“Bodies are messy. Birth is messy. Unpredictable, dangerous even. You can pretty it up by talking about a virgin birth, thereby undermining both Mary’s sexuality and the real physical pain of bringing a baby into the world. But the truth of the matter is that Mary was a real woman, and Jesus a real baby who grew to be a real man… Jesus shared our bodily functions and needs, including pain and passion, hunger and rest.”
–Diana Butler Bass, Freeing Jesus, p. 235-236
