When my father builds a house according to his clients’ designs, he tries to sit down and think well about it and used to tell me that a carpenter can’t even have a nice house for his children. Indeed, our house built by him wasn’t that nice but built peoples’ house nicely. That’s maybe the reason why the image of a carpenter stays with, his being as a carpenter.

Father Marcellin had in mind to have brothers and eventually, lived with them at La Valla, then in the Hermitage to answer the call of his time. He was a carpenter, literally, building the Hermitage with the brothers. Maybe the building was not that nice, but the fact the congregation still flourishes and blessed until now, it must be strong, for the hands that started this is not by mere hands of Marcellin but that of Mary with the Love of Jesus.

Today is the 140th anniversary of Marcellin’s death, today is his feast day. We celebrate this day for the gift of his life to the Church, to the people and to his very own Marist Brothers, the Little Brothers of Mary.

Where does she lived? Nazareth, as can be read from the New Testament, is a small village of 300 to 400 poor people, mostly farmers as well as carpenters who spoke Aramaic, which suggests what is Mary’s language. Contrary to what most pictures of Mary depicted that she lives in a well-furnished house, she lives in a small house clustered to other small houses forming a compound. Diggings suggested in general that there are no paved roads but dusty or muddy ways. It is also portrayed Mary as a poor artisan woman regarding her economic life where they had two classes, the upper class composed of rulers, priests and merchants, and lower class composed of peasants, artisans and untouchables or unclean people. In addition to their poverty is the heavy taxation for the temple and for the Roman government. Their government was ruled by Roman emperor and client king. Politically, they lived in oppression and poverty. Mary is noted that she would have not forgotten those Roman figures in connection with the death of her son Jesus. Mary can also be described through the existence of her religion during those times. She has been noted to be a monotheist or worshiper of one God, the Judaism, a religion that observes Sabbath, purity laws and feasts, therefore, she was a Jewish woman. Historical evidence of miqva’ot testifies that Nazareth, the place of Mary practiced the law of purity related to Jewish religion, and Mary’s life of faith is with her ordinary lifestyle, observing sabbath and maybe pilgrimages to Jerusalem. Her presence in the synagogues or in gatherings was also mentioned by Luke the evangelist which is also stated that early gatherings don’t requires separation of women from men, thus Mary must be one in those assemblies, meaning, synagogues were not meant for men alone. Pretty sure, as a Jewish woman, Mary knows by heart the Shema, a phrase that reminds the Jews to remember God all the time.

Variety of archaeological remnants shows that women were not excluded in community or although the society was patriarchal in nature, they were still allowed to voice out themselves and Mary might have been one of them. Jews practices in marriage didn’t exclude Mary from marrying at early age, thus supporting Mary’s early conception, and through betrothal, Joesph took her home and stayed with her in-laws just like other women did. With this, Mary loved Joseph her husband since when they found the boy Jesus in the temple, they were already married by 12 years, being legitimate wife of Joseph. Lastly, Mary’s everyday life is intertwined with her religious, maternal and economic activities just like other women. She worked as a food provider in the house, observing the Law’s proper dietary and maybe she woven cloths for her own family. Thus saying that Mary is a different woman whom I know who is a beautiful, flawless skinned lady, good complexion and European features but a woman who is still Mediterranean featured woman of her time.

After knowing Mary’s historical background, the challenge arises like, “Will I still believe Mary as a wonder woman?” This is for the fact that archaeological evidences cannot deny something that is true. Miriam of Nazareth speaks a lot about a woman who is poor, oppressed by her contemporary times. These learning verifies my belief about her which also gives me hard time sharing them to others who also believe Mary as a wonder woman. Truly she is wonderful in the eyes of God for she lived her holy life of obedience to God and she challenges us all to follow Jesus’ teachings through contemplating her own life as Jesus’ mother. This is her humanness, that she is not divine but through the merits of her Son Jesus, she is still the Mother of God, who intercedes for us to Jesus.