Mary: Charismatic Mother, Charismatic Motherhood

By: Dr. John Roskoski

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Mary, to me, has always been an interesting figure on the Christian landscape. She plays an important role in key accounts in the Gospels, but she is very divisive among Christians. This always puzzled me. Some Christian families of religions, such as Catholicism, revere (not worship) her, while other Christians families go as far as to shun her and reject any role that she might have played in the redemptive process.

Whenever a puzzle like this appears, I like to find a solution in going back to the original texts. I love the Biblical languages of Hebrew, Greek, and Latin and I try to uncover the layers of keywords. Often, I have found much overlap in the meanings and connotations that exist between the languages and, therefore, the Testaments of the Bible. The situation of Mary is no different. As I try to point out, there are many Hebrew terms with corresponding meanings to the Greek, in which Mary’s words were recorded. This, to me, suggests that her words, as well as those of her Son, have many layers to them. I try to plumb the meanings of these key words and, hopefully, help to tie together the messages of the Testaments.
After reading many books on Mary, over many years, a multitude of scholars have added to the historical, scriptural, and theological mosaic that Mary presents. For me, a key to understanding her life, mission, and life in the Church is the Spirit of the Lord, or Holy Spirit. Biblical scholarship calls the reception of the “Spirit” a charismatic event. Mary was to receive the Holy Spirit before the birth of Jesus and Pentecost, the birth of the Church. Mary is, undeniably, a charismatic figure. Yet, scholars rarely emphasize this Charisma in a way that reflects the presentation in the Christian Scriptures.
I hope to present Mary through a lens of her Jewish Scriptural background and, in particular, her Charisma. I hope to give proper justice to the Biblical authors, the amazing scholars who have come before me, and to Mary herself.

John Roskoski, PhD