And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. Luke 1:46-48
Motherhood
"Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31:25-30
"My son, keep your father's command, And do not forsake the law of your mother." Proverbs 6:20
"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you." Exodus 20:12
"Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy the truth, and do not sell it, Also wisdom and instruction and understanding. The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who begets a wise child will delight in him. Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her who bore you rejoice".
Proverbs 23:22-25
"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise: "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth."" Ephesians 6:1-3
"'Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and keep My Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 19:3
"Children's children are the crown of old men, And the glory of children is their father." Proverbs 17:6
"For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God"-- then he need not honor his father or mother.' Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition." Matthew 15:4-6
"When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!" Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home." John 19:26-27
From Church Readings of the month...
Pauline: "Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple." Romans 16:17-18
Catholic: "And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another. This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it." 2 John 1:5-6
Acts: "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers." Acts 1:14
Synaxarium: "At Your right hand stands the queen. Psalms 45:9"
The Assumption of the Body of the Pure Virgin St. Mary. Mesra 16
Psalms: "You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man." Psalm 5:6
Gospel: "Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; " nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!'" Luke 17:20-21
Words of our Fathers...
“For just as [Eve] was led astray by the word of an angel, so that she fled from God when she had transgressed His word; so did [Mary], by an angelic communication, receive the glad tidings that she should sustain God, being obedient to His word. And if the former did disobey God, yet the latter was persuaded to be obedient to God, in order that the Virgin Mary might become the patroness of the virgin Eve.And thus, as the human race fell into bondage to death by means of a virgin, so is it rescued by a virgin; virginal disobedience having been balanced in the opposite scale by virginal obedience.”
St. Irenaeus of Lyon, Against Heresies, V.19.1
"When I remember the disobedience of Eve, I weep. But when I view the fruit of Mary, I am again renewed. Deathless by descent, invisible through beauty, before the ages light of light; of God the Father wast Thou begotten; being Word and Son of God, Thou didst take on flesh from Mary Virgin, in order that Thou mightest renew afresh Adam fashioned by Thy holy hand."
St. Gregory the Wonder-worker, Homily Concerning the Holy Mother of God Ever-Virgin, 1
The Right
Honor Your Mother
The commandment, honoring her has priority over commitment to the Church.
by Pope Shenouda III
The Wrong!
