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SearchWhy doesn't ACIM talk about Mother Mary?
Question:
Why doesn't "A Course In Miracles" ever mention Mary? Does she really exist? It is said that when Jesus died on the cross, he offered her as our mother.
Answer: It often happens that supernatural events are added to the lives of saints to make them seem more special. For example, saints in various traditions are described as having a virgin birth, because it makes them different from other people. Or they may have supernatural powers, which also sets them apart from other human beings. In "A Course In Miracles" Jesus says,”I was a man who saw the face of Christ." He is saying that he went through the same temptations that everyone has to go through. If Jesus was born a deity, he would not be a good learning model for everyone else, because he would have been enlightened from birth. That would be an unfair advantage. It would be like trying to learn from an alien.
Mary was a mother like all mothers. Mary was the mother of Jesus, but the Christ has only one Parent. God is the Parent of Christ. The ego wants to make certain persons special, and have you worship men and women. But Jesus taught that he is not a body. He is Spirit and the Spirit is real. The Spirit is prior to time. Thus he taught,”Before Abraham was, I AM." You can say this of everyone, including Mary. "Before Mary was, I AM." "Before David was, I AM." The I AM presence is not a man or a woman, and that is what this Course aims at, coming to the I AM presence. In my own awakening I have had students who wanted to follow me, but I tell them I am not a teacher and they are not students. There are no leaders or followers in the I AM presence. No one is ahead and no one is behind. This is the undoing of all specialness around the body.
The Holy Spirit will use the symbols that the mind believes in. For example, to someone who was raised Catholic, Jesus, Mary and angels can all be very helpful symbols. Mary may appear to this mind and speak to it. She is a symbol of comfort, safety, wisdom. For some, Mary is more helpful as a symbol than Jesus, because they are afraid of Jesus and Mary seems more soft and welcoming. This is wonderful because it is helpful to the mind.
All religions have their saints, deities and symbols. Some people have near-death experiences and some see visions. These are all symbols that the Holy Spirit uses to assure the mind that everything is okay. All things are in the hands of God.
Love,
David