Our Lady (Mary), Health Of The Sick.
By Okoye Chidiebele Stephens (Dez Mayorz).
Presented at Church Of The Ascension, Eagle Island, Port Harcourt (2021 May Devotion).
Mary, Health of the sick is one of the titles attached to Blessed Virgin Mary.
This is just an example of the overeager by our separated brethren on ‘Marian worship’ that the Catholic Church is often accused of?.
One should carefully beware of decreasing, even in the slightest, the honor that is due to Mary.
Rather than being an example of medieval-Marian-mania, this title has its roots in the early Church.
St. Ephrem, writing in the fourth century, calls Mary “health itself … Robust health for those who have recourse in her”.
It is recorded that Mary loves visiting and taking care of the sick, and whenever she does that, the sick get relieved and strong.
Analogy:
Let’s rewind a bit so as to appreciate this title better.
Book of Genesis, the creation story on how Eve and Adam failed by eaten a forbidden fruit, which brought sickness to the mankind and tempered with the perfection of God’s creation in the world.
That’s the beginning of sickness. Decontamination in the world.
Ever since, God in his infinite love and Mercy begins plan on how to bring back full Health and normalcy to earth. It took over 3000 years for this plan to start to actualise.
The preparation for Mary to bring back good health to the world began in:
Book of Micah 5:2, says that the Lord will abandon his people to their enemies until She (Mary) who is to give birth to Messiah (Jesus Christ) did just that (Micah 5:3).
Also Isaiah prophesied on the woman that will put birth to the King…..
And many other old testaments messages about the woman that will put to birth and heal the world of her sickness……
It took over 3000 years since Eve failed to get Mary ready to heal the world with her child birth.
The birth of Jesus Christ brought healing back to the world, especially those who welcome Jesus Christ in their heart as prince of peace.
Roman 16:6- says“Greet Mary who worked so much for you.” Here, St. Paul was greeting Mary for the awesome and great work she done for our salvation that brought healing to the World.
Mary is Health of the Sick by the many providential or miraculous cures which have been obtained through her intercession in Christian sanctuaries up to our own days. So many have these cures.
As a loving mother, she is is Health of her sick children. Sometimes when a child is sick, the child can get healed just with the presence of his/her mother.
So also children of God get healed through the intercession of our mother Blessed Virgin Mary.
Mary was not just a prayer answered to Joachim and Anne but God’s promised salvation to the world fulfilled (Genesis 3:15).
Unlike the women in the scripture, who had their prayers answered with a male child; Sarah in the case of Isaac, Manoah’s wife in the case of Samson, Hannah in the case of Samuel and Elizabeth in the case of John the Baptist.
In calling Mary ‘Health of the Sick’ we do not in any way relegate Christ, who brings true health. Throughout his earthly ministry Jesus cured and healed the sick. He not only healed physical ailments but also healed souls. Christ shares the gifts and missions of healing with his Church. Our Lady, as the preeminent disciple, shares most closely in this mission of her Son but she is also, through her Immaculate Conception and Glorious Assumption, the shining example of the healing and restoration offered through Christ. She stands as a sign of hope for the sick who call upon her, and Mary wants to be called upon. She has suffered through her sorrows and “shared in the mystery of pain ” in a unique and special way, that can rarely be understood by the rest of humanity, but that allows her to better understand our pain and suffering. It is through this healing ministry that we see Christ, as Pius XII said “a vision of the Divine Redeemer Himself.”
In conclusion, we pray that Mary, Health of the sick should visit our families and heal us from physical, emotional, spiritual and financial sickness right now in the Mighty name of Jesus Christ, the son of Mary.
Amen.
May the World be healed of the Corona virus pandemic intotal. Amen!
Compiled by:
Okoye Chidiebele Stephens
5/05/2021.
08035586768.
REFERENCES (authorities).
Good News Bible.
New Testemental Apocryphal Writings
Lumen Gentium (dogmatic constitution of the Church).
Who is Mary? By Okoye Chidiebele Stephens (A book inview).
Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary
Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary-third Edition.
Catholic Minds.
The Secret of Mary by St. Louis Maria De Montfort.
Mary in the Bible by Greg Mary Ajide.
Zogos- philosophy and Intelligence by Peter Damian and Guibert Nogent.
Legion of Mary Handbook, 2005 Edition.
St Ephraim of Syria- the Nisibene hyms 27,8.
St. Augustine Sermon 186:1
Roman Missal
Evodius-Coptic Apocryphal Gospel (69AD).
The Acts of Peter.
St Theresa of Calcutta.
