Busted Halo » Ginny Kubitz Moyer

Should my rosary beads dangle from my rear view mirror in my car?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 21 May 2012 04:49:30 +0000

A few months back, the question of whether it’s okay to wear a rosary around one’s neck engendered a great discussion in the combox. In my article, I shared that I couldn’t find any formal prohibition against doing so, and readers contributed all sorts of fascinating insights about their personal feelings for or against this [...]

Was Joseph a deadbeat dad?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 14 May 2012 04:44:23 +0000

Question: Was Joseph a deadbeat dad? What happened to Joseph after Jesus’ birth? Though the Gospels don’t say much about Joseph in general, there is clear Scriptural evidence that he was very present in Jesus’ young life. The Gospel of Luke tells the story of Mary and Joseph taking the baby Jesus to the temple [...]

When Mary says “How can this be?”, why doesn’t she understand the angel?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 07 May 2012 04:42:14 +0000

When you look at the Annunciation story in the gospel of Luke, you can see that the angel’s message is pretty astonishing. “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great, [...]

What is the Hail, Holy Queen prayer?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:39:48 +0000

The Hail, Holy Queen (known as the “Salve Regina” in the original Latin) is one of the most well-known prayers about Mary. It is a prayer of petition, asking Mary for her prayers on our behalf. Various sources place its origins in the eleventh or twelfth century. In medieval times, monks and friars sang it [...]

Did Elizabeth serve as Mary’s midwife?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 04:38:41 +0000

The Gospels make no mention of Elizabeth as Mary’s midwife (nor do they mention any other midwife, either). There is a local midwife who appears in the Protoevangelium of James, the apocrphyal text written about 150 AD; this text, though, doesn’t have the authority of Scripture, so it’s hard to look upon it as a [...]

Did Mary have to change Jesus’ diapers?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 05:58:05 +0000

Even though Mary was the mother of the Son of God, she didn’t get a free pass in the diaper department. The Church teaches that Jesus was human in all things but sin. Thus, just like any other baby, he ate, digested, and yes, needed his diapers changed (or whatever passed for diapers in first-century [...]

Did Jesus and Mary ever disagree?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 05:56:25 +0000

Obviously, the Bible doesn’t recount every conversation that Mary and Jesus had over the course of their lives. But we know that they do seem to have a difference of opinion at the Wedding at Cana, in John 2. When the wine runs out, Mary informs Jesus of this fact, as if to imply that [...]

Why is Mary known as Queen of Heaven – doesn’t that put her on a par with God?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 06:43:19 +0000

The title of Mary as Queen has been a tradition of the Church since at least the fourth century. (Note that Mary is referred to as queen not just of heaven, but also of peace, of the angels, of all Christians, among many other things.) It’s important to understand that the title of Queen is [...]

Did the Three Kings protect Mary and Jesus at any other time in the Bible?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 05:27:49 +0000

Though they are a prominent part of Nativity sets and Christmas pageants, the magi only make one appearance in the Gospels, in Matthew 2: 1-12. (Though we commonly call them “kings,” the term magi originally referred to members of the Persian priestly caste and later became used for those possessing great knowledge and wisdom. Matthew [...]

Was Mary opposed to Jesus’ public ministry?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 05:33:13 +0000

There’s not a lot of information about this in Scripture. We have the story in Mark 3: 21 where Jesus’ relatives come to seize him, saying, “He is out of his mind,” but it’s not entirely clear from the context of the story what it is that they are concerned about (we also have no [...]

Could Mary have stopped the crucifixion?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 05:12:36 +0000

Mary was human, not divine, so she did not possess the power to miraculously stop the crucifixion from happening. Like the other witnesses of Jesus’ death, she could only stand by, watch, and (surely) pray for her son as he suffered. If your question is asking whether she could have spoken to the authorities and [...]

Why does Jesus refer to Mary as “woman” at the wedding feast at Cana?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:44:49 +0000

At the wedding feast at Cana, when Mary tells Jesus that there is no more wine, Jesus responds, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour is not yet come.” (John 2:4). Although this form of address sounds harsh and rude to modern ears, “woman” was actually a term of respect and honor at [...]

Why did Joseph decide to divorce Mary quietly and then change his mind?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 05:43:21 +0000

When Mary became pregnant with Jesus, it was surely a terrible shock to Joseph. Though he and Mary were betrothed, meaning they had given public and binding vows to each other, they had not yet lived together as man and wife. The only logical conclusion Joseph could reach on his own was that Mary was [...]

What do we mean when we say that Mary is betrothed to Joseph?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:39:39 +0000

During the time of Jesus, the Jewish marriage process involved two separate parts, the first of which was betrothal. This was an exchange of consent made between a man and a woman before witnesses. Betrothal was binding, and it could only be ended by death or divorce. After the betrothal, there was a period of [...]

Do Catholics have to go to Marian shrines like Fatima once a year?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:36:41 +0000

There’s zero obligation for Catholics to go to Marian shrines. The decision to visit them is totally voluntary. Many shrines do attract large numbers of pilgrims; the Marian apparition site at Lourdes, France, for example, attracts about five million pilgrims a year. Some come in hope for healing (the spring at Lourdes has been associated [...]

Does the Name Mary Mean Anything?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:03:01 +0000

Mary is the English translation of the Hebrew name Miriam. There are different opinions on what it means; some sources say that it means “bitter,” or “beautiful one,” while others say that it derives from the Egyptian word that means “beloved.” It was a common female name at the time of Jesus, as is evident [...]

Between the Covers

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 08:02:41 +0000

In the last week, two different people have asked me if I have any interest in owning a Kindle. My answer both times was a slightly softer version of “when hell freezes over.” It’s not that I’m morally opposed to e‑readers. I don’t see them as the spawn of Satan, or anything like that. It’s [...]

Did Jesus call Mary Mommy, or some other term?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:00:32 +0000

We don’t know exactly what Jesus called his mother when he was young. The Gospels don’t include any stories where the child Jesus addresses Mary directly, so we can only guess. It seems logical to assume that the young Jesus would have called his mother the Aramaic verison of “Mommy” or “Mama” (Aramaic was the [...]

In my manger scene, my mother insists on not putting the baby Jesus in until Christmas. Many have told me this is proper. But then why is Mary kneeling at an empty feeding trough?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:54:07 +0000

Many families do wait until Christmas Eve or Christmas Day to put the baby Jesus into the manger scene, for the reason that he has not yet been born, and that an empty manger captures the spirit of Advent. This, as you’ve pointed out, means that Mary ends up spending a few weeks kneeling by [...]

How might I pray to Mary in helping me with my relationship with my own mother–which is not a good one!?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:14:22 +0000

This is a great question, and it touches on so much of what Catholics believe about Mary. I’ll throw out a few different ideas here, and hopefully one or more of them will resonate with you. First of all, the fact that you have the desire to heal this relationship means that you’re already on [...]

Where did the “O Mary conceived without sin …”prayer come from?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:54:32 +0000

It comes from the Miraculous Medal, which is a small medal often worn by Catholics. In 1830, a young French nun named Catherine Labouré had several visions of Mary. In one of these visions, she saw Mary standing on a globe with a snake (Satan) under her feet. Around the image of Mary, Catherine saw [...]

After Joseph died, since Jesus was busy preaching, who took care of Mary in her old age?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 05:11:37 +0000

There is almost no information in the Gospels about what Mary was doing or where she was during the years of Jesus’ ministry. One story we do have, told by three of the four evangelists (Mark 3: 31-35, Luke 8:19-21, and Matthew 12:46-50), talks about how Mary and Jesus’ brothers come looking for him. The [...]

Did Mary write a Gospel?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:02:52 +0000

No, Mary did not write a Gospel, or anything else that we know of. There is a text that is known as the Gospel of Mary, but the Mary in question is Mary Magdalene, not Mary the mother of Jesus. It’s an apocryphal text, meaning that it is written in the style of sacred Scripture [...]

Spooky Saints No More

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 07:05:04 +0000

Lately, I've been considering teaching my son Matthew about the saints. At the big-boy age of 5, he's surely old enough to become captivated by their stories. But then I realized that when you talk about the lives of the saints, you also have to talk about their deaths.

Therein lies the problem.

Not every saint had a gruesome death, of course, but quite a few of them did. And for a kid whose imaginative diet consists of nothing more sinister than the dragon that Harold draws with his magic purple crayon, I can hardly fathom telling him about St. Agnes, whose head was cut off, or St. Lawrence, who was literally grilled alive. My child already has an innate fear of the dark; I don't need to tell him stories that will encourage it.

Is the song “Ave Maria” appropriate for a wedding?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:43:28 +0000

The song “Ave Maria” is a popular choice for Catholic weddings, and it is liturgically appropriate to include it, if the couple chooses to do so. (In fact, it was a part of my own wedding Mass.) When the bride and/or groom has a close relationship to Mary, the song can be a special way [...]

Does a Nun’s Habit have anything to do with Mary?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:41:55 +0000

Although nun’s habits (particularly the veils) may make them look like Mary, the habit actually has a broader symbolic meaning. Traditionally speaking, the habit is an outward sign of the nun’s vocation, a way of identifying her total dedication to God. (Even the religious orders who no longer wear formal habits often have some element [...]

Is Mary the patron saint of women who have cancer associated with female organs?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 04:30:23 +0000

The patron saint for cancer in general is St. Peregrine. (There are a few others, but Peregrine is the most well-known.) Most specific forms of cancer, female or otherwise, don’t have their own patron saint (one notable exception is St. Agatha for breast cancer). That said, if you know of someone dealing with cancer, there’s [...]

How many colleges and universities are named after Mary in the US?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 04:41:05 +0000

I consulted the website for the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, and from their list of Catholic schools, I counted 46 whose names are Marian in character. Most of these are schools that were obviously named after Mary, like the many schools that are called Notre Dame (French for “Our Lady”) or that have [...]

Can I wear a rosary around my neck?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 07:00:16 +0000

My knee-jerk response to this was no, because that’s what the good sisters told me in Catholic school thirty years ago. But I did a little research, and found that it’s not quite as clear-cut as that. On the one hand, it makes sense that the sisters told us not to drape rosaries around our [...]

Did Mary have the stigmata?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 04:38:27 +0000

Mary never had the stigmata (miraculous wounds or pain that correspond to the physical suffering of Christ) . She certainly suffered great emotional pain; Simeon said as much during the Presentation of the infant Jesus, when he told Mary that a sword would pierce her soul. I’ve no doubt she watched her son being crucified [...]