Broadening Marian view

By Tony Staley
Compass Editor

Despite our esteem for Mary, we have several misconceptions about her, Sr. Ruth Fox, OSB, wrote in Catholic Woman (May/June 2006), published by the National Council of Catholic Women.

The biblical Mary, wrote Sr. Fox, a Bible scholar, "was no beauty queen untouched by the messiness of life. She was, first of all, an unwed mother with all the social and religious scandal of this unacceptable condition," including embarrassment, ridicule, misunderstanding and suspicion from her family, neighbors and even her intended spouse.

She writes that Mary, who wore not blue satin but an unbleached tunic, had chapped hands and broken fingernails from gardening, washing clothes, spinning wool and grinding barley for flour. Hauling water daily in heavy clay jars left her shoulders bent and her feet calloused.

She was a woman of faith, who trusted in and accepted God's will. As Jesus' first teacher, she schooled him in the Bible, love of neighbor and the need for justice for the oppressed. She stood bravely at the foot of the cross of her dying son and was a leader in the early church, no doubt providing a refuge for missionaries.

She was, in other words, no plaster saint, but a model and inspiration for us all.