Who would be a more reasonable role model for a Catholic? Would it be Jesus who is God and could not sin? Or His mother Mary, who could sin yet with the aid of Grace, willingly did not? She also has a full human nature without the Divine nature just as we do. I mean, cant we be more like the person Mary than Jesus since He is God and Perfect? We can strive to be perfect, but we will never achieve this. But like Mother Mary, we can do the will of God, with the Graces that we are given.

-- D Joseph (newfiedufie@msn.com), November 19, 2004

Answers

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-- D Joseph (newfiedufie@msn.com), November 19, 2004.

I was just thinking the very same thing this morning. Mary is a perfect role model for all of us. By the grace of God, she was without sin and through her own doing continued to be without sin, although being entirely human and capable of it.

Mary is Theotokos, the bearer of God. We can look to Mary as a role model as we become the 'theotokoses' :-) ie bearing God to those around us.

-- Hugh (hugh@inspired.com), November 19, 2004.

This might sound like one of those "politically correct" answers, but I don't think we can separate Mary and Jesus as role models. They are inextricably linked.

Any time we look to her as a role model, we are immediately pointed towards Christ. She dwells within Him and her value as a role model has no meaning without Him. At the same time, Christ points us toward His mother and the Incarnation. He shows us the promise that awaits the faithful and the humble of heart by the Assumption. Just a thought.

-- Andy S ("ask3332004@yahoo.com"), November 19, 2004.

Jesus is the perfectly obedient and loving son. God is His father and Mary His mother.

-- Andy S ("ask3332004@yahoo.com"), November 19, 2004.

none of the mentioned

-- ANonymous (Anonymous@i_hate_u.com), November 19, 2004.

Well, Jesus is necessarily the primary role model for every Christian. Christians after all are by definition followers of Christ. However, some Christians do exhibit exceptional holiness and obedience in following Christ, and therefore can serve as sources of inspiration and encouragement to the rest of us in our efforts to do the same. We could say that such people serve as secondary role models - role models of how to follow the primary role model. And no-one fits that description better than Mary.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), November 19, 2004.

I kind of understand your answers, but I still have difficulty in comprehending how we can make a person who is Jesus, a role model for ourselves, especially since He is perfect and can't ever sin. Shouldnt a role model be somebody in the same position as ourselves. Mary "could" have sinned but choose not to. Jesus being God, couldnt ever sin. It could never happen. Ever. With Mary, it was always possible yet with God's Grace, she was perfectly obedient.

-- D Joseph (newfiedufie@msn.com), November 19, 2004.

Shouldnt a role model be somebody in the same position as ourselves.

Not necessarily.

A role model is someone whose good attributes and actions we should wish to copy. A role model is not someone whose actual or potential imperfections, if any, should be on our minds. If one finds it hard to accept Jesus as a role model, one might also find it hard to accept Mary as a role model. Why? She (unlike us) was not burdened by any of the disorders (e.g., concupiscence) that result from original sin, and she was "full of (sanctifying) grace," making it far more difficult for her to have chosen to sin than it is for us.

The Holy Spirit, through the authors of Sacred Scripture, help us to know who our primary role model is and the kind of person our secondary role model could be:

For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Letter to the Hebrews).

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. (St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians)

-- Pellegrino (vaga@bond.com), November 20, 2004.

how can jesus or mary be your role models?

you don't know them

you never met them

you never talked to them

you just form your ideas about them based on one book....

you can also easily say that don quihote is your role model,it's pretty much the same thing

-- Anonymous (anonymous.@ooo.com), November 20, 2004.

DJ, I definitely hear what you're saying. I think the answer to your question lies in the veneration of saints. All Christians are called to imitate Christ, but we also benefit by imitating others as they imitate Christ. This is, I believe, one reason the Church canonizes saints: to promote their lives as models here on Earth. They were not born without original sin. Some like St. Paul and St. Augustine led sinful lives at one point. Some struggled mightily with temptations of the flesh, with horrible illnesses, with terrible tragedy etc. Some were rich, some were poor. Some were married, some were widowed, some were young and some were old. Some traveled far and wide, and some never left their own village. There are patron saints of this and that. Some saints are more like ourselves than others. If you are a farmer or farm laborer, you might seek to imitate St. Isidore, if you are a lawyer or politician, St. Thomas More, a homeschooling mother, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton etc. etc.

-- Brian Crane (brian.crane@cranemills.com), November 20, 2004.

"you can also easily say that don quihote is your role model,it's pretty much the same thing"

A: No, it is not the same thing at all to claim that a fictitious character is your "role model". In fact it would be rather silly. However, a genuine role model doesn't have to be just Jesus or Mary. It could be any holy person whose actual, not fictitious, life exemplifies or exemplified what it means to be a Christian.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), November 20, 2004.

Thanks a bunch guys. You all made some excellent points.

-- D Joseph (newfiedufie@msn.com), November 20, 2004.