Kassiquan

 Mariology

By profession, I am a Social Worker.  Social Workers are mostly aware that when working with clients we begin advocating and providing services to meet their basic needs right from the point of where clients are in their lives.  Once Social Workers meet the basic needs, and if there is a need for mental health counseling/therapy, this would likely be the only time Social Workers might work with clients to get to the root causes of their situations.  Social Workers pride themselves on using the holistic approach with clients and assisting them with support systems that are available to them; these include family, friends, colleagues, and pastor/religious leaders of the faith to which clients might belong.  At my first full-time Social Work internship, while in college I had a supervisor who 1) respected the fact that I was earning my Social Work degree along with a Bible degree: 2) encouraged me to look into all religions so I would be familiar with the beliefs of clients.  I never forgot my supervisor’s advice and few years later, was able to use this with a young male client on probation for substance abuse.

I met with this client for weekly check-ins prior to his attending his group meetings.  During the check-ins, the client had to submit a urine sample and the results would always come back positive.  When the client informed me that he was a devout Muslim, I remembered the words of my supervisor from my internship days.  I looked into the Quran and found this passage:

O you who believe, intoxicants and games of chance and (sacrificing to) stones set up and (dividing by) arrows are only and uncleanness, the devil’s work; so shun it that you may succeed.  The devil desires only to create enmity and hatred among you by means of intoxicants and games of chance, and to keep you back from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer.  Will you then keep back?

 Holy Quran 5:90-91

I read this to the client right from the Quran and let him read it again for himself.  I gave him a copy of the passage that I placed on a poster for him to keep.  In the following weeks, I noticed some slight changes in dress and character but he still struggled.  The client’s attendance decreased until finally probation had other ideas for him.

What I am about to discuss here, is not to be critical of the Catholic Church, the Protestant Church no of other religious faiths and beliefs.  After all, before I went to Bible College, I did attend Sunday school as a child under the Presbyterians, attended Catholic Church as a teenager because my father wanted my siblings and me to make our first baptism, confession, and communion.  I also made my confirmation, choosing Joseph for my Saint name.  I chose Joseph because I admired his willingness to take Mary as his wife having he the honor and the blessing to be the foster father in raising Jesus.  As a young adult, I joined a Jewish singing group of believers in Christ that attended an Assembly of God Church and I experienced worship services with Lutherans, Methodists and Episcopalians.  In retrospect, I was experiencing beliefs of other religions later suggested by my supervisor during my first internship.

What does this have to do with Mariology, the title of this writing?  Looking at Scripture, listening to messages and reading articles, the doctrine of Mary has been on my mind these past few weeks, well on my mind for quite some time now.  I have a good friend, like a brother who is a devout Catholic and recently attended a weekly Bible study course for four years prior to the pandemic.  My friend would bring up the subject of Mary and he would have questions because his teacher would share views, which he was surprised to hear in spite of his beliefs.  I would show passages from the Bible to confirm what he was hearing.  This week, the Catholic Church will be celebrating the Feast of the Assumption; the belief that Mary did not die but taken up into heaven.  I have been listening to a Catholic Marian priest who shows to be very intellectual using research to discuss Catholic beliefs, the Sacraments, the Eucharist and Mary.  I am amazed at the Marian priest’s strong stand and advocacy for the Catholic faith.  Now 50 years old and sharing that he has only been a priest for eight years avidly defends his faith attempting to strengthen the faith of his congregation.  However, I was quite disappointed hearing him say that the Catholic Church is he only Christian Church that teaches the complete truth, the Protestants and other religions do not.  I am not an intellectual and I avoid any type of arguments about faith and beliefs.  Here are my thoughts about Mary that I wish to share.  I am not speaking from intellect but from common sense.

 

1                   Immaculate Conception – Why would Mary need to be born without sin?  This is the belief that Mary’s mother was made sinless by God in order for Mary to be born without sin.  Thinking here…why would God “bless” Mary’s mother, when Mary was “blessed” by God to conceive (Luke 1:34-35).  Does this not take away the “miracle” away from Mary?  I am not speaking from intellect but from common sense.

2                   Ever Virgin – Why would Mary not have more children?  Yes, when Mary conceived Christ and gave birth, Mary was a virgin (Compare Matthew 1:24-25 and Luke 1:34-35).  According to the Bible, Mary did have other children mentioned in Mark 6:2-3; James, Joses, Judas, and his sisters.  Paul the Apostle mentions James, the Lord’s brother who was leading the Church in Jerusalem (Acts 21:18 & Galatians 1:18-19).  The Marian priest alleges that the Greek word “aelphoi” in Mark and Galatians is translated brother.  However when I studied Greek, “adelphoi” meant brother.  Taking a closer look at the Greek, there is a word for cousin, “xaderphos.”  If you saw these two Greek words written in their Greek characters, one might believe that “brother” was the actual translation but mistakenly translated as “cousin.”  The next point made by the Marian priest was the following; Joseph was previously married, became a widow and did have children by his first wife.  Shocking!  Would not the Gospels of Matthew or Luke mention of hint to this about Joseph in retelling the birth of Jesus?  I believe that Mary and Joseph would want to consummate their marriage once Jesus was born and weaned.  There were, to my knowledge, no such things as contraceptives in those days and why would not Mary and Joseph enjoy being intimate?  Again, I am not speaking from intellect but from common sense.

3                   The Assumption of Mary – Scripture does not say anything further about Mary than what we read in the Gospel of John, “Then he (Jesus) said to the disciple (John), ‘Behold your mother!’ (John 19:25-27).  We do know that Mary would still be living at the time Luke wrote his Gospel since he writes down the words of Mary’s praise when she went to visit Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-56).  I would tend to think there would be actual witnesses (maybe John) who watched Mary taken up into heaven, as there were witnesses for Jesus.  The Catholic Church sites Revelation 12 to justify the woman in Revelation as Mary who gave birth to Christ.  Is this the passage used to justify the assumption of Mary; taken up into heaven?  Maybe.  If Catholic Church leaders take this passage literally, Mary would have to have lived another 1,260 days.  I learned in Bible College that Scripture helps interpret Scripture.  Apostle Paul traveled, preached and wrote his letters using the knowledge gained as a Pharisee to interpret Scripture; the Old Testament.  The New Testament did not completely exist until about the third or fourth Century AD.  Most likely, the woman described Revelation clothed with the Sun, moon and stars is the nation of Israel, a reflection of Joseph’s dream hinting on founding of Israel as a nation who from which Christ would come forth.  Yes, I am not speaking from intellect but from common sense.

 

Listening to the Marian priest at times, I have to laugh when he uses sources from the Catholic traditions and, at other times, I have to shake my head when he uses Scripture to prove his points – sad.  I believe that the Marian priest has this need to hold on to his faith proving to himself his need to be right; not shake his foundation.  Okay.  Most of us, no matter what faith or religion we follow, we all have a need to be able hold on to what we believe that keeps us encouraged, supported and hopeful while tackling the challenges life may throw in our paths.  As social workers, counselors or therapists working with clients, we can challenge them to use their faith, their beliefs as a support system, an approach I may use when working with clients; not to criticize but to help them use the support systems they have available while understanding their faith and beliefs they carry with them.  When asked about my own faith or belief and if appropriate, I might share with my clients (including my staff) but careful not to “preach, convert, or force” them to believe what I believe; I leave this in God’s hands.  The extent of my witnessing with clients (and staff) is the following:

 

1                 Allowing my “light” to shine (Matthew 5:16)

2                 Showing love for each other (John:13:34-35)

3                 Doing what God requires (Micah 6:8)

Being a social worker educated in Bible College, I learned to read the Bible from a human perspective, from our human condition; we offend.  We offend God and we offend each other.  One of my college professors of philosophy commented, “The Bible is all true but not all truth.”  I do not base my faith on Mariology, which is intellectual, theological, and scholarly with no actual Biblical support except for the teachings of the Catholic Church and its own interpretation.  After all, Jesus did not go “preaching” to the people discussing Scripture or religion from an intellectual, theological and scholarly perspective but used common sense, images and stories to which the people could relate.  Yes, when I read the Bible, I do find that it does interpret itself but, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Bible does reveals the complete truth.  Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6).  Does knowing what Jesus said make “common sense?”  It does to me.