“For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior” (Ephesians 5:23). I think many of us are familiar with this concept, the Church being the Body of Christ. This passage from St. Paul unveils a reality which is beyond our own perception. We can perceive the visible Church, but her spiritual reality is something relatively hidden from us. This spiritual reality links the Church with her source, Christ. Christ guides his Church as the head guides the body, and just as all the parts of the body are in service and exist for the sake of the head, so too does each member of the Body of Christ exist for the sake of Christ and for Christ. But how does this idea relate to the person of Jesus?
It is quite interesting that St. Paul uses the expression “his body” to signify the Church, because before the incarnation, Christ had no body. Before the incarnation God the Son was the Word, but the Word became flesh. This means that the Word assumed a human nature, and therefore he assumed a human body. Since before the incarnation the Word had no body, St. Paul must be making a link between the Church and the humanity of Christ. The sacred humanity of God is the foundation of the Church and all of her members.
How was the humanity of Jesus formed? Jesus was fully human and therefore was formed in his humanity like all of us have been, by community and his parents. However, on a biological level Christ’s body was formed solely by his mother. For nine months Mary formed the Son of God in her immaculate womb.
If we are the body of Christ like St. Paul suggests, then we should also be formed as the body of Christ was formed, by his mother. St. Augustine refers to Mary in “Sermon 208” as the “mold of God.” Mary’s womb is the place which molded Jesus; therefore if we place ourselves in her womb and in her care we too will be molded into his likeness. I would like to take some time now to reflect on Mary’s relationship with the Church in scripture.
Who was the first person Christ called to follow him? The angel Gabriel called Christ’s first follower saying, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!...Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus” (Luke 1:28-29). By this annunciation Mary was called into a deep level of discipleship with Christ, the discipleship of motherhood. By her great fiat Mary became the first member of the Church and the first follower of Christ.
After the annunciation, Mary visited her cousin in the foothills of Bethlehem. Upon hearing the words of Mary, St. John the Baptist “leapt for joy” in the womb of his mother St. Elizabeth (Luke 1:44). Christ sanctified St. John by the words of his mother. This is the moment when St. John was sanctified by Christ to preach and prepare the way for the messiah, and it was accomplished by the speech of Mary.
At the foot of the cross, Mary’s role as the new Eve and the mother of the Church was consummated. “When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home” (John 19:26-27). Jesus did not only entrust St. John the Apostle to his mother, but he also entrusted his entire Church to the motherhood of Mary.
After the resurrection, at the most important moments of the infant church, Mary was present comforting and interceding for the disciples and apostles. When there was a need for the apostles to find someone to replace Judas and during Pentecost, Mary was present. “All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren” (Acts 1:14). Mary’s prayer is at the heart of the Church, and by her prayers, Christ guides his Church.
Each of us being members of the Body of Christ--the Church--need to be formed, just as Christ was formed, by the hands and prayers of his mother--Mary Mother of the Church. Just like St. John the Apostle, Jesus entrusts us to his mother. She is our mother, and we are her children.
How do we open ourselves to the motherly formation of Mary? I have a couple recommendations. The first, I think, is the rosary. The rosary, at the core, is a meditation on the life of Christ, through the eyes of Mary. Through her loving eyes one grows to appreciate the depth and the wonder of the mysteries of her son. We learn about the life of Christ at the foot of his mother, the person who knows him the best. If you would like to learn more about the rosary I would recommend the apostolic letter written by St. John Paul II titled “Rosarium Virginis Mariae.”
If you would like to learn more about marian devotion, a book I would highly recommend is True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort. This book is an amazing introduction to the importance and the fruitfulness of a marian spiritual life. It was also a tremendous influence in the life of St. John Paul II.
At one point I began to question my devotion to Mary, believing that, if it became too great, it might end up compromising the supremacy of the worship owed to Christ. At that time, I was greatly helped by a book by Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort…There I found the answers to my questions, Yes, Mary does bring us closer to Christ; she does lead us to him, provided that we live her mystery in Christ… The author was an outstanding theologian. His Mariological thought is rooted in the mystery of the Trinity and in the truth of the Incarnation of the Word of God.
-St. John Paul II
If after learning about the importance of the spiritual life under the motherhood of Mary, you would like to begin your marian journey I would also recommend doing a marian consecration. The devotion was laid out in detail by St. Louis de Montfort, and it can be found in most versions of his book True Devotion to Mary. Another version of the marian consecration which I have heard widely recommended is the book by. Fr. Michael E. Gaitley, MIC 33 Days to Morning Glory. This version is simpler than the one by St. Louis de Montfort, and I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to deepen their devotion to Mary.
We are the Body of Christ, and Christ’s body was formed by his mother. Therefore, we being members of the Body of Christ need to be formed by Mary the Mother of God and our mother. Devotion to the Blessed Mother is a beautiful way to grow in love and devotion to her son.
I would like to end this post with a quote by St. John Paul II on the spirit of Marian devotion.
The contemplation of Christ has an incomparable model in Mary. In a unique way the face of the Son belongs to Mary. It was in her womb that Christ was formed, receiving from her a human resemblance which points to an even greater spiritual closeness. No one has ever devoted himself to the contemplation of the face of Christ as faithfully as Mary. The eyes of her heart already turned to him at the Annunciation, when she conceived him by the power of the Holy Spirit. In the months that followed she began to sense his presence and to picture his features. When at last she gave birth to him in Bethlehem, her eyes were able to gaze tenderly on the face of her Son, as she “wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger” (Lk2:7).
-St. John Paul II in “Rosarium Virginis Mariae” 10
This blog post was written by guest writer, Nathaniel Mayne.
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