Mary the Mother of Jesus: A Prototype of Radical Discipleship.
Rt.
Rev. Dr. Matthews Mar Makarios
Advent
season is the time to remember the events related to the birth of Jesus Christ.
Every Christmas season is the reminder of the salvific act of God to redeem the
fallen humanity. It pronounces the unconditional love of God who sacrificed his
only son for saving the world.
For our devotion, the scripture portion I have
chosen is from the Gospel according to St. Luke 1: 26-38.
Bible
Passage: Luke 1: 26-38
The theme
for our devotion is titled: Mary the
Mother of Jesus a Prototype of Radical Discipleship.
At the time
of Mary, the mother of Jesus, a woman accused of any kind of sin was severely
punished. If it was the sin of adultery the punishment was to stone to death.
It was at such a time that the angel Gabriel said to Mary, “Greetings favoured one!, The Lord is with you”.
Proclamation
of Angel: A Divine call:
Here the angel
Gabriel acts as the messenger of God. The Greek and Hebrew term for angel, angellos
and malach reflects the same meaning.
We can find many instances in the New Testament, wherein angels were sent to
proclaim message. In the New Testament we see the visit of angel to Mary, angel
assuring Joseph of Mary’s faithfulness, the angel visiting the shepherds etc.
Also in the life of Jesus, we come across an angel of God strengthening Jesus in
the Garden of Gethsemane.
In the above
passage, verse 38 reflects the perfect submission of Mary which sets her as an
epitome of discipleship.
Let us
meditate on the factors that help us to lead a radical discipleship:
Holy
Spirit leads us to radical discipleship:
The birth of
Jesus Christ is the result of Holy Spirit conception in Virgin Mary. It means
that Holy Spirit was specially functioning at the time of birth of Jesus. In Jewish
thought, Holy Spirit had certain definite functions like, to convey God’s truth
to men; to teach the prophets the message to be proclaimed and also in God’s
act of creation. Thus Holy Spirit not only brought words to men but also
enabled them to proclaim it.
In John 20:
19-23, we come across the missionary commission by Jesus. Amidst the darkness
and fear of Jews, the risen Christ enters the room and proclaims the message of
peace to the disciples. Verse 22 says, “…. Receive the Holy Spirit”. Here Jesus
attests the importance of Holy Spirit in the future ministry and works of the
disciples. Through it he establishes the continuing presence of Jesus in our
mission. Giving away of spirit is the sign of this mission commissioning. In
John 16: 8 we see the guiding force of the Holy Spirit. Thus work of the spirit
is to lead us to the fuller dimension of truth. Our church should be a spirit
filled community and discipleship should be a spirit filled experience. In
verse 35, the angel says that the Holy Spirit will come down on Mary. It
highlights the encouraging presence of Holy Spirit in the life of Mary.
Cross
as the reward of Discipleship:
In John 28:
24-28, we witness the discourse between Jesus and Thomas. When Thomas refuses
to believe the resurrection of Christ, Jesus shows him the marks of cross. Jesus
here proclaims the cost of discipleship. Through this Jesus also tries to
convey the message that in discipleship one should not expect a reward more
than the cross. God send Jesus as the first missionary to this world and through
commissioning the disciples, he challenges them to bear the cross. It is said
that Commissioning has no promises but lots of Challenges. Radical discipleship
is to understand this truth that in the very term of discipleship lie many
challenges. When Thomas believes the resurrection of Christ, he proclaims the
most supreme Christological Pronouncement: My Lord
and God.
The basis of
discipleship is self denial which is very well highlighted in the life of Mary.
When Gabriel proclaims the good news to Mary, she very well understands that
the good news she will bear could make her an object of social stigma. By fully
acknowledging the fact, she affirms this verse of submission.
Conclusion:
The word Immanuel: God with us, accentuate the
same meaning implied in John 1:14 i.e the word became flesh. It declares the
continuing presence of God in our lives. Post ascension Jesus’ asserted his
presence by the commissioning of the Holy Spirit. Just as the Psalmist say Even
though I walk through the deepest valley. I face no fear.
Though
church has only one mission, it has in it various ministries. Ministry is the
praxis of mission and it enlightens the whole inhabited world. The purpose of
mission is to get the fullness of life. By emulating the life style of Mary we
can reshape our lives to be a fruit bearing disciple of Christ.
May the Almighty
Lord strengthen us to submit ourselves like Mary and make our discipleship an
offering pleasing to the Lord.