Accounts of Mary’s life in Scripture paints a portrait of a prayerful woman whose faith in God leads her into a mystical, hidden life. Beginning with the Angel Gabriel’s announcement that she would give birth to a son who would be called “Son of the Most High,” and moving through her arrival to visit her cousin Elizabeth, whose infant “leaped for joy” at the sound of her greeting, Mary is a woman who walks through life veiled by the Grace of God (Gospel of Luke). Her most famous statement in Scripture, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5), in reference to her son who turns water into wine, is a command for us all. Her quiet presence sometimes is noted during her son’s three-year ministry, and she is present at the foot of the cross when Jesus says, “Woman, behold, your son” (John 19:26). Jesus then says to the disciple who is standing beside Mary, “Behold your mother” (John 19:27).
This passage inspired Pope Leo XIII to write in the adiutricem (Helper of the People) to accompany his encyclical on the rosary, “With wonderful care she nurtured the first Christians by her holy example, her authoritative counsel, her sweet consolation, her fruitful prayers. She was, in very truth, the Mother of the Church, the Teacher and Queen of the Apostles, to whom, besides, she confided no small part of the divine mysteries which she kept in her heart” (n. 6). Over time, the Church’s understanding of the Blessed Mother has deepened, with new titles and new dogmas. In 2018, a new liturgical memorial honored her with the title “Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church.” Holy Mary, pray for us!
