The Great Cosmic Lotto
As we all know, the Orthodox veneration of the saints, and most specifically the Theotokos is a big stumbling block to many who are looking into the Church coming from a Protestant background. Mary, to them, is really no different than anyone else and this is neccesarily so.
It is, I suspect, and enlightenment age apendage that evolved insisting that not only are "all men created equal" but that they also REMAIN so forever. But this is a notion of politics and philosophy, not Christianity. Jesus seemed to have no qualms about ranking people and even said that the greatest man ever on earth was St. John the Baptist - who might perhaps have had a few more words mentioned about him in the New Testament than Mary, the Mother of God, did.
The angelic proclamation that the Theotokos is "blessed among women" was always taken by me to essentially mean that she was LUCKY. Like winning a lottery except that I would not even grant that she picked the numbers right. God needed a body and he asked to borrow hers...that's all...no big deal...nothing special about her...she's just blessed: LUCKY.
I recalled this old notion of mine while singing during Matins yesterday:
"Blessed art thou O Lord, teach me...blessed art thou O Master, make me to understand..."
I guess it never occurred to me to wonder about God playing - and winning - a great cosmic lotto. Whose schools do you suppose benefitted from those proceeds?
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Comments
Connecting that Psalm to the Orthodox (and thus BIBLICAL) understanding that blessed means more than lucky or good fortune is outstanding.
We'd also do well to remember that the angel told Mary that she was "highly favored" which really doesn't sit well with our modern thirst for innate equality amongst all people.
Be kind, post a little winking smiley face, will you? Tone doesn't always make it over the wires/screen to my somewhat deaf ears.
Thanks! : )
Sarcasm, cynicism, and sardonic statements are all too frequently apart of my typing armament.
:)