Published in the bulletin of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Knoxville, TN, on the 5th Sunday of Lent.
My dear Parishioners,
Peace! The ninth article of the Apostle’s Creed is “I believe in the Holy Catholic Church.” There are thirty-five (35) In Brief passages in the Catechism of the Catholic Church regarding this article of the Creed. The following is a reflection on article 975.
The Catechism again returns to Pope Paul VI’s 1968 Solemn Profession of Faith when considering Mother Church and the Most Holy Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is because the Virgin Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ who is true God and true man and Jesus Christ founded His one only Church which is also His mystical body.
Liturgically we celebrate Mary as the Mother of God on 1 January each year as a holy day of obligation. To call Mary the Mother of God is not to say that she is mother of the Eternal Father or of the Holy Spirit. Even the Eternal Word who is the Eternal Son preexisted Our Lady. But, through her cooperation with the plan of the Eternal Father and the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit the Virgin Mary shared her human nature with the Lord Jesus that He might become like us in all things but sin, to save us from our sins (cf. Hebrews 2:17). The Solemnities of the Annunciation (25 March) and Christmas (25 December) are also liturgical reminders that Mary is the Mother of God. The English phrase ‘Mother of God’ renders the Latin Mater Dei and the Greek Theotokos, the celebrated title given to Our Lady at the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus (AD 431).
The Virgin Mary is often identified by the Fathers of the Church as the New Eve. This is because Eve who is the mother of all the living (cf. Genesis 3:20) is mirrored by Our Lady as mother of all those who live in Christ (cf. John 19:27). The juxtaposition between Mary’s obedience and Eve’s disobedience is striking (compare Luke 1:38 with 2 Corinthians 11:3; Genesis 3:1–16).
Another title of the Virgin Mary, besides ‘Mother of God’ is ‘Mother of the Church.’ As Our Lady gave birth in time to the Lord Jesus in Bethlehem, so too she is Mother of His mystical body, the Church. She was there at Pentecost which is also called the birthday of the Church (cf. Acts 1:1–14). We belong to Christ’s mystical body the Church via grace, and faith, and Baptism (cf. Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3).
Mary’s maternal role in regard to the members of Christ is made explicit on Calvary (cf, John 19:27). But Our Lady’s maternal role in regard to the followers of her Son did not begin then nor did it end then. Our Lady, the Virgin Mary, still intercedes for us sinners, ‘now and at the hour of our death.’ Our Lady, the Virgin Mary, is still an example and model of fidelity to God. Devotion to Mother Church is mirrored in devotion to Our Lady.
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr