March is Woman's Month: Mary the Greatest Woman!

Happy March, everyone! This month, we celebrate the achievements and contributions of women from all walks of life. As a Catholic blogger, I want to dedicate this post to the greatest woman of all time: the Virgin Mary.

Mary is the mother of Jesus, the Son of God, and the spouse of the Holy Spirit. She is the perfect model of faith, obedience, humility, and love. She is also our mother, who intercedes for us and guides us to her Son.

In this post, I will share with you some of the reasons why I admire and love Mary so much, and why I think she deserves to be honored and praised by all Christians.

1. Mary said yes to God's plan. When the angel Gabriel announced to her that she would conceive and bear the Savior of the world, Mary did not hesitate or doubt. She trusted in God's will and gave her consent: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." (Luke 1:38) She was only a young girl, probably around 15 years old, but she had the courage and faith to accept such a great responsibility and privilege. This is what I call a strong woman! Mary was assertive in her yes! 

2. Mary carried Jesus in her womb for nine months. Imagine what it must have been like for Mary to have God Himself growing inside her. She must have felt His heartbeat, His movements, His presence. She must have talked to Him, sang to Him, prayed with Him. She must have loved Him more than anyone else in the world. She was the first person to see His face, hear Him, to hold Him in her arms, kiss Him, and cuddle Him. She was His first teacher, His first friend, His first disciple.

3. Mary followed Jesus throughout His life. Mary was not only present at Jesus' birth but also at every important moment of His life. She was there when He was presented in the temple when He was lost and found in Jerusalem, when He performed His first miracle at Cana, and when He preached and healed and taught. She was there when He was arrested, tortured, crucified, and buried. She was there when He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. She never left His side, even when it meant suffering with Him and for Him.

4. Mary became the mother of the Church. Before Jesus died on the cross, He gave Mary to John, His beloved disciple, as His mother: "Woman, behold your son." And to John, He said: "Behold your mother." (John 19:26-27) In doing so, He also gave Mary to all of us as our mother. Mary is not only the mother of Jesus but also the mother of all who believe in Him and follow Him. She cares for us as her children, she watches over us as our protector, and she leads us as our queen.

5. Mary is full of grace and glory. Mary is the most blessed among women and among all creatures. She is "full of grace" (Luke 1:28), meaning that she was conceived without original sin and preserved from any personal sin throughout her life. She is "the Immaculate Conception" (Pope Pius IX), meaning that she was always pure and holy in body and soul. She is "assumed into heaven" (Pope Pius XII), meaning that she was taken up body and soul into heaven at the end of her earthly life. She is "crowned with glory" (Revelation 12:1), meaning that she reigns with Jesus as his co-redemptrix and mediatrix.

6. She continues to help us all.  She told the servants at the Wedding of Cana to "do whatever He tells you" (John 2:5). These were her last recorded words in the Gospel, New Testament, and Bible as a whole. To this day she appears to us around the world under many titles.  She was Jesus' best disciple which is why He sends her around the world and in different periods of time to appear to specific people to convey a reminder of the Gospel of Love. 

7. Mary has helped me immensely in my life. I attribute many miracles to her, physical healings, healing of my hearing, vision, and oncology tests, in my schooling and education.  She has always been there for her and I try my best to be there for her and her Son Jesus the Lord.  Mary is just awesome!

These are just some of the reasons why I love Mary and why I think she is the greatest woman ever. She is my mother, my sister, my friend, my queen. She is my inspiration, my hope, my joy.

I invite you to join me in honoring Mary this month by praying the rosary daily, wearing a scapular or a miraculous medal, reading a book about her life or devotion to her, visiting a shrine or a church dedicated to her, or simply talking to her as you would talk to your own mother.

Let us thank God for giving us such a wonderful gift: Mary, the Virgin Mother of God. Ave Maria!

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#MillionsMarchNYC

One Saturday December 13, 2014, over 30,000 people marched in New York City protesting the decisions of grand juries who decided not to charge police officers with murder.  The protesters met at Washington Square park and marched down the streets.

NYPD officials let them march without arresting anyone. This has been the new policy under Mayor DiBlasio who want the people to exercise their freedom of speech and assembly without permits as long as they do so peacefully and without obstructing major roads.

The march was peaceful for the most part.  A professor from my alma mater, CUNY, was arrested for alledgely trying to throw a garbage can. Others were arrested as well when they tried to prevent cops from arresting the adjunct professor of English.

Ironically, Washington Square park used to be a place where African Americans and others were
hung to death and left there as a display.  The land itself was used as a potter's field and contains the remains of over 20,000 people who lived centuries ago.

Some people placed signs that read "I can't breathe," echoing the cry of Eric Garner.  Perhaps this was done to connect the past with the present since African Slaves were hung there and hanging does prevent breathing.

The people have had enough and want change.  It seems that we will continue to see these demonstrations until change does occur.





















 



Source:

http://www.millionsmarchnyc.org/

http://www.democracynow.org/2014/12/15/black_youth_organized_millions_march_nyc

http://gothamist.com/2014/12/14/cuny_professor_arrested_for_assault.php

https://www.facebook.com/events/959630214065046/

http://rt.com/usa/214351-millions-march-nyc-timelapse/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz7hkfNmfTY

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/13/millions-march-nyc_n_6320348.html

http://www.correctionhistory.org/html/chronicl/ny1816-60/oct05a.html

"First Generations Women in Colonial America" Book Review

We are in March, Woman's History Month.  I decided to write a review of the book, "First Generations Women in Colonial America," by CUNY professor Carol Berkin.

Women are considered equal in today’s America, but that was not always the case. During Colonial times, women were considered the property of their husbands. They did not have many opportunities to live as men did. Carol Berkin’s book, “First Generations WOMEN in COLONIAL AMERICA” offers some insight on the lives women lived during colonial times.

Berkin attempts to present to readers the lives of women in colonial times from a feminist perspective. She uses archives, historical documents, diaries, court records, letters, wills, property titles and the like as sources for her work. With these, she puts together a perspective about particular women in their distinct region and time periods and uses the sources to paint a picture of their lives.

The book in a sense serves as a supplement to history topics discussed in history classes.  History courses often offers general details on events while this book gives a more personal look at the history by detailing the lives of several women and how they lived in their respective time and place. The book’s chapters primarily begin by giving a look at the life of a particular woman.

Mary Cole of Maryland is mentioned first. She is a woman living in Maryland in a time where woman had little rights. Women at the time had to basically marry in order to be considered for any social position or wealth. At the death of a husband, women were often left abandoned without anything. They could not inherit their husband’s wealth or property unless a will or instruction was made indicating this transfer. Many times wealth and property were left to widows with some conditions. Some of the conditions called for the possession of lands and other businesses to remain within the family and not passed along to other men a widow might marry. Many times land and wealth were left solely so the widow can care for any children the couple may have had.

The next chapter starts with Hannah Duston of New England. She lives in the time of the “Puritan experiment.” This is when members of the Puritan sect settled in New England and started colonies that were based on fundamentalist interpretations of the Bible. Just like with women in Maryland, women in New England had similar limitations in regards to social status, rights and possession.

Women were not allowed to have much of a say in Puritan religious gatherings, but in a sense did control the leaders. Berkins suggests that gossip and reputation were often used to control the leaders of the town. Being that Puritans were expected to be “pure,” they were very meticulous of their reputation. Some used this to their advantage. The Witch Trials of Salem are an example.

Women of a particular social class and wealth accused others of a different social and wealth class of witchcraft. Duston was seen as a hero after with the help of others, killed her Indian captives and brought back their scalps as a sign of victory.

Wetamo of New England is the next woman mentioned. She is of the Wampanoag people and has a prominent leadership role among them. She struggles for her people in a time where suspicion and friction exist among settlers and Natives. Berkin gives a little background on Wetamo and then on the comparisons and contrasts between how the Natives saw love, marriage, family, sex and other facets of society. The settlers valued marriage, while the Natives had premarital relationships. Marriage was a concept they really did not expound upon in their culture. This is where settlers attempted to convert the Natives in order to assimilate them into their understanding of marriage, sex and so on.

Other women mentioned are, Margaret Hardenbroeck of New Amsterdam, Mary Johnson who came aboard the ships Margarett and John in 1622 to Chesapeake, Eliza Lucas of South Carolina and Grace Growden who lived during the Revolution period. These women all shared similar experiences. They had to struggle to make it for themselves in a time where the male was the prominent figure and provider. Color did not matter much. All of the women are European except Wetamo who was a Native American and Mary Johnson who was a Black slave. Despite the color difference, each faced the same hardships being that they are women.

I enjoyed the book. As I wrote in the first paragraph, it gives a personal detailed account of the lives of important women in American history. More personal details are given about the lives of women which is hard to do in a history course. Events and dates are fine to learn, but this book actually gives accounts of real people and how they lived, thought and functioned in Colonial times. It puts a “face” on history. The book puts into perspective the reality of the time and how women in particular were treated and how they were seen compared to men.

If you are a history enthusiast or feminist looking to learn more about woman's history in early America, then this book is for you. It is well researched and a good read.