Scriptures show a youthful, homey Mary

The life the Blessed Mother is becoming clearer, thanks to research on the Bible and Middle Eastern cultures of the first century, said Rev. Bertrand Buby, SM, author of "Mary of Galilee," a three-volume set of books that explores her life. He is also a professor at the International Marian Research Institute at the University of Dayton in Ohio.

"The opportunity to study Scripture in Rome and Israel was a beautiful way to deepen my relationship with Mary," he said.

Life story

As a woman, she would have spent her time at home. "The tasks she had centered on the home," said Father Buby. "She would be responsible for educating Jesus and teaching Him to read."

Food preparation was also a chief duty. It was common for women of her time to have a garden to help in their meal preparation. Also, she would have been responsible for making the family's clothing.

"She would have been confined to her home," he said. "If she did leave home, she would have to cover her face."

Marriage and travel

The Annunciation, he said, took place between the first and second stage.

The trip Mary made to visit her cousin Elizabeth would have taken a week. The 100-mile journey would have brought her through the desert and mountains, and "would be a difficult trip," he said.

What we learn

"The first thing we learn is that she was a devout Jewish woman," he said. "She was very intelligent as seen through her dialogue with the angel. She was courageous and faithful. She was the only disciple with Jesus from birth to death."

Several important scenes of Mary's life can be found in the New Testament, Father Buby said, including the Annunciation story in Luke's Gospel and the scene at the foot of the cross in the Gospel of John.

Young Jesus

"It's the only passage we have of Jesus in His youth," he said. "It shows the relationship between mother and son. It shows her ability to regroup to search and find Jesus. It also shows the obedience of Jesus. In the end, He went with them."

Father Buby also described it as a "family scene" since Joseph is also mentioned. This passage also shows that Mary's understanding of Jesus developed over time.

"She, too, had to grow in her understanding of Jesus," he pointed out.

Conflicts

* "In Luke, she's from Nazareth. In Matthew, she's from Bethlehem. In a sense, Luke and John use her theologically rather than historically."

* While Luke's Gospel has the Annunciation occurring to the Blessed Mother, Matthew's Gospel has the angel coming to Joseph.

* In Mark's Gospel, Mary doesn't understand Jesus. In John's Gospel, she misunderstands Him. But Luke's Gospel describes her as "the ideal Christian."

Mary's presence at the foot of the cross in John's Gospel is significant to Father Karban because "the end of the Gospel is the only other time she's there. In the theology of John, she now understands what His hour is about."

(Father Buby's trilogy about Mary is available for $39.95 plus shipping and handling from Alba House; call 1-800-343-2522. The University of Dayton's Mary website is found at www.udayton.edu/mary.)

(10-01-98) [[In-content Ad]]