Menemukan Identitas Misionaris dalam Peran Keibuan Maria

Abstract

This article aims to explore the missionary nature of Mary’s role in conceiving and giving birth to Jesus Christ. The method used to achieve this goal is spiritual-theological interpretation of Mary’s role as a mother who conceived and gave birth to her son Jesus. From the spiritual-theological perspective, “conceiving Jesus” can be interpreted as experiencing union with Jesus, whereas “giving birth to Jesus” as revealing Jesus to others. This article refers to the reflections of the Church and theologians as primary sources, by way of a literature study. It finds the spiritual-theological meanings of the role of Mary in conceiving and giving birth to Jesus in line with the identity of a missionary. A missionary is basically a person called to union with Christ and to carry on the mission to reveal and to proclaim Christ to the world. This paper brings forward some ecclesiological implications, in face of the growing spiritual individualism and the spirit of competition in the life of faith. These tendencies are not in accordance with the missionary nature of the Church and therefore the Church needs to find insights to reshape its presence in the world today.