Behold Thy Mother
A 14-day challenge to discover the Virgin Mary in scripture and tradition
In this 14-day challenge, Behold Thy Mother, you will have the opportunity to discover Mary in scripture and tradition and learn to use Verbum‘s resources and tools. By the end of the challenge you will have a comprehensive understanding of the Catholic perspective on Mary and know how to use the tools in your software.
Days 1-3
- Day 1
- Day 2
- Day 3
Day 1: Who Is Mary in Scripture?
Ready to begin learning about Mary? The best way to do this is to start with the Scriptures.
Begin by going to the Bible translation of your choice in your Library. You can access the Library by clicking the icon of the three books in the top left of the app. Search for a Bible translation by name (e.g., “New American Bible” or “Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition”) or filter your Library by type to show only Bibles. When you find your preferred Bible translation, click the three vertical dots and select “Prioritize this resource.”
Click on the title of your preferred Bible translation to open it, then type “Luke 1:26–38” in the search field within the opened resource just beneath the title.
Day 2: Who Is Mary in Tradition?
Get a succinct overview of what the Church has to say on a topic without searching through dozens of books or websites with Verbum’s Catholic Topical Index. Let’s try it by searching for “Mary.” Click on the Guides link in between the Docs and Tools at the top of Verbum, and scroll down to click the Topic Guides link. Under Topic Guides, click Catholic Topical Index. Type in “Mary” in the search box, and explore what the Church has to say in the Scriptures, Teachings, Liturgy, and Tradition.
Day 3: What do the Church Fathers Say About Mary?
St. Thomas Aquinas’ Catena Aurea, or “golden chain,” is a commentary wherein the Angelic Doctor takes pieces of the writings of the Church Fathers, weaving them into a single commentary on each of the four Gospels.
Today, you will go to your Library and search “Catena Aurea.” The Catena Aurea volumes have long titles; expand the width of the Library Search Screen by clicking and dragging the right edge. Open the third volume, on the Gospel of Luke. In the inline search box of the Catena Aurea volume on Luke, type “Luke 1:26–38” and press enter. Read the passage and commentary and meditate on what the Church Fathers have to say about Mary’s role in salvation history.
Days 4-6
- Day 4
- Day 5
- Day 6
Day 4: What Does “Full of Grace” Mean?
When Gabriel calls Mary “full of grace,” what does that mean?
Verbum’s Passage Guide can help you begin to answer that question. When you type “Luke 1:26–38” into your Go Box, you have the option to open the Passage Study Layout. You can also access the Passage Guide by selecting the Guides icon to the right of the Go Box and choosing “Passage Guide.”
Once you click to open that option, Verbum will provide you with resources in your library related to the Scripture passage, from parallel passages to commentaries to liturgical references and the passage in Scripture itself—even information about the particular words in the passage.
Day 5: What does Dr. Hahn say about Mary?
Say you want to know what Dr. Hahn has to say about Mary. Using Verbum’s Collections tool, you can build a collection of all your titles authored by Dr. Hahn. Then you can search specifically through these titles for references to Mary.
To Build a collection, go to Tools at the top of the Verbum screen just to the right of Guides. Search for “Collections” in the Tools Search Box. Click on Collections and then name your new collection “Hahn Titles.” In the Start with resources matching Box type in “Hahn.” Now click on the magnifying glass on the left-hand side of the Go Box to open a Search Panel. Make sure your search is set to Basic and then type in “Mary.” Before you press enter, click on Everything and search for Hahn Titles. Click on Hahn Titles and then filter your results By Resource.
Day 6: Original Languages
It is important to be able to access the original languages, especially for exegesis. What were the original words in Greek used in Luke’s Gospel? Open Exegetical Guide and type in Luke 1:28 into the search box. First, you will see Greek, Latin, and Hebrew Bibles. Below that you will see a side-by-side breakdown of the English translation of Luke 1:28 with the Greek translation. Click on the English word “with,” and a breakdown of the Greek word μετά (meta) is given, including a definition of the word.
Days 7-9
- Day 7
- Day 8
- Day 9
Day 7: Word Study
Elizabeth calls Mary blessed among women, which urges one to ask, “who were some of the other women in Scripture and what was their impact in salvation history?” One way to learn more about the women in Scripture is by using the Bible Word Study, which is found under Guides. Type “women” into the search box and then click on the Word Wheel This brings up a concordance of all the times “women” is mentioned in Scripture. One of the results in the second Word Wheel references Judith 13:18. Judith, too, is called blessed and notice the typology displayed by her striking the head of the leader of their enemies, just like Mary crushes the head of the Serpent (Gen 3:15).
Day 8: Mary’s “Yes”
As we saw yesterday, Mary is not the first woman in Scripture to respond to God’s call, but she does have a certain preeminence in salvation history. We can better understand what makes Mary so unique by continuing to look at other holy women in Scripture and meditating on how radical Mary’s “yes” is in the course of Salvation history. She held nothing back from God and had no doubt in his ability to act.
Verbum allows you to open multiple resources at once and read them side by side. Open the following three passages in separate windows in Verbum using the three-column layout, which you can find in the Layout Icon on the right corner of the app:
Day 9: Mary as New Ark of the Covenant
Mary is often referred to mystically as the “New Ark of the Covenant,” because she carried the New Covenant (Jesus) in her womb, just as the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament carried the tablets of the Old Law.
Use Verbum’s Catholic Topical Index to explore what the Church teaches about the Ark of the Covenant. Type “Catholic Topical Index” in the Go Box and select “Open Catholic Topical Index.” By reading and learning what you can know from Scripture and Tradition about the Old Ark of the Covenant, you can meditate on what God is revealing about Mary, the New Ark of the Covenant, in a mystical way.
Days 10-12
- Day 10
- Day 11
- Day 12
Day 10: What Is Mary’s Role in Salvation?
Today, consider Mary’s role in the economy of salvation. In the Vatican II document Lumen Gentium, the Council Fathers clearly articulate what Mary’s role is as Mother of God and how she participates in her Son’s salvific work.
In reading through sections 55–59 of the council document, you will begin to see how God, in predestining the Mother of his Son to be “full of Grace,” prepared Mary for a special participation in the redemptive action of her Son, Jesus.
After reading through the passage from Lumen Gentium, create a new note for this Marian Study by clicking the Tools icon next to the Go Box, then the Notes icon on the drop-down menu. Click the blue “New Note” button to create a new note. In that note, reflect on the following questions:
- What passages or phrases in the Old Testament does Lumen Gentium understand as prophetically foreshadowing Mary?
- How do the holy Fathers of the Church see Mary as freely cooperating in the human work of salvation? What can the basis of Mary’s cooperation teach you about your own Christian life? Are there ways in which you can better follow the example set out by Mary?
- What can Mary’s earthly life teach you about how your life can be lived in union with Christ?
Day 11: Mother of God
Now that you have encountered Mary in Scripture and in the writings of the Church Fathers, today is an opportunity to reflect on how you might encounter Mary as your Mother in your own faith.
Begin by opening your Catechism of the Catholic Church and reading CCC 963–971. As you read this, reflect on Mary’s Motherhood, first of Jesus and then of the Church. As the Mother of the Church, she is also your Mother. After you have read the Catechism passages, open the Note that you created yesterday for this Marian study by clicking the Tools icon next to the Go Box and clicking the Notes icon on the drop-down menu. The main Notes Screen will allow you to filter notes by author and select those by “You.” Find your Marian Study Note and write answers to the following questions:
- What does Mary’s Motherhood of Christ teach us about her Motherhood of the Church?
- How can getting to know Mary as our Mother help us to grow closer to her Son, Jesus?
- How can you develop a deeper relationship over the course of this study with your Mother, Mary?
Day 12: Mary’s Role as Intercessor
St. John Paul II wrote in Redemptoris Mater on Mary’s role as intercessor that Mary “by her maternal charity, cares for the brethren of her Son who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and difficulties, until they are led to their happy homeland.”
Redemptoris Mater sheds light on Mary’s role as intercessor. To better dig into this document, Verbum’s Annotation Tools, such as highlighting, note-taking, and cross-referencing can be a huge asset to your study. You can use them by highlighting text and right-clicking on it.
Open Redemptoris Mater in your Library and go to section 40 to start annotating the text.
Days 13-14
- Day 13
- Day 14
Day 13: Marian Devotions of the Saints
The Church has long proclaimed Mary as “blessed among women.” The saints show their deep love for her in imitating her holiness, with their devotion to her, and in how they turn to her so that she might bring them closer to her Son. Today, you have the opportunity to learn more about a few saints who were particularly well known for their devotion to Mary.
Type “Saints” in the Go Box at the top of your Verbum app and select “Open Saints.” This is an index of the saints of the Church with links to resources in your Library that discuss them. Type the name of a saint in the inline search box to find the hagiographical resources that your Library holds:
Day 14: Closing Prayer
On the last day of this study, take a moment to review your notes and annotations. Reflect on what you have learned about Mary, how you have encountered her, and how that has drawn you closer to Jesus.
Though the study itself is at an end, we hope that your relationship with Mary continues to grow deeper as you grow in love for her and her Son, prompting you to continue to learn more about your faith as you continue in the Christian life.
Today, we invite you to join us in praying one final prayer, to ask Mary to continue to walk with you and guide you as you live out your life, seeking to always imitate her Son more and more each day.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.