Mary

Veneration of Mary

As he said these things, a woman in the crowd spoke out to him, "Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts at which you nursed!" But he replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it! - Luke 11:27,28 (NET)

These verses are often referred to in Protestant apologetics to support an anti-Marian stance. The word "rather" in the above passage is a poor translation, however. The original Greek would say "of course" or "yes, indeed" or even "not only that, but also". So Jesus here is not rebuking the woman who shouts this, but supporting her assertion and adding to it. It should read "Yes indeed, and blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it." -- Wcrowe 2008

Venerate Mary as Theotokos

"First, the Orthodox would not say, “You need to venerate Mary.” Rather, we say, “You need to venerate Mary as the Theotokos” (birth-giver of God). This is the theological title dogmatically assigned to her by the Third Ecumenical Council. She is venerated because she is Theotokos. To venerate the Theotokos is an inherent part of rightly believing in the Incarnation of the God-Man. To ignore her as Theotokos is to hold a diminished and inadequate understanding of the Incarnation." -- Fr. Stephen Freeman, Why Mary Has Always Been Honored, August 13, 2018 Ancient Faith Blog https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/glory2godforallthings/2018/08/13/why-mary-has-always-been-honored/

Mary, The New Eve, Removes the Sword

"Simeon said likewise, 'You will remove the sword.' Mary removed the sword that protected Paradise because of Eve." -- St. Ephrem the Syrian, Commentary on Tatian's Diatessaron 2.17

Eve; Mary; Fruit

"Eve offers Adam the forbidden fruit. The New Eve offers us, her children in the Church, the Fruit of Life, Her Son. "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb". Christ is the Fruit of the Tree of Life, once denied to Adam. -- unknown