When I was first struggling to understand, even after I knew that the Theotokos was something much more than I had been taught by my Protestant religious upbringing, I wondered why the Lord had allowed His mother’s name to be forgotten by so many of His people. It was then that I was struck, as if by lightning, by the enormity of my blindness: Most of Christendom still venerates Mary and for at least the first 3/4 of Christian history her divine role was acknowledged by all Christians. It was ME, blinded by my prejudices, who had been out of step with the majority of Christian understanding without ever even having given the issue a fair hearing or consideration.

I am not saying that the majority opinion defines truth, but when one is seeking truth, one should at least examine an issue and know the reasons for departing from the majority. Not only had I not ever examined the issue of the role of the Theotokos in God’s great work of salvation, I had not had even the least little inkling of its importance or significance. I already knew that I was blind and ignorant, but this experience brought home to a greater degree than ever before how much I needed the illumination of the teachings of the Church. Even with a heart that earnestly desired truth and my attempts to set aside my preconceived notions in the search for it, I was blinded by prejudice and ignorance that produced ‘blind spots’ that I did not, could not, know existed. Without the Church, I could read this Psalm a thousand times and never see the beauty of the hidden treasure in its meaning.

With Continuing Thanksgiving,

Deborah