And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things in me — holy is His name. His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty." (Luke 1:46-53)
Romans says the Holy Spirit intercedes with inexpressible groanings (8:26-27). Hebrews 7:25 says that Jesus ever lives to make intercession for us. But the all-new, all-woman, goddess Mary is also, according to Roman Catholics, an intercessor for the saints. In the 19th Century, the doctrine of Mary's "immaculate conception" was established. While this didn't exactly amount to a virgin birth (such as the Bible establishes for Christ), it did mean that Mary was conceived "cleanly" without original sin and without the natural condition of human lust. In the 20th Century, the Pope officially proclaimed the doctrine of the "assumption of Mary," so Mary, like Christ, is supposedly in heaven bodily earning her the late title of Queen of Heaven. Now, according to them, Christ and Mary both flank the throne of God, one to the right and one to the left.
But these smaller gains made by Mary in the last two centuries may be a mere drop in the bucket compared to her recent elevation by feminist theologians. She is a sweeter, more devotional choice than Sophia, and fits more neatly into their slant on Christian theology. But this Mary is not revered for being the handmaid of the Lord, to use Mary's words. In fact, feminists despise the word "handmaid." Mary does not sing "My soul doth magnify the Lord," she rather sings:
"I am woman, hear me roar
in numbers too big to ignore
and I know too much to go back and pretend;
I am just an embryo
With a long, long way to go,
Until I make my brother understand,
I am woman."
This Mary is the new super hero for N.O.W. She can run into a phone booth, rip off her ancient trappings, cry "SHAZAM," and fly out as super-goddess to lobby for women's rights and a Saphic lifestyle.
All in all, I find myself sympathetic to the real Virgin Mary. She gave the Incarnate Son of God her womb, that both men and women would, like she herself, be submissive unto God. She, like John, would point to Christ and say, "Behold the Lamb!" Still, there was something so immense in the old Mary that would never reduce itself to something so small and partisan as to proclaim liberty for feminists. She still seems to me to cling to the simple glory of being the handmaid of the Lord.
The Mary of the Bible is content to yield to God in utter submission. The N.O.W. Mary requires submission. The Mary of Scripture cries, "Behold God and yield your life." The new Mary says, "Fall down and worship me, and God will wash away all your gender sins." Which of these two did Jesus call Mary? It is a question the N.O.W. still hasn't answered and Heaven never needed to ask.
