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Messy Inspirations

Mary

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Select a Month August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019

August 2021

August 18, 2021

Marian Hegemony

Much of the titles and supposed behavior attributed to Mary can be explained by way...

August 15, 2021

Mediterranean Mary

For as long as we've known her, Mediterranean Mary has been used to service cultural...

May 2021

May 11, 2021

Marian Dogmas: Avoiding Extremes

It is less important to affirm or deny the Marian dogmas than why you do so. When...

May 06, 2021

Mary of History

May is the month of the Blessed Mother, but can we even see the real...

May 02, 2021

Know St. Joe? A Family Story

Here's an illuminating argument between Catholic family members all devoted to St. Joe. St. Joe....

March 2021

March 25, 2021

Parenting Biblically: Joseph and Mary Raise Jesus

This is a meditation on Biblical parenting and what it meant for Jesus, Mary, and...

December 2020

December 18, 2020

Growing Christmas Stories

Americans find growing problems in the two different Gospel stories of Jesus' birth, both true,...

December 15, 2020

Discovering Baby Jesus—Matthew, Luke, & Christmas

Only “Matthew” and “Luke” tell stories of Jesus’ infancy—from where did they get their information?...

December 09, 2020

Immaculate Perception for the Immaculate Conception

The Immaculate Conception showcases why it is better to be wrong for the right reason...

August 2020

August 17, 2020

Trads Claim Calling Mary Poor is “Hateful Heresy”

Trads claim that recognizing the starving poverty of Galilean peasants Mary and Jesus is “hateful...

August 14, 2020

Assumption of Mary: Mediterranean Maid & Mother

The Assumption of Mary offers us a challenge—either see her with new eyes or continue...

May 2020

May 29, 2020

Pregnant Sky Woman of Revelation & Mary

Is the Pregnant Sky Woman of Revelation 12 really Mary, the Mother of Jesus? Pregnant...

May 23, 2020

Mother of Jesus in “John” is Highly Symbolic

The Mother of Jesus becomes a powerful symbol for the Johannine community that wrote the...

May 13, 2020

Luke: First to Depict Mary Positively

Luke expands the role of Mary positively, setting the stage for later Mariological development. Luke...

May 11, 2020

Matthew and Mary: A Somewhat Nicer Picture

Matthew follows Mark, but slightly improves his overwhelmingly negative picture of Jesus’ mother. Matthew makes...

May 10, 2020

“Mark” and Mary for Mother’s Day

“Mark,” the earliest Gospel, does not present a flattering picture of Jesus’ biological family and...

May 09, 2020

Mary in May

Mary, the Mother of God, will be explored rigorously by Messy Inspirations throughout the month...

March 2020

March 19, 2020

Joseph—You Probably Don’t Know Him

Joseph, saint and servant, can be known better by 21st century Christians, but not without...

January 2020

January 01, 2020

Did Mary Know?—Considering the Mother of God

Did Mary know everything that is asked in the popular Christian song, "Mary Did You...

December 2019

December 20, 2019

Pregnancy and Lies—Joseph, Mary & Christmas

Pregnancy can be deadly in the Bible, but honorable people might lie about it in...

December 18, 2019

Horror at Christmas—Mary’s Shameful Pregnancy

Horror stories fill the pages of Scripture, but none so prominently as the Infancy Narrative...

December 05, 2019

Memoirs of Mary—Jesus’ Infancy Stories?

Memoirs, whether of Mary or Joseph, being used as the sources for Gospel Infancy Narratives...

September 2019

September 13, 2019

Contrarian Marian: The Worst and Best Things about Mary

Throughout history, Mary has been employed as theological weapon for unjust structures and hegemony, but...

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