St. Mary the Child

August 16, 2009

To be like St. Mary

• “For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48)

• Upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir. (Psalms 45:9 )

Joachim and Anna• There was a man called

Joachim and his wife Anna.

• Joachim was a shepherd and he had no children.

• Joachim and Anna were sad and prayed to the Lord to give them a son or a daughter.

• “ O Lord, if you give us a son or a daughter , we shall send the child to the temple to serve you.”

A baby girl

• The Lord answered their prayers when archangel Gabriel was sent to Joachim to announce some good news that Anna will have a child who through her will come the salvation of the world.

• They called the new baby girl: Mary– August 13

A pure offering to the Lord

• When St. Mary was 3 years old, her father and mother remembered their vow to the Lord and sent St. Mary to the temple in Jerusalem to serve in the altar of the Lord .

• When she was 6 years old, Joachim and Anna passed away and she was an orphan.

• She stayed in the temple until she was 12 years old.

At the temple• During her stay in the temple

she:– Served and cleaned it– She made beautiful napkins– She polished the censor and

prepared everything when the priest prayed.

– She prayed while working, at night, in the morning, at noon.

– The angels fed her.– The priests loved her because

she was:• Gentle• Obedient• Calm• meek

The Lord chose St. Mary to be His Mother

• God chose St. Mary out of all the women of the world to give birth to Christ because:– She loved God with all her

heart– She was meek and

humble of heart• She wanted to keep her

virginity for God finding herself unworthy to be the mother of the Messiah.

– She was obedient

• God sent her archangel Gabriel to announce the birth of Jesus Christ:

– She said: “ For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.” (Luke 1:48)

1.What is the name of St. Mary’s father?- St. Joachim

2. What is the name of St. Mary’s mother? - St. Anna (Hannah)

3. Why were they sad?- They were elderly and without children.

4. What was the vow they made to God?- That if God gives them a child, they would offer that child back to God to serve in the

temple all his/her life.

5. What was the name of the angel that announced the birth of St. Mary to St. Joachim and his wife St. Anna?

- Archangel Gabriel

6. Why did the Lord choose the virgin to be born of her?- Because she loved God- She had a pure and humble heart- She was obedient- She was calm and meek

7. How old was St. Mary when she went to the temple?- 3 years old

8. How long did St. Mary stay in the temple?- 12 years

9. What did she do in the temple?- She prayed - She cleaned the temple- She helped the priests - She made friends with the angels

10. What was the name of the angel that announced the birth of Jesus Christ to St. Mary?- Archangel Gabriel

11. How did St. Mary respond to this wonderful news?- She was submissive and filled with joy: “ For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.” (Luke 1:48)

12. What does THEOTOKOS mean?- Mother of God

Conclusion

• Let us practice to be like St. Mary when she was a child.

• To submit to God = Let God take care of everything in our lives, Let God be in control– In school– At home– What we are going to eat, drink, and wear– What we are going to do

• To let God work through our lives as he did through the life of St. Mary

Hail To Mary1- Hail to Mary, Mother of God From sun rise, to sunset Glorify her, Magnify her Put her always in your heart

2- She has born unto us The savior of the world He came and saved our souls And forgave us our sins

3- She's the Lady and the Virgin Our Queen in heaven She's above the Cherubim And Praised by the Seraphim

4- She is famous and well known As the best shelter to rest Try her and you'll find that For your help She's always there

5- Please O Mary, pray for us And the sinners to return Teach us and guide all of us For you are the faithful Saint