Mary and Religious Art.

A stained glass window of the virgin mary. Catholics do not believe as mary to be a god more as a carer for jesus, but prayers still ask her prayers.

Mary, the Mother of Jesus, stands holding her son in this statue, which, paired with the statue of her husband, Joseph the Carpenter. For Catholics, Mary is significant in many ways. As the person who would give birth to the Messiah, she was from the beginning untainted by the the original sin of Adam and Eve that overshadows all humanity.

St Joseph, the husband of Mary and earthly father of Jesus, looks out from the left-hand column flanking the Church sanctuary. In this position he complements the staute of St Mary with the Child Jesus

Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. — Luke 2:51b

And so I stood up to bring my little offering before Our Lady, before she who has held things both beautiful and painful in her heart.



Mary: The mother of Jesus

The Begining

A well-known tradition says she was born in Jerusalem, Other early sources say Mary was born in Nazareth. There is even an ancient record that points to Sepphoris, a town a few miles from Nazareth, as her birthplace.

She was named Mary, By her father Joachim and her mother Ann, The name was common among Jewish women in those days. 

Her Daily Life

She lived as other people in the village did, in a small family house of stone and mud-brick. She worked like any young girl, grinding wheat and barley into flour, preparing dishes of beans, vegetables, eggs, fruits, nuts, and occasional chunks of mutton. Wool had to be made into clothing. Bread had to be baked. A few chickens and a donkey had to be fed. And in the village, small as it was, there were always little children to care for.
Almost daily she carried a large jar of water from the town well for washing and cooking.

Just as for the other women of Nazareth, the seasons and times of harvest determined what Mary had to do.
~ When the rain poured down in october the wheat crops were grown to be harvested.
~ In May. Small dark olives, knocked from dull green trees
~ in September The dark Olives to be pressed into oil for lamps and food.
~ In May or June, early figs were picked
~ Grapes and pomegranates ripened in September and October

 

Her Strong Faith

The people of Nazareth had a strong Jewish faith. The Jews believed this land was theirs, given to their ancestors.

Mary's faith was strong. although, Nazareth with its high standards, she barely stood out at all, even in the eyes of those who knew her best. As a woman living in a society where men counted most, she would be little noticed except as a mother and a wife. When she was 15 or so, Mary's parents made plans for her to be married. They chose Joseph of Nazareth, a carpenter, for her husband. The engagement took place and Mary returned home to wait about a year before she would go to live with her husband as his wife.



Her child is born

'Do not be afraid. Listen! I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.