Celebrating the Nativity of Mary

The Torah refers to Eve as aim kol chai, “the mother of all life”. Aim is the root word of Imma or Ema, the Hebrew equivalent for mom. To restore mankind once again to a state of grace, God first needed a New Eve. She would bring forth our savior, Jesus Christ.

Today Catholics celebrate the birth of Mary. She was – is the Mother of God. There are many things I love about the series The Chosen. As a Catholic, I was disappointed that Dallas Jenkins chose not to bring to the screen John 6:22-71, The Bread of Life Discourse. It is the establishment of the Holy Eucharist by Christ himself. He does not say Holy Communion is a symbol representing him in the world but that it is His flesh, that we must eat of His flesh to obtain everlasting life with the Father in heaven. Anyone who reads John and accepts what is said understands this fundamental truth of Catholic Faith.

The Chosen does provide a beautiful portrayal of the relationship between Mary and Christ. To hear Him call her Ema moves my heart. Mary encompasses all that a woman should strive to be in the world. She is strong. To submit heart and soul to the will of God takes a great deal of inner strength. She is beautiful. Her beauty resonated from within. She is kind and compassionate.

One of the reasons I love my Catholic Faith so much is because the Church recognizes and acknowledges the importance of women of true faith. Without Mary, there would be no Christ. Without Jesus Christ there would be salvation. It is just that simple.

Often Mary is linked to the color Blue. Blueberry Muffins on this her birthday is the perfect (and oh so delicious) way to acknowledge the importance of Mary – and thereby all women in the world.

Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins II
4 tablespoons Butter
2 cups Flour
1 tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1-1/2 cups frozen Blueberries
1 Egg
1 cup Sugar
1-1/4 cups Sour cram

Heat oven to 350-degrees. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper liners, sat aside.

Melt butter; allow to cool. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl until combined. Add the berries to the flour mixture; gently toss just to combine. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg until light in color; about 20 seconds. Add the sugar to the egg, whisk vigorously until thick, another 20 seconds or so. Add melted butter into the egg mixture in 2 additions, whisking to combine after each addition. Add sour cream in 2 additions, whisk until just combined.

With a rubber spatula, fold sour cream mixture into the berry mixture just until the batter comes together and berries are evenly distributed. It’s okay if small specks of flour remain; do not over-work.

Using a large spoon or cookie scoop sprayed with cooking spray, divinde muffin battr among the tin cups. Place in the heated oven to bake for about 25 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Rotate tin mid-way through baking for even cooking.

Immediately remove muffin tin to a wire rack and let cool for at least 5 minutes. Sever with butter if desired.

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Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.