Mary, Mother of Jesus remains a popular and worshiped figure among Catholics in the 21st century. Though there are many adaptations of the name including the Virgin Mary, Mary of Nazareth, Blessed Mother, Queen of Heaven and so on, the belief that she was visited by an angel sent from God and subsequently gave birth to the long promised Messiah is the element that remains constant among all Christians. Mary’s significance in Catholic Church can be seen frequently as she is an essential part of the basis of what Catholics believe.
There is however, controversy among Christians even today regarding the details of Mary’s life and the doctrinal teachings regarding Mary. Many Christians believe that Mary should not be worshiped, while others believe that she should be worshiped. The main argument against worshiping Mary is that she was simply a normal, imperfect person who happened to be called upon by God to give birth to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Others argue that Mary should be worshiped for her ability to answer God’s calling with faith and acceptance. These Christians believe that it is Mary’s exemplary submission to God’s will that makes her an iconic figure and for that they believe she should be worshiped. The controversy among Christians regarding the Mother Mary goes beyond just whether or not she should be worshiped. Since there is not a lot of reputable information about Mary’s life before the birth of Jesus, her life is mainly left up to interpretation.
It is generally believed that she lived the average life of a Jewish girl in her time period, which meant doing work around the house and preparing for marriage and motherhood. The arguments about Mary’s early life range from what her age was at the time of Jesus’ birth to her connection with Joseph before the birth. The truth is we will likely never know any of these details, but the important thing is that Mary is recognized as the Mother of Jesus.
