There has been no creature greater or more sublime than Mary. During the annunciation, the angel Gabriel called her with a new name,” full of grace” (Luke1:28). After the annunciation, she was greeted by Elizabeth as "the mother of my Lord” (v.43). Moreover, in her Magnificat, she underscored that all generations would call her Blessed (v. 48). This consideration of Mary has led a good number of Catholics to struggle with her place and role in our Christian life. Is he a goddess?... Though elevated at a higher level, she is a creature; we share with Mary our createdness. The Church calls her members to venerate Mary (hyperdulia) instead of rendering her adoration, which is only given to God. We venerate Mary for what she is, thanks to God. Our veneration of Mary doesn't take attention away from Jesus; when we honor Mary, we rightly honor the work of God in her.[1]
Mary was favorably chosen by God among His people. In this election, God has no favorites. If we look back, the Israelites were chosen by God out of many nations to be the instruments of the blessings of God to all other nations. In the same line, Mary was chosen in view of the salvation of the whole of humanity. She was chosen by God among the elect to serve as a model of the work of Christ to his Church: to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant Church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless (Ep5: 26-27). For Von Balthazar, one must imagine Mary among the sinners…she belongs to the family. The immaculate belongs to the clan of sinners, the seat of wisdom belongs to the bottomless stupidity of humanity[2].
Mary is ‘the woman’ of faith who lives and advances in faith, and "her exceptional pilgrimage of faith represents a constant point of reference for the Church". While many failed to respond correctly to God’s salvific revelation, Mary is the model in that response. She responded positively to the will of the Father, who was to send His Son through her to save the world. In this sense, the Church rests on Mary's response to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Mary is the mother of faith, just as Abraham is the father of the faith. "In her pilgrimage in a foreign land, the Church is ever with Mary Virgin Mother on this journey of faith of the People of God towards the light.[3]
Mary, as the mother of Christ, is in a particular way united with the Church. (CCC,94) She is intimately related to the Church and shows how the Church members can be intimately united with her Son. She is always pointing the Church to Her Son, the bride to her spouse for a complete union. This union of the Church with her Spouse started already and will be completed in the heavenly glory during the wedding of the Lamb (Cf. Rev 19: 9). In her union with her son, she participates in her son’s salvific mission in a special way. She anticipated the sending of the Church to preach the good news. She accomplished her mission in her simple and quiet life, pointing to her Son, the Savior of the world. She continued that mission even at the foot of the Cross as she suffered with her suffering Son. Although Mary did not directly receive the apostolic mission, she was with the sent at Pentecost, praying with them for the success of the noble mission that they had just received. Thus, Mary is the prototype of the praying Church[4], and is presented as a model of communion of the Church members. By this act, she reminds the missionaries that prayer and community life are also important for them to properly carry out their mission. For Pope Francis, Mary is the Mother of the Church which evangelizes, and without her we could never truly understand the spirit of the new evangelization.[5] In her synodal journey, the Church is "strengthened by the presence of Christ; she thus journeys through time toward the consummation of the ages and goes to meet the Lord who comes. But on this journey, she proceeds along the path already trodden by the Virgin Mary.”[6]
Mary is also the mirror of the life to come. She represents the eschatological fulfillment of the Church.. On the pilgrimage towards the Heavenly homeland, the Blessed Virgin Mary continues to "go before" the People of God. She does not cease to be the "Star of the Sea" (Maris Stella). "In the most holy Virgin, the Church has already reached that perfection whereby she exists without spot or wrinkle (cf. Eph. 5:27). By her Immaculate Conception, we look at Mary as we strive to quit all that is the stain of sin in order to keep our purity that helps us to be intimately linked with God. With Mary, we keep the hope that we will reach that state in which we will be purified of all that is sin. By her Assumption, Mary shows us that heaven is our final destination. Like her, we will return to our heavenly home to meet and see God as He is (Cf. 1Jn 3:2). We will be lifted up, and nothing about our humanity will be left behind. We will appear before God as a whole.
I conclude this reflection by stressing that Mary plays a vital role in my consecrated and missionary life. By living the Xaverian spirituality, I refer to Mary, the model of our faith. I make her Fiat my own in order for me to always express the heartfelt Yes I have said to the Lord through the profession of the vows of poverty, chastity, obedience and Mission. To live out these vows, I recourse to Mary, who brilliantly lived them. Living out the vows is impossible if I don't pray. In my prayer, I feel the presence of Mary praying with me, just as she was praying with the disciples at the Cenacle waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. As she anticipatively did after the Annunciation, she always teaches me how to urgently respond to the missionary mandate of Christ, by going in haste toward the non-Christians to share the good news of Salvation. As I journey with her, I undoubtedly hope to keep the purity of heart and to be lifted into heaven by the same Lord who lifted her, to enjoy the heavenly glory.
[1]Joe Cady, How Mary Points To Jesus, https://sttimothymesa.org/how-mary-points-to-jesus, (accessed 13 November 2014)
[2] Sarah J. Boss, Mary, the complete resources (London, Paperback edition Center, 2007), 303.
[3] Pope John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater, n035.
[4] Raniero Cantalamesa, Mary Mirror of the Church (Collegeville: Minessota, The Liturgical Press,1992),146.
[5] Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, n0284.
[6] John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio, n092.
