In this article we learn, through Bible verses, how it is not wrong to honour and venerate Mother Mary.

From the Gospel of Luke 1:39 onwards, if we reflect, this Bible passage is a very interesting passage, and there are a lot of things to learn from it. 

There are many historical and theological aspects to this Bible passage. Let us reflect on this Bible passage in a special way.

Luke 1:39, ³⁹In those days, Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country.

The Judean country is in the southern part of Palestine in Galilee. It is a southern hill country in Israel. On the other hand, Nazareth is in the northern part of Israel. 

The northern part seems to be very beautiful – with beautiful scenery and greenery. But the Judean town is a hill country with many rocks, and it is very difficult to travel and walk through that area.

As soon as Mother Mary received the Annunciation, the Good News, she immediately set out and went with haste. That means she hurried to the Judean town. 

We do not know whether Mother Mary went alone, whether she travelled on a donkey, or whether she had anyone’s help. 

We do not know how she went, but we know one thing: she went, in haste and she went in hurry. 

Now, why did Mother Mary go like this? Why was she in such a hurry? There are perhaps two or three reasons for this.

The main reason is this: she came to know that her cousin Elizabeth was pregnant. Elizabeth was already in her old age, and therefore she needed support. She needed help immediately, because the angel said that she was already six months pregnant.

So, Mother Mary knew that Elizabeth was in her sixth month. That meant she really needed help right then, and that was one of the reasons why Mother Mary could not wait any longer. She hurried to the Judean town in the hill country so that she could take care of her cousin Elizabeth.

The second reason why she went in haste was this. The moment the Annunciation took place, Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mother Mary; the baby was born in her womb. 

Mother Mary herself may not have been so sure, so it was also an assurance for her when she goes and sees Elizabeth, who is already pregnant for six months. It was an assurance for Mother Mary that all that had happened had truly happened.

Many people claim that this may be one of the reasons. But Fr. personally believes it is because Mother Mary wanted to take care of Elizabeth in a special way. That is why Mother Mary went in haste to the Judean hill country.

Now Mother Mary went in haste to the Judean country. Then what happened there?

Luke 1:40, ⁴⁰She entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

In earlier times, young people were expected to honour, respect, and greet their elders. In olden times, this was followed very strictly. Elders were regarded as people in positions of authority. 

Therefore, anyone who was younger always respected the elders. Even in the way they spoke or greeted them, there was respect. Whenever the elders came, the younger people would stand up or greet them respectfully.

There was a protocol that every family followed in those days. But in modern times, it is slowly disappearing. Even small children sometimes call their father by name. We can see that very commonly today. 

It is not a good practice. Maybe for modern people it may seem good. But those who read the Bible, follow traditions, and remain connected to the past, respect the elders.

Even in the way people call or greet one another, there is respect. There is some beauty in it. There is some holiness in it. Respecting those who are supposed to be respected, is very important.

It will be so awkward to see a small child calling the grandfather by name. Everyone may have their own justification for these new-age cultures. But they may not be so good by the Bible culture.

So, Mother Mary entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Mother Mary greeted Elizabeth, what happened? Mother Mary was respecting the elder, Elizabeth. 

As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. The child in Elizabeth’s womb leaped for joy, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Mother Mary was filled with the Holy Spirit when she heard the Word of God through Angel Gabriel. Now, when Mother Mary greeted Elizabeth, and Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mother Mary, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

In the New Testament, in the Acts of the Apostles, we read that when St. Paul was speaking, all those who were hearing the Word of God were filled with the Holy Spirit. 

As St. Peter was preaching, everyone who heard the Word of God received the Holy Spirit. So, the Holy Spirit comes when you listen to the Word of God

When you listen to the Word of God, when you read the Word of God, and when you listen to the preaching of the Word of God, the Holy Spirit comes upon everyone.

Luke 1:42, ⁴²She exclaimed with a loud cry and said, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

Once Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, she exclaimed with a loud cry and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

We must have heard this sentence somewhere. If we recite the Holy Rosary, we know that this is part of the Hail Mary prayer:

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb“

When we pray, “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb,” remember how Elizabeth prayed these words for the first time.

How was her reaction? How did she say this prayer? – She prayed with a loud cry. 

How do we say this prayer? Many people pray, “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you…” and after that we fall into deep sleep. 

This is how many people pray. But Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. With a loud cry she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

There are two blessings. One blessing is for Mother Mary: “Blessed are you among women.” The second blessing is for Jesus: “Blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

Why are these ‘two’ special blessings? 

We know that it is not Elizabeth who is speaking, but it is the Holy Spirit speaking like this through Elizabeth.

Why is this a special blessing?

There was a woman through whom the curse came into the world. Through this woman came evil, death, and the curse. All the offspring of this woman also carried the curse – the sin.

But now, here is another woman through whom a blessing is coming and her offspring is also become a blessing. Therefore, the Holy Spirit speaks through Elizabeth and says, “Blessed are you among all women.”

Why is this woman blessed among all women?

All the women are the offspring of the first woman who brought curse and sin. But this woman is the most blessed among all women because she was born without original sin. 

All the other women are born with the original sin, but this woman has no sin. Therefore, “Blessed are you among women”. 

Then the blessing of the baby. “Blessed is the fruit of your womb”, because through you a new generation of blessing is coming to the world. A new generation starts, unlike with the first woman.

That is why this sentence is very, very important.

Now let us go to the next sentence. Luke 1:43, ⁴³And why has this happened to me, that the Mother of my Lord comes to me?

Here we can see Elizabeth honouring Mother Mary. Mother Mary is a young girl, while Elizabeth is an elderly woman. They are cousins. 

Mother Mary came to respect and honour Elizabeth. But now Elizabeth, is respecting and honouring Mother Mary. It is because Elizabeth knows that Mother Mary is a special person from today. 

This was not the first time that they had met. They had met many times before. Elizabeth used to visit Mother Mary, and Mother Mary used to visit Elizabeth on many occasions.

In the previous times, never had Elizabeth come and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

This is the first time she says these words because this is the first time Mother Mary is with the baby in her womb. 

This is the first time, Elizabeth comes out and greets her, and respects and honours her, and says – It is a big privilege for me to greet you and welcome you in my home.

Who said this? 

It was not Elizabeth. It was the Holy Spirit speaking through Elizabeth who said, “It is a great privilege to welcome You, Mother Mary, into my home.”

Fr. says, whenever he used to read this passage in the past, he used to think that Elizabeth should have said, “Why has this happened to me that Jesus, the Messiah, has come to me?”

It is Jesus who comes to Elizabeth, because there is Jesus in the womb of Mother Mary.  

Therefore, Elizabeth should have said, “Why has this happened to me that Lord Jesus has come to me?” This is how Elizabeth is supposed to greet Mother Mary.

But we see here in this Bible passage that Elizabeth is honouring, respecting, and greeting Mother Mary. She says, “Why has this happened to me that, the Mother of my Lord comes to me?”

So, importance is given to Mother Mary when Jesus is already there in her womb. This is a shocking passage from the Bible. Because, even when Jesus is there in front of Elizabeth, Elizabeth is honouring Mother Mary and giving her more importance.

This is one of the accusations which the Protestants and other denominations do against the Catholic Church. They say, “You are honouring Mother Mary more than Jesus.”

That is not our problem. Even in the Bible, we can see the same thing. It is Biblical.

Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. If she was without the Holy Spirit, we could understand. But she was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she honoured Mother Mary more than Jesus. This is something that we need to remember. 

Why did she do that? First of all, it is for us to do likewise. Secondly, remember that Elizabeth was not honouring Mother Mary or honouring Jesus. 

She was honouring and respecting Mother Mary because of Jesus. That is what we need to remember.

Why was Elizabeth honoring Mother Mary so much? It was because of Jesus. Mother Mary had come to Elizabeth many times in the past, but Elizabeth had never honoured her like this before. 

This was the first time she was honouring and exalting Mother Mary, saying, “Why has this happened to me that the Mother of my Lord has come to me?”

She is honouring Mother Mary so much because she knows that Jesus is inside her. Therefore, if we Catholics honour Mother Mary so much, it is because of Jesus. 

It is not because there is anything special about Mother Mary. We honour Mother Mary because of Jesus.

Therefore, even if we honour Mother Mary more than Jesus, it will never diminish the importance of Jesus. It is because we give importance to Jesus that we honour Mother Mary.

This is a very important passage for all Catholics to quote to any other denominations. Because here Elizabeth is giving more importance to Mother Mary than Jesus, because she knows Jesus is present in her womb.

Now, Elizabeth says, “Why has this happened to me that the Mother of my Lord comes to me?” The word “Lord” was normally used to address a king. In fact, Elizabeth is saying, “Why has the Mother of my King come to me?”

So Mother Mary’s position is that of the Queen Mother. No wonder Elizabeth, though she is elder to Mother Mary, honours and respects her and feels she is privileged to have Mother Mary in her home. 

In fact, she is saying, “I am so privileged to have you in my home.” It is not because this is the first time, but because today is a special time.

Remember all the Christians are supposed to say this, “I am so privileged to have the Mother of my Lord in my home. I am so privileged to have the Mother of my Lord with me. I am so privileged to be following the Mother of my Lord.”

Instead, so many Christians deny this Mother of their homes. This is anti- Bible. It is against the teachings of the Bible. Anyone who stands against Mother Mary or dishonours her is going against the plan of the Holy Spirit. 

Whether we like it or not, if we take all the passages of the Bible, we will understand more clearly.

Luke1:44, ⁴⁴For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.

Now Elizabeth is telling Mother Mary what happened to her when she welcomed Mother Mary – “As soon as I heard the sound of your greeting the child in my womb leaped for joy”. Now, Mother Mary is becoming a mediator to transfer the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Luke 1:45 – Now Elizabeth is giving another blessing – the third blessing. ⁴⁵Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.

What does this mean? 

Elizabeth is telling Mother Mary, “You are blessed because you heard the Word of God and you kept it. You heard the Word of God and you obeyed it. You heard the Word of God and you believed that the Word of God will be fulfilled. That is why you are blessed.”

Elizabeth is telling Mother Mary a very important theology. This theology is spiritual and does not come from a human being. It is from the Holy Spirit.

All the Word of God – the Bible teachings, and even the preaching of Jesus, comes from the Holy Spirit. That is why, if the Holy Spirit says something, there is a connection you can see. 

Every Word of God in the Old Testament and the New Testament is connected because there is one person writing the whole Bible – the Holy Spirit.

If it was written by so many different human beings, then there would be no connection. Though the Bible books are written by human beings, the actual writer is the Holy Spirit.

Though the hard work is done by human beings, the writer is the Holy Spirit. That is why we can see all the connections. 

For example, this connection written in Luke 1. This is coming from an elderly woman, who is illiterate. She says, “Mother Mary, you are blessed because you heard the Word of God, accepted it, kept it, and believed that it will happen, and therefore it happened”.

It is the Holy Spirit who speaks through everyone. Now listen carefully. 

Luke 11:27, ²⁷While Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts that nursed You.'”

A woman was so excited when hearing the preaching of Jesus, and then suddenly she started praising Mother Mary. 

Anyone who is excited about Jesus will also praise Mother Mary. Anyone who is truly excited about the Word of God will praise Mother Mary. 

This is not against the Bible; it is Biblical. Here, this woman praised Mother Mary but not as a person. She is only praising the parts of her body that are blessed. “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts that nursed You.”

Then Jesus goes deeper than that. He says: “Blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and obey it.”

You can see this Word of God somewhere connected to what Elizabeth told Mother Mary – “You are blessed because you heard the Word of God and believed it – that is why you are blessed”.

Now Jesus is repeating the same sentence. By doing so, Jesus is telling that the same Holy Spirit who spoke through Elizabeth is now speaking through Him. The author is the same, the words are the same, and the meaning is the same.

Normally, this is the Word of God which many Protestants use against the Catholic Church. They say Mother Mary is disrespected and that Jesus is denying the importance of Mother Mary.

But in fact, Jesus is supporting it (the importance of Mother Mary). To understand this, we need to see the connection between these two passages. This is a very important point. 

When we study the Bible, we will understand all these connections. Jesus said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and obey it.” Elizabeth said, “You are blessed because you heard the Word of God and believed in the fulfilment of it.”

Micah 5:1-4 is also connected. When Elizabeth is greeting Mother Mary, remember that Mary and the Baby are connected. So, Elizabeth is greeting and honouring Mother Mary because of Jesus. 

It is not a disgrace for Jesus. She is not disregarding Jesus. Rather, by honouring and respecting Mary more, Elizabeth is, in fact, honouring Jesus more. That is how we should understand it.

Micah 5:2 “²But you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for Me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.”

It is a prophesy about the coming of Jesus. Of the many prophecies in the Bible, this is one of the most important prophecies about the coming of Jesus.

The prophet Micah says, “But you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for Me one who is to rule in Israel.”

We know that Bethlehem is the birthplace of King David. King David was born in Bethlehem. Bethlehem means “City of the Bread.” Jesus is the Living Bread that comes from that city. 

Bethlehem, is the city where David was born and from where the future Messiah, the King, is going to be born. The prophet Micah prophesied this. But there is something very important here.

We understand Bethlehem is very important because it is the birthplace of David. But what about Ephrathah? Ephrathah is a small city next to Bethlehem.

Why is the prophet picking both these places – Bethlehem as well as Ephrathah?

Ephrathah is important for another reason. 

On the way to Bethlehem is a small city in which a Matriarch of Israel was buried. Her name is Rachel. Rachel was buried there and there is a tomb of Rachel at Ephrathah that is on the road to Bethlehem. 

Why Micah, the prophet, giving importance to this small city and keeping it together with Bethlehem and Rachel?

It is because, Rachel occupies a very important place in Israel and Jewish tradition; 

especially in the Midrash and the commentaries of the Old Testament. They say Rachel is the most prominent woman in the Old Testament.

She is considered as the matriarch of Israel. Who is the patriarch of Israel? It is Jacob.

Jacob’s other name is Israel. He had twelve sons, and these became the twelve tribes of Israel. 

Therefore, Jacob is the real patriarch of Israel. Who was the wife of Jacob whom he loved? It was Rachel. 

Although Leah had more children, but Rachel is the one he wanted to marry. Therefore, Rachel is considered as the matriarch of the whole Israel. 

So, Jacob is the patriarch, and Rachel is the matriarch. That is why, even today, all the Jewish people go to the tomb of Rachel to pray and ask for intercession. 

They seek her intercession because, according to Jewish belief, Rachel has more intercession power than that of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. Even today, the Jewish people seek her intercession. 

Rachel’s tomb is on the road to Bethlehem.

We read in Jeremiah 31:15, “¹⁵A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted, because they are no more.”

When all the Israelites were taken to Babylon exile, they went through the same road where the tomb of Rachel tomb was. 

So, the prophet says that Rachel is weeping for her children and refuses to be comforted, because they are no more. Everyone is being taken away by the Babylonians.

That is why the road to Bethlehem and the city Ephrathah are very important. Even today, so many people come to visit Rachel’s tomb. The Jewish come and put their petitions there. 

Sometimes, the women who are barren tie threads when they ask for Rachel’s intercession. They believe that through her intercession, the barren bear children.

They believe that through her intercession, many get healed and that so many miracles happen at this tomb. They have no other tomb as famous as the tomb of Rachel.

The Jewish believe that no one else has got more intercession power than Rachel and they believe in Rachel’s intercession. That is why Rachel’s tomb is very, very important. 

Rachel is the prefiguration of Mother Mary in the New Testament. Just like Jacob and Rachel in the Old Testament, in the New Testament is Jesus and Mother Mary, and Mother Mary is called the most powerful intercessor in the whole world, for the whole New Israel. 

We can already see the connection here. We will further see the importance of Ephrathah when we read Genesis 35:16 onwards.

Rachel died as soon as she gave birth to Benjamin. She had terrible labour pains. She gave birth to Benjamin with much labour pain, and then suddenly died. 

Rachel is called as ‘The Mother in Pain’, ‘The Woman in Pain” who suffered in childbirth. In fact, a woman in pain is called Rachel.

Genesis 35:16, “¹⁶Then they journeyed from Bethel, and while they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel was in childbirth, and she had hard labour.”

¹⁷When she was in hard labour, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for now you will have another son.” 

¹⁸As her soul was departing (for she died), she named him Ben-oni, but his father called him Benjamin.

¹⁹So, Rachel died and she was buried on the way to Ephrath, (that is Bethlehem).

She is buried in Ephrath That is why Ephrathah and Bethlehem are connected.

That is why Elizabeth is connecting Mother Mary and Jesus, and in the Old Testament Micah is connecting Rachel and Jacob, Rachel and the Messiah. 

We see the prophesy in Genesis 3:15, “¹⁵I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” In this verse we know the prophecy about the woman and her offspring. 

Jacob and Rachel, Bethlehem and Ephrathah, Mother Mary and the baby, these are all connected. We cannot separate Mother Mary and Jesus. They are so connected. Each one is glorified because of the other.

Mother Mary is glorified because of Jesus. Therefore, if you glorify Mother Mary more and more, Jesus gets all the glory. 

All those who go to Mother Mary, Mother Mary sends them to Jesus. Mother Mary always says, “Go to Him.”

The more we glorify Mother Mary, all the glory will go to Jesus. Mother Mary never takes any credit for herself. That is why the word Ephrathah is used.

Micah 5:2-3, “²But you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for Me one who is to rule Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.”

“³Therefore He shall give them up until the time when she who is in labour has brought forth…”

See here how Mother Mary is connected with Rachel. The prophecy is ‘the Messiah is going to be born’. In the Old Testament, “she who is in labour” is meant for Rachel, who was in labour and she died.

But the prophecy is also that there will be a New Rachel – a New Testament Rachel, who will give birth to a baby in Bethlehem. Thus, Bethlehem and Ephrathah are connected.

The prophecy continues: “³…Then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel.”

What does this mean? It means that all the 12 tribes of Israel will be united by this Messiah.

At the time of the Micah, ten tribes were missing, and only two tribes remained. So, this is a prophecy that all the tribes will be united by this Messiah.

That is why Jesus came and chose twelve disciples, representing all the twelve tribes of Israel. He united them and established the Holy Catholic Church, the New Israel.

It is called ‘in-gathering of the people’ and that was prophesied by the prophet Micah. Praise the Lord.

Transcribed by Greta Furtado