Mary’s Maturity

[temporal1]

This verse means a lot to me.
To me, it resonates wrt Mary, and throughout scriptures.

Matthew 24:41
https://biblehub.com/matthew/24-41.htm

40Two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.

41Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.

42Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come.…

i could be all wrong, many years ago, i began praying for submission to God’s will, saying,
“Dear God, Dear Heavenly Father above, i don’t know your will, but i know your will is perfect, i want your will done, not mine.
i accept and trust your judgment”. And, yes, it is a bit frightening. We’re to have faith over fear. Not easy!

i’ve had to accept so many things i couldn’t understand, did not want. My experience has been, the sooner the better.

[Valerie]

If our views are incorrect and we belong to a group believing the same, and your views are correct but you don’t belong to a group believing the same, do you really believe in it? You preach ancient church but refuse to actually follow. The chair doesn’t look stable enough to sit in?

I started this topic because of another topic which conveyed the thoughts that young adults were not mature enough for marriage or even baptism and it prompted me to compare how mature people used to be at younger ages- then I thought of the maturity of young Mary, the mother of our savior. That was supposed to be the direction of the topic. It went other directions which led to theological differences. I can say Mennonites are right on some things without becoming one. I am more apt to agree with Orthodox on some of these differences I “used to” oppose as typical Protestants do. Out not becoming EO is for other reasons not early church interpretations we occasionally discuss.

[Valerie]

When life is hard and life is short children grow up fast. In Mary’s day I think the average life span was something like 40-45 years? Based on that Mary was almost middle aged by the time she was 15.

The Psalmist said in Psalm 90:10:

The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

Sure, people could die much younger but Scripture says the life expectancy- Apostle John lived to be around 95 years. So Mary being “middle age” at 15 isn’t really accurate Scripturally speaking.

There’s a variance of opinions on how old Mary lived:

“The Bible doesn't state Mary's age at death, but Christian tradition suggests she died around age 60 to 72, with Eastern Orthodox tradition pointing to 59 or 60 (the Dormition) and some Catholic sources suggesting 72 or 73 (the Assumption). These figures come from early writings and visions, placing her death decades after Jesus's crucifixion, with some traditions mentioning her living in Jerusalem or Ephesus with St. John. “

[Soloist]

How to Celebrate the Assumption of Mary at Home
Celebrating the Assumption of Mary at home allows families to incorporate this important feast into their daily lives. Here are some ideas on how to do this:

1. Create a Marian Altar
Set up a small Marian altar in your home as a focal point for prayer and reflection. You can include a statue or image of Mary, flowers, candles, and other Marian symbols. Use this space to pray together as a family and to honor Mary on her special feast day.

2. Pray the Rosary
Praying the Rosary is a beautiful way to honor Mary and reflect on the mysteries of her life and the life of Jesus. Gather as a family to pray the Rosary together, focusing on the Glorious Mysteries, which include the Assumption of Mary. This practice helps to deepen your family’s devotion to Mary and strengthens your faith.

3. Bake a Special Treat
Celebrate the Assumption with a special Marian-themed treat. You can bake a cake in the shape of a crown to symbolize Mary’s queenship in heaven or make cookies decorated with Marian symbols. Involving children in baking and decorating helps them to understand and appreciate the significance of the feast.

4. Read Stories About Mary
Spend time reading stories and books about Mary with your family. There are many wonderful children’s books that tell the story of Mary’s life and her role in the Church. Reading these stories helps children to connect with Mary and understand why she is so important in our faith.

5. Sing Marian Hymns
Singing hymns is a joyful way to celebrate the Assumption of Mary. Gather as a family to sing Marian hymns such as “Hail, Holy Queen,” “Immaculate Mary,” or “Ave Maria.” These hymns express our love and devotion to Mary and fill our home with the spirit of celebration.

https://ffhl.org/celebrate-the-assumpti ... gJXdfD_BwE

The Assumption gives us hope, too, that victory over sin is possible; and that personal holiness and purity of heart are not impossible ideals but rather attainable virtues which are awesome to behold. Finally, the Assumption gives us hope that, in all our trials, we have a sinless and powerful Mother who intercedes tirelessly for us to arrive safely home in heaven.

https://stpaulcenter.com/posts/the-deep ... assumption
By their own words.

[Valerie]

I think the ancient Eastern Orthodox Church (which goes back to the apostles time) has a lot of historical records for example I have an orthodox study Bible and in the footnotes I learn a lot about people like the woman at the well and Zaccheaus, etc., about what their lives became after those written instances in the scripture. So they do have history they do know of Mary’s parents, their names, etc.

They have a number of historical records, but most of what they mention is just supposition.

Wife: do the records point around 15 or is that just a guess? i’ve heard modern-day people talk about how she might have been just a tweenager like 11 to 13(personally, I think that’s just for shock factor to make her sound like a child bride), and there’s no way of knowing, but I would personally guess 14 or older just because I wouldn’t think that young of girls would necessarily have commonly gone through puberty back in those days with less food, etc..

I personally think the Holy Spirit is speaking through her, but she definitely has a lot of maturity at a younger age than we would see right now. She lived in a culture where death, struggle and poverty were common, and they were second class citizens to the Romans.

It could be the Holy Spirit was speaking through her- yet in the same chapter (Luke 1) vs 41. & 42 specifies Elizabeth was “filled with the Holy Spirit” when she heard Mary’s greeting & then spoke & in vs 67 it states Zacharias was “filled with the Holy Spirit” and then spoke (prophesied). It did not state Mary was filled with the Holy Spirit and then spoke so it seemed it came from her heart, but could be it just didn’t say it was Homy Spirit line it usually does.

In the case of the speaking donkey, it seems to me not so much the Holy Spirit speaking through the donkey, but God, miraculously giving the donkey the ability to speak his own thoughts?

[Valerie]

How to Celebrate the Assumption of Mary at Home
Celebrating the Assumption of Mary at home allows families to incorporate this important feast into their daily lives. Here are some ideas on how to do this:

1. Create a Marian Altar
Set up a small Marian altar in your home as a focal point for prayer and reflection. You can include a statue or image of Mary, flowers, candles, and other Marian symbols. Use this space to pray together as a family and to honor Mary on her special feast day.

2. Pray the Rosary
Praying the Rosary is a beautiful way to honor Mary and reflect on the mysteries of her life and the life of Jesus. Gather as a family to pray the Rosary together, focusing on the Glorious Mysteries, which include the Assumption of Mary. This practice helps to deepen your family’s devotion to Mary and strengthens your faith.

3. Bake a Special Treat
Celebrate the Assumption with a special Marian-themed treat. You can bake a cake in the shape of a crown to symbolize Mary’s queenship in heaven or make cookies decorated with Marian symbols. Involving children in baking and decorating helps them to understand and appreciate the significance of the feast.

4. Read Stories About Mary
Spend time reading stories and books about Mary with your family. There are many wonderful children’s books that tell the story of Mary’s life and her role in the Church. Reading these stories helps children to connect with Mary and understand why she is so important in our faith.

5. Sing Marian Hymns
Singing hymns is a joyful way to celebrate the Assumption of Mary. Gather as a family to sing Marian hymns such as “Hail, Holy Queen,” “Immaculate Mary,” or “Ave Maria.” These hymns express our love and devotion to Mary and fill our home with the spirit of celebration.

https://ffhl.org/celebrate-the-assumpti ... gJXdfD_BwE


By their own words.

So? What does that have to do with her age?
Scripture says to give honor to whom honor is due.

[Soloist]

So? What does that have to do with her age?
Scripture says to give honor to whom honor is due.

You referred to the assumption and I found some interesting context. Liber Requiei Mariae was also interesting.

[Valerie]

So? What does that have to do with her age?
Scripture says to give honor to whom honor is due.

You referred to the assumption and I found some interesting context. Liber Requiei Mariae was also interesting.

Should we go to bunny trails? The thing is- God said via the angel Gabriel that Mary was “highly favored” (by God) so considering we are to honor people, I understand her honor. Having gone to Orthodox services the better part of the year there is always a saint being honored- which is Scriptural and used for our example & encouragement to stay the course through the hardest of trials & persecution.

[Soloist]

So? What does that have to do with her age?
Scripture says to give honor to whom honor is due.

You referred to the assumption and I found some interesting context. Liber Requiei Mariae was also interesting.

Should we go to bunny trails?

You can certainly request it, but there has been quite a few discussions through this thread that have nothing to do with Mary's maturity though so it would seem inconsistent at best. You didn't object to those things.

[Valerie]

You referred to the assumption and I found some interesting context. Liber Requiei Mariae was also interesting.

Should we go to bunny trails?

You can certainly request it, but there has been quite a few discussions through this thread that have nothing to do with Mary's maturity though so it would seem inconsistent at best. You didn't object to those things.

I “clarified” & emphasized the intent of the topic Saturday, hoping to not get sidetracked again from the original intent to compare how mature people used to be at young ages to now questioning whether they are old enough to get baptized or married in early adult ages (by adult I mean 18 according to law)