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Mary - Symbol of the Church
Blogged by Ella Preece on 15th June 2010
It is only through the mystery of Christ that we can come to understand the Mystery of Our Lady and therefore the mystery of the Church. Just as the Church can hope to seek a deeper understanding of Christ's message by continuously contemplating Christ's works and words so too can we draw from Mary's example. We can strive to have that unfailing faith in times of difficulty, that total abandonment to God in trust. We can ask Mary as our mother to intercede for us. We can use prayers such as the Rosary to contemplate the life of Christ our Savior. We can honour her as God honoured her in the beginning by participating in feast day's dedicated to her. By doing this we will grow in a deeper understanding, knowledge and love of God in whom we hope to have eternal life.
Mary as the symbol of the Church will “shine forth on earth, until the day of the Lord shall come, as a sign of sure hope and solace”.
The Church Fathers and writers celebrated Mary as prophesied “the august Virgin as the spotless dove, as the holy Jerusalem, as the exalted throne of God, as the ark and house of holiness which Eternal Wisdom built, and as that Queen who, abounding in delights and leaning on her Beloved, came forth from the mouth of the Most High, entirely perfect, beautiful, most dear to God and never stained with the least blemish.” So too do we hold Mary in honour as she fulfills her prophesied role as “Advocate, Helper, Benefactress and Mediatrix”. Mary is celebrated because she is “an almost infinite treasury, an inexhaustible abyss of these gifts”, as Mary is symbolic of the Church so too is the Church a treasury and abyss of gifts which the Holy Spirit imparts on it's members particularly through the sacraments.
Pope Pius XII writes about his desire that the faithful will be 'stirred' with piety towards Mary and that by meditating on her example they will be “more and more convinced of the value of a human life entirely devoted to carrying out the heavenly Father's will and to bringing good to others”. As members of the Church we are all called to play our part in evangelisation and to recognise the role of Our Lady in this great mission.
