy:
According to the law, every first born male was to be dedicated to the Lord God. In Exodus 13:2 it says “Every first-born …. you must dedicate to me. , both man and beast.;it is mine.” At this ceremony, the child would be circumcised and given a name.
Mary, Joseph, and her baby Jesus followed this custom, presenting a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons. It was here that Simeon took the child in his hands and uttered his prophesy “This child is destined to be a sign which men reject.” Luke 2:34-35 . He also told Mary “ ..and you too shall be pierced to the heart,” (Luke 2 :35 ) foretelling the grief she would endure when her Son would be crucified.
Simeon finished his prophesy thus:
“Many in Israel will stand or fall because of him, and thus the secret thoughts of many will be laid bare.” ( Luke 2 : 35)

The Murder of the Innocents:
It was at this time that an Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and told him to take Mother and Child and flee to Egypt as King Herod was searching for the Child to kill him. It was about ten days journey from Bethlehem to reach Egypt .Joseph took Mary and the Baby Jesus and did as the Angel had told him.Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men and flew into a rage.
In order to make sure that he killed the Baby Jesus,he ordered that all children under the age of two in Bethlehem and the surrounding area, should be killed. This was to fulfil the Prophesy of Jeremiah “ A voice was heard in Rama, wailing and loud laments. It was Rachel weeping for her children, and refusing all consolation,because they were no more.” (Matthew 2:18).
Thus after the great joy that the day of Christmas brings, we have tremendous sadness. It is believed that Herod murdered about 14000 infants on this day. This day is remembered in the Orthodox Church on 29 December,four days after Christmas.

Herod dies:
When Joseph received news of Herod's death from the Angel, he was told to return home to Israel . The news that Archlaus ruled in Judah prevented Joseph from settling in Bethlehem and after been warned by an Angel he settled in Galilee so that the child was known as a Nazarene.

Jesus in The Temple:
We see Mary in the incident where the family went on a visit to the Temple in Jerusalem with other pilgrims .The Lord Jesus was about twelve at the time.Once the pilgrimage was over, everyone would make their way home.Mary and Joseph , believing that Jesus was with other members of the family, started to make their way back.After the first day's journey back, Mary and Joseph , could not find Jesus, so they started to search for him, fearing that he was lost. They went back to Jerusalem searching for the Lord. They found him in the Temple , sitting amongst the doctors of the law teaching and listening to them. Mary asked Jesus “My Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” (Luke 2 :48-49)
It was here that Jesus told his mother “did you not know that I was bound to be in my Father's house?” (Luke 2: 49-50).At the time Mary treasured all these experiences in her heart,not fully understanding their significance.

The Death of the Lord:

Mary was at the foot of the cross when her son was crucified with St John . Jesus said to her “Mother,there is your son” and to his disciple he said “There is your Mother.And from that moment,the disciple took her into his home.” John 19:25-27 .On the Cross the Lord showed the love he had for his Mother. Joseph had died and his Mother was a widow. So the Lord took compassion on his heartbroken Mother and made provision for her future. He wanted her to consider John as her Son and he to consider her as his Mother. Mary was probably there assisting when the Lord's body was taken down from the cross, and she was there when he was placed in the tomb. Mary saw the Resurrection of the Lord. She shared in his triumph. St John looked after and cared for Our Lady. This did not, however, affect his work. He was absent from Jerusalem on many occasions, and took part in many Councils at that time.

The Birth of the Church and the New Order:

After the Lord's Ascension into heaven, Mary and the Apostles spent time in Jerusalem in prayer. She was there praying with the others when the Holy Spirit descended on them Acts 2:1-4 and rested "on each one .” Thus she was there, encouraging the early Christian Community.

Mary's Home

It is believed that The Virgin Mary's permanent home was in Jerusalem , although it is probable that she lived for some time in Ephesus . There are a few witnesses who state that Mary lived for a while there. Benedict XIV says that she died in Ephesus and other writers state that she temporarily resided there. These claims have not been backed up by strong proof. It is believed that during times of persecution many Christians fled Jerusalem but returned when things had calmed down. In the year 451 Juvenal ,the Bishop of Jerusalem testified to the presence of Mary's tomb in Jerusalem . There is another tradition placing the tomb of Mary in Gethsemani because there is a Basilica erected above the sacred spot. The evidence is more weighted towards Jerusalem , although it is not entirely certain where the Virgin Mary lived after the day of Pentecost.

Mary did not die in the normal sense of the word. It is believed that she was taken up to heaven by her Son in around 48 AD. She did not die of disease or old age like we do. She was united in love with her beloved Son.

Days we Honour the Mother of God:

Each year we Honour The Mother of God in the Orthodox Church in a number of Special days called Feast Days:

2nd February –the Purification

25th March – the Annuciation

15th August-The Death of Our Lady

8th September –The Birth of the Mother of God

21st November –The Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple .