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The Busted Halo Question Box
Ask our spiritual experts virtually anything!
This is the place where you can ask all of those burning questions that you wouldn't dare ask in person. We will post questions here (using your byline only with permission); we guarantee an answer to everyone.

Have your own question? Then pitch it to us!

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Ecumenical and interfaith
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Culture, ethics and Catholic basics
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General
Ann Naffziger, M.A., M.Div.
Scripture
Charles C. Camosy, PhD
Medical ethics
Caitlin Kennell Kim
Mary
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Our readers asked:

Could Mary have stopped the crucifixion?

Ginny Kubitz Moyer Answers:

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 halted their plans, it’s unlikely that such a thing would have happened. The only one who truly had the power to either order Jesus’ execution or to set him free was Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea. The Gospels indicate that he was influenced in his decision by religious leaders and by the crowds, but given the fact that less than a day passed between the arrest of Jesus and his crucifixion, it is unlikely that Mary was ever given the opportunity to plead her son’s case.

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The Author : Ginny Kubitz Moyer
Ginny Kubitz Moyer is the author of the award-winning book Mary and Me: Catholic Women Reflect on the Mother of God. She lives with her family in the San Francisco Bay Area and blogs at randomactsofmomness.com.
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