The Mother of Mothers

The Virgin Mary can easily be defined as the most appropriate role model for women. As a motherly figure, Mary exemplifies strength of godliness, strength, and maternal instinct. Mary portrays traits of holiness, piety, and humbleness. As a teacher, Mary instructs women on the importance of trust and perseverance.

The most obvious role Mary plays in the Bible is the motherly figure. One might consider her to be the mother of all mothers. She received this reputation because she is the mother of Jesus Christ. Women look up to her because she raised the perfect man. Another reason why Mary is considered to be the ultimate mother figure is because she was hand-chosen by God. Out of all the women in the world, he chose a common woman who lived in the little town of Nazareth. She wasn't a woman of great wealth or stature. God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus Christ because she possessed traits of holiness, piety, and humbleness.

As a role model to women, Mary teaches the importance of trusting in the Lord. Her faith in God was tested when an angel of the Lord informed her that she would miraculously give birth to the Savior. Most women wouldn't have shown the trust she did. Most women wouldn't have believed the message. Mary listened to the angel with acceptance. She knew God had a plan for her. In the present, women should have the same trust in the Lord that Mary did. God has a plan for us just like he had a plan for Mary. He would not deny his children any necessity. 

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Mary

According to religious tradition, Mary was an Israelite Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee and the mother of Jesus. Among her many other names and titles are the Virgin Mary or Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and Saint Mary in Western churches, Theotokos in Orthodox Christianity, and Maryam, mother of Isa in Islam. She is identified in the New Testament [Mt 1:16, 18-25] [Lk 1:26-56] [2:1-7][2] and in the Qur'an as the mother of Jesus through divine intervention. Christians hold her son Jesus to be Christ (i.e. the messiah) and God the Son Incarnate (see Trinitarian monotheism), whereas Muslims regard Jesus as the messiah and one of the most important prophets of God sent to mankind.

The canonical gospels of Matthew and Luke describe Mary as a virgin Traditionally, Christians believe that she conceived her son miraculously by the agency of the Holy Spirit. Muslims believe that she conceived by the command of God. This took place when she was already betrothed to Saint Joseph and was awaiting the concluding rite of marriage, the formal home-taking ceremony. She married Joseph and accompanied him to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. In keeping with Jewish custom, the betrothal would have taken place when she was around 12, and the birth of Jesus about a year later.

The New Testament begins its account of Mary's life with the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced her divine selection to be the mother of Jesus. Church tradition and the Gospel of James AD 145 state that her parents were an elderly couple, Saint Joachim and Saint Anne. The Bible records Mary's role in key events of the life of Jesus from his conception to his Ascension. Apocryphal writings tell of her subsequent death and bodily assumption into heaven.

Christians of the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, and Lutheran churches believe that Mary, as mother of Jesus, is the Mother of God and the Theotokos, literally "Bearer of God." Mary has been venerated since Early Christianity. Throughout the ages she has been a favorite subject in Christian art, music, and literature.

There is significant diversity in the Marian beliefs and devotional practices of major Christian traditions. The Catholic Church has a number of Marian dogmas, such as the Immaculate Conception of Mary the Perpetual Virginity of Mary, and the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. Catholics refer to her as Our Lady and venerate her as the Queen of Heaven and Mother of the Church; most Protestants do not share these beliefs.[9][10] Many Protestants see a minimal role for Mary within Christianity, based on the brevity of biblical references.

Since the Reformation

Over the centuries, devotion and veneration to Mary has varied greatly among Christian traditions. For instance, while Protestants show scant attention to Marian prayers or devotions, of all the saints whom the Orthodox venerate, the most honored is Mary, who is considered "more honorable than the Cherubim and more glorious than the Seraphim."

Orthodox theologian Sergei Bulgakov wrote: "Love and veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the soul of Orthodox piety. A faith in Christ which does not include his mother is another faith, another Christianity from that of the Orthodox church."

Ascocentrum

Ascocentrum, abbreviated as Asctm in horticultural trade, is a small genus belonging to the orchid family (Orchidaceae). The type species is Ascocentrum miniatum (Lindl.) Schltr. ex J. J. Sm. (originally as Saccolabium miniatum Lindl.).

They occur mainly in warmer to intermediate, humid climates of the foothills of the Himalayas, in Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Java and Borneo.

These monopodial epiphytic orchids grow on deciduous trees. They have a short, simple to bifurcate stem (max. 15-18 cm) with an upright, compact, conical to racemose inflorescence, consisting of smaller brightly colored flowers. These flowers have a prominent spur and a strap-like lip. Their bright colors vary between yellow, orange, red, orchid or cerise.

The chromosome number is 2n = 38.

They are popular among orchid lovers because they resemble the compact Vanda-like species. Nevertheless their cultivation is rather difficult.