Course Texts for Saint Michael's Basic Training - Mary
Below are the course texts for Saint Michael's Basic Training - Mary class. These files are Adobe .PDF files, and can be viewed with the free Acrobat reader, available here.
Mothers and Sons
Mother as Advisor
Let’s begin at the end of Proverbs – Ch. 31 v. 10
The Bible tells us only one thing about a certain King Lemuel: that he got some very good advice about
getting a wife.
Read them carefully.
From whom did he get this advice? Who told the King? Who presumed to give personal advice to the
King?
Read verse 1 – His mom. Who else. Moms can say anything they want.
This chapter is full of the kind of advice any good mother would give to her son: don't fall in with loose
women, don't drink too much, and above all find a good wife.
But because the son happens to be a king, his mother also has to remind him of his duties as a ruler. He
must be the voice of the defenseless, a power for the powerless. His kingdom must be for the poor and
the meek.
Now, a king always has people trying to tell him what he should do. Usually the advice is aimed at
creating some benefit for the adviser. Often what sounds like advice is just flattery.
But here is someone advising the king to take care of the poor and the meek - the people who have no
other defense. Who could speak freely enough to the king to give him that kind of advice?
"Open your mouth in behalf of the dumb,
and for the rights of the destitute;
Open your mouth, decree what is just,
defend the needy and poor!" (see Proverbs 31:9).
Only the king's own mother could speak to him that way. As a king, he might be her ruler, but by the
law of nature he was still her son.
A flattering courtier could never say things like that to a king. It's not surprising, then, that the queen
mother in Near Eastern kingdoms was traditionally looked on as the friend of the poor, the intercessor
between the people and the king.
And when we see that the book of Proverbs ends with a queen mother's advice, we know how important
the inspired writers considered the wisdom of the queen mother. A ruler who had Proverbs read to him
would be left with the queen mother's words ringing in his ears.
Mother as Protector
The mother's authority over her children - even if they happen to be kings - is part of nature. Lemuel is
never mentioned anywhere else in Scripture.
One ancient Jewish tradition, however, said that Lemuel was a pseudonym for the great Solomon
himself, the king whose name is still synonymous with wisdom. Solomon was the second son of David
and Bathsheba.
Their first son had died shortly after birth - a judgment on David for his adultery with Bathsheba, who
had been the wife of one of David's most trusted officers until David sent him off on a suicide mission
(see 2 Samuel 11).
As David's heir, Solomon was the prototypical Son of David, inheriting all those promises of a glorious
kingdom that God had made for David's line (see 2 Samuel 7:8-16).
He had one other famous gift: the gift of wisdom. But he still listened to his mother's advice.
The Mother of the King
Solomon Bows to his Mother
In fact, one of the first things we hear about Solomon's reign is the important part his mother played in
it.
When Bathsheba enters the newly crowned King Solomon's court, Solomon bows before her. Then he
has her seated on a throne at his right hand (see 1 Kings 2:19). No other subject ever earned that honor -
not during the reign of Solomon, and not under any other king in the Old Testament.
Then she asks him a favor, a request that Adonijah had given her. She acts in her traditional role as
intercessor for the people - which is a bit surprising, considering who Adonijah was.
Adonijah, an older son of David, had been Solomon's rival for the succession. David had promised
Bathsheba that her son Solomon would be king, but Adonijah took advantage of his old father's
weakness to make a grab for the kingdom himself (see 1 Kings 1:5). It was only Bathsheba's quick
action that saved the kingdom for her son (see 1 Kings 1:16-21).
Now Adonijah asks for something extraordinary: he wants his father's concubine Abishag as his wife. In
Middle Eastern cultures, taking the king's wife or concubine was a way of publicly declaring yourself
king.
This time, Solomon doesn't take his mother's advice. He had very magnanimously spared Adonijah after
the failed coup, but this was just too much (see the whole story in 1 Kings 2:13-25).
But even Solomon acknowledges, by placing her in such an exalted position, that she has a right to give
him advice and to present Adonijah’s cause to him. The Queen Mother can intercede, but the king is the
final judge.
The influence of the queen mother was one of the distinctive features of the government of Judah,
the kingdom that David's descendants ruled after the northern tribes broke away. (Solomon's son
Rehoboam was not as wise as Solomon: in his pride, he alienated more than half his kingdom. See the
story in 1 Kings 12:1-20.)
We don't hear about the queen mother very often, but every time we do, it is clear that she has great
influence in the kingdom.
Even when the kingdom was near its end, the Queen Mother's influence was still powerful.
"Say to the king and the queen mother," God's instructions to Jeremiah begin in Jeremiah 13:18. The
prophecy of doom that follows would not have been addressed to the Queen Mother as well as to the
king unless they both were powerful leaders in the kingdom.
Jeremiah's prophecy came true. Judah was finally destroyed by the Babylonians, and Nebuchadnezzar,
the Babylonian emperor, took away all the important people of Jerusalem.
"He deported Jehoiachin [the king] to Babylon, and also led captive from Jerusalem to Babylon the
king's mother and wives, his functionaries, and the chief men of the land" (see 2 Kings 24:15).
The king's mother is next in importance after the king, and more important than his wives.
All through the history of the kingdom, the Queen Mother occupied that place, second only to the king
in the kingdom. There was a special word for the Queen Mother in Hebrew: she was called Gebirah, or
"Great Lady."
The Place of the Gebirah
The story about Solomon and his mother points out one of the chief duties of the Queen Mother in the
government of David's kingdom.
In the story, she comes to Solomon with a request from Adonijah, one of his subjects. In other words,
she acts as intercessor for the people before the king.
Bathsheba was hardly the first Queen Mother to act that way. As far back as the Epic of Gilgamesh, one
of the most ancient literary works we know of, the Queen Mother in near-eastern courts had filled the
role of intercessor for the people.
The reason for her special position is found as much in nature as in tradition. The king had absolute
authority, and in the government of the state, his mother was subject to him.
But in the primary relationship of the family, she was still his mother, and had a mother's authority over
him. She was the only subject who could in any way expect the king's obedience.
In times when polygamy was common, the Queen Mother's position was usually more important than
the position of any of the king's wives. There were many wives, but only one mother.
From a practical point of view, the Queen Mother's position in itself was a kind of proof of her political
wisdom. A king like Solomon, who had seven hundred wives, must have had too many sons to count.
But only one of them could be king - and that one probably by the influence of his mother.
Bathsheba's case shows us that the wife whose son was chosen as heir must already have navigated
some very tricky political waters. She would make a fine political strategist when her son was king.
So we see that the Queen Mother had several important functions in the government of the Davidic
kingdom - functions that made her position not just a family relationship, but also a political office.
• She was a visible sign of the king's legitimate rule.
• She gave the king practical advice.
• She interceded for the people with the king.
These are the things that made the Queen Mother uniquely important among all the subjects in the
kingdom, and that gave her an essential place in the government of the Davidic kingdom.
She Who Is to Give Birth
In spite of the promises that it would last forever (see 2 Samuel 7:16), David's kingdom collapsed, and
Nebuchadnezzar took all the leading families to exile in Babylon (see 2 Kings 24:10-16).
Had God gone back on His promise? Clearly that was impossible. The promise was unconditional, and
God is faithful to His promises.
So the faithful people of God looked forward to a time when the kingdom of David would be restored.
They clung to the words of the prophets, who promised that a king of David's line would one day bring
back all the lost sheep of Israel.
The prophets even made the king’s mother a key to their prophesies.
Isaiah, for instance, in a time of great distress told Israel’s King Ahaz to look for "this sign: the virgin
shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel" (see Isaiah 7:14).
The sign was meant to reassure Ahaz of God’s continued commitment to the “house of David” (see
Isaiah 7:2,13), in the face of foreign threats and intrigue.
Micah even more explicitly prophesied a coming ruler from the house of David.
He would be born in the city of David, Bethlehem and, like David, would be a shepherd. Micah, too,
mentions the future ruler’s mother, referring to “she who is to give birth" (see Micah 5:1-3).
Once again, the sign of salvation is a future king to be born of a woman.
Notice that Isaiah and Micah say nothing about the fathers of these children. Usually, in the Bible it is
the father of a prominent person who is mentioned, often to the exclusion of the mother.
Kingdom of the Son of David
David's Kingdom and Christ's
Now, the reason we have looked so hard at the kingdom of David is this: the kingdom of David is the
key to understanding the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
All the New Testament authors show us clearly that Jesus - born of a virgin in Bethlehem, as the
prophets foretold - is the Son of David, and his Kingdom is the promised restoration of the kingdom of
David.
From the beginning, the Christians' most persuasive argument was how perfectly Jesus fulfilled the
prophets' promises of the Son of David (see, for example, Acts 2:25-36).
It was the kingdom of David - with its capital at Jerusalem, the Holy City - that the prophets had foretold
would be restored when God brought the scattered Israelites back together, united again as they had
been when David ruled.
Mother of the King of Kings
But if Jesus is the promised King from David's line, and if His Kingdom is David's kingdom restored,
then Mary must be the Queen Mother. That is exactly what the very beginning of the New Testament
shows us.
The Gospel according to Matthew begins with a genealogy of Jesus Christ. It's a fascinating passage to
study: what seems at first glance to be merely a list turns out to be a masterpiece of literary craft.
For example, Matthew divides the whole genealogy into three groups of fourteen generations (see
Matthew 1:17). Three is a number that symbolizes perfection. In Hebrew numerals, which (like Greek
and Roman numerals) use letters for numbers, the name David adds up to 14. Just by the numbers,
Matthew shows that Jesus is the perfect Son of David.
The genealogy ends with "Joseph, the husband of Mary." Then Matthew tells us, "Of her was born Jesus
who is called the Messiah," which recalls the language of both Micah and Isaiah (see Matthew 1:16).
There's another interesting feature of Matthew's genealogy. Four of the ancestors listed are women -
which is unheard-of in respectable Jewish genealogies. The last of the women mentioned is Bathsheba,
the mother of Solomon. She was the prototype of the Queen Mother, as Solomon was the prototypical
Son of David.
The Infant Jesus Holds Court
When Jesus is still a tiny child, born to all appearances into an ordinary working family, three
distinguished visitors from the East come to pay their respects (see Matthew 2:1-12).
They have traveled all this way to see "the newborn king of the Jews" (see Matthew 2:2).
When they finally arrive at Bethlehem, the Magi see "the child with Mary his mother" (see Matthew
2:11). The King of the Jews, as we saw with Solomon, properly appears in state with his mother by his
side.
The Magi present gifts fit for a king: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold and spices were tributes
regularly paid to Solomon by royal visitors (see 1 Kings 10:10, 10:25).
The only other times in Scripture when myrrh and frankincense are mentioned together are in the
Song of Songs, when they are part of the pageantry of Solomon's wedding day (see Song of Songs
3:6-7) - a day when Solomon's own mother places the crown on his head (see Song of Songs 3:11).
Matthew paints a picture of the child Jesus, the perfect Son of David, holding court in the same way as
Solomon, the original Son of David.
Queen of Heaven
Our final glimpse of the Queen Mother in the Bible comes in that famous symbolic vision in the Book of
Revelation (see Revelation 12:1, 12:5).
The "great sign" is a woman giving birth, just as in Isaiah's prophecy the sign that the kingdom would be
restored would be a woman giving birth.
The child to be born is described as one who will "rule all the nations with an iron rod" – which is how
the Messiah is described (see Psalm 2:7-9).
The Queen Mother of the Old Testament wore a crown, and the "woman clothed with the sun" wears a
crown of twelve stars, representing the twelve tribes of Israel.
Here we see Mary crowned and enthroned as Queen Mother, just as Solomon's mother had been
crowned and enthroned, and just as every mother of every son of David had been crowned and
enthroned.
Revelation shows us the Queen Mother enthroned in heaven, enthroned with her Son, in perfect
fulfillment of the promise of the Davidic kingdom.
The Queen Mother's place in the heavenly kingdom does not detract from the glory of the King.
On the contrary, it is because the King is glorious that His Mother is also glorious. Just like the queen
mothers all through the long history of the Davidic kingdom, she points the way to the King, speaking
for the people - for us - before Him.
Mary of the New Testament
The Scriptures depict Mary at every stage in her Son's life - at His conception and birth; during His
childhood; at the start of His ministry, at the foot of the Cross, and following His Resurrection and
Ascension.
Basically, this is what we learn from the Scriptures:
An angel announced that Mary would bear Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit (see Luke 1:26-
38).
While pregnant with Him, she pays a visit to her relative, Elizabeth (see Luke 1:39-56).
She bore Jesus in Bethlehem (see Matthew 1:18-25) and was by His crib as magi (see Matthew 2:11)
and shepherds (see Luke 2:15-20) paid Him homage.
Under threat of danger, she fled with her newborn and Joseph, her husband, into Egypt (see Matthew
2:14).
Mary presented Jesus in the Temple (see Luke 2:23,33-35), and later, when He was twelve, found Him
there teaching (see Luke 2:48-51).
Mary was at the wedding in Cana where Jesus performed His first miracle (see John 2:1-11).
She was there, too, at Nazareth when He was rejected by His own people (see Matthew 13:54-58; Mark
6:1-6).
She watched Him die on the Cross (see John 19:25-28), and was among those gathered with the
Apostles in Jerusalem awaiting Pentecost and the sending of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 1:14).
There are also a few indirect mentions of Mary in the New Testament. An anonymous woman cries out
to Jesus: "Blessed is the womb that carried you" (see Luke 11:27-28).
Paul mentions her but not by name (see Galatians 4:4). And she is apparently the woman depicted in a
fantastic vision in the Bible's last book (see Revelation 11:19-12:18).
Mary of Doctrine and Devotion
Even counting indirect mentions, Mary is referred to just fourteen times in the New Testament. That's
far less than some of the Apostles - certainly less than Peter, who is mentioned about 155 times.
How then did she come to be one of only two people mentioned by name in the Apostles' Creed ("...born
of the Virgin Mary")? How did she come to inspire some of the Church's earliest liturgies and prayers,
as well as some of its most controversial and misunderstood dogmas?
These questions have long been sticking points for many Christians, who can find no basis in Scripture
for what Catholics believe and pray about Mary.
In fact, prayers such as the "Hail Mary" are composed largely of biblical words, and the Church's
Marian dogmas and doctrines are definitive interpretations of Scriptures concerning Mary.
In fact, through close study of the Bible, we see the seeds not only for Catholic devotions such as the
Rosary, but for dogmas and doctrines such as Mary's Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, and her
crowning as Queen of Heaven.
Catholic devotion to Mary, rooted in the biblical witness of Christ's first followers, is far from
blasphemy or idolatry. You may start wonder whether it is blasphemy not to honor Mary - as God's most
perfect work, the human person who most truly conforms to the image of God (see Genesis 1:27;
Romans 8:29; 1 Corinthians 15:49).
To appreciate the connections between the Mary of Scripture and the Mary of doctrine and devotion, we
need to learn how to read the Scriptures as they were written. When we do, we'll discover that, though
the biblical data is scant, it is rich in divine meaning.
Reading Mary in Matthew
Of Her Was Born. . .
We need to learn how to read from the New Testament writers themselves. We want to start by simply
understanding the "literal" or literary sense of these texts - what the words on the page tell us about
Mary.
Mary's first appearance in the New Testament comes in its very first chapter - at the end of the long
genealogy that begins the New Testament.
She is introduced as: "Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Messiah" (see Matthew 1:16).
We have to read these words in context. These are the final words of a list of descendants Matthew has
drawn up to demonstrate that Jesus is "Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham" (see Matthew 1:1).
To understand the literal meaning of this text about Mary, then, we have to know some background
about the Christ, and about David and Abraham.
Abraham was the founding father of God's chosen people, Israel. God made a covenant with him,
promising that through his descendants "all the nations of the earth shall find blessing" (see Genesis
22:18).
God promised Abraham that kings would stem from his line (see Genesis 17:6) and later swore an oath
to Israel's King David - that his kingdom would have no end, that David's son would be His son and
would reign forever, not only over Israel but over all the nations (see 2 Samuel 7:12-13; Psalm 89:27-28;
Psalm 132:4-5; 11-12).
But David's kingdom crumbled and the people were dispersed into exile (see Matthew 1:11; 2 Kings
24:14).
From that time forward, Israel's prophets taught them to hope for a "Christ" (or "Messiah" in Hebrew).
He was expected to be the son of God promised to David, who would liberate Israel's scattered tribes
and reunite them in a new and everlasting kingdom that would be a light to the nations (see Isaiah 9:5-6;
49:6; 55:3; Ezekiel 34:23-25,30; 37:25).
Read in context, then, the few words that Matthew gives us about Mary are no trifling matter.
In this short sentence, Matthew has effectively positioned Mary at the center of Israel's history -
the history of God's chosen people. Of her was born the Christ through whom God would fulfill His
covenant promises to Abraham and David.
As mother of the royal Messiah of Israel, Mary is also necessarily at the center of human history. For the
fruit of her womb will be the source of the world's salvation. Through Christ, born of Mary, God will
bestow His divine blessings upon all nations and peoples.
. . .Through the Holy Spirit
Matthew continues this theme in the verses that follow, as he describes how Mary was "found with child
through the Holy Spirit" (see Matthew 1:18-25).
He tells us that Mary's conception by the Spirit fulfills a promise God made through the prophet Isaiah -
that a virgin would bear a son who would be called Emmanuel, which means, "God is with us" (see
Matthew 1:18,22-23; Isaiah 7:14).
This was an obscure prophecy. Nobody that we know of at the time of Jesus believed it had anything to
do with the coming Messiah. Some rabbis said the prophecy had been fulfilled in Isaiah's lifetime -
when King Hezekiah was born.
Hezekiah was indeed a mighty reformer who "pleased the Lord, just as his forefather David had done."
In addition, Scripture tells us, "the Lord was with him" (see 2 Kings 18:1-7; 2 Chronicles 29-32).
But Matthew seems to be telling us that Hezekiah was at best only a partial and imperfect fulfillment of
Isaiah's prophecy. Its perfect fulfillment awaited the Spirit's conception of Jesus in Mary's womb.
Mary is "she who is to give birth," as Malachi foretold in a prophecy Matthew will later quote (see
Micah 5:1-2; Matthew 2:6). Through Mary, mother of the long-awaited Messiah, "God is with us."
Again, to understand the literal meaning of this passage, we have to understand the deep Old Testament
context that Matthew assumes.
Matthew expects that his readers will hear in these words the promise that echoes throughout salvation
history - the promise of the divine presence, that God will one day come to dwell with His people (see
Isaiah 43:5; Zechariah 8:23; 2 Corinthians 6:16-18).
This was one of the great messianic hopes stirred by the prophets. Ezekiel, for one, prophesied a new
King David and an "everlasting covenant" by which God would promise: "My dwelling shall be with
them; I will be their God, and they shall be My people" (see Ezekiel 37:24-28; Revelation 21:3).
And we hear echoes of Isaiah's Emmanuel prophecy throughout Matthew's Gospel. Jesus repeatedly
describes how He will be "with us" for all time, especially in the Eucharist (see Matthew 18:20,
25:40,45; 26:26-28). His last words resound with the promise: "I am with you always, until the end of
the age" (see Matthew 28:20).
Matthew's reference to Mary as the Virgin prophesied by Emmanuel once more places her at the center
of God's saving plan - for Israel and for the world.
The literal meaning of this text is that Mary is the divine "sign" that long ago God promised to give - the
sign of His faithfulness to His eternal covenant with David, the sign that He has come to fulfill His
purposes for all creation.
Reading Mary in Luke
The Lord Is With You
We turn now to Luke's Gospel.
We want to look closely at his account of the Annunciation (see Luke 1:26-38). Here again we simply
want to read the literal text in its literary context. As it is written, we want to know what this passage
tells us about Mary.
Luke, like Matthew, introduces Mary as a virgin betrothed to Joseph, a descendant of David. She is
greeted by the angel Gabriel: "Hail, favored one, the Lord is with you."
The angel uses a word - variously translated hail or rejoice - that the prophets used to foretell the joy of
the people at the Messiah's coming (see Joel 2:23-24; Zechariah 9:9).
In fact, the angel's announcement seems to be drawn almost word-for-word from a prophecy of
Zephaniah (see Zephaniah 3:14-18)
Luke 1 Zephaniah 3
Hail, Shout for joy,
favored one! O daughter Zion! .
The Lord The King of Israel, the Lord
is with you.... is in your midst...
Do not be afraid, Mary Fear not, O Zion...
You will conceive in your womb Your God is in your midst,
...[the] Son of the Most High a mighty savior
Luke seems to be depicting Mary as Daughter Zion - the representative of her people - called to rejoice
that God, as her Savior and King, has come into her midst.
As in Matthew, then, we see the historic hopes of Israel focused in the person of Mary. The words the
prophets taught Israel to long to hear - "Say to daughter Zion, your Savior comes!" (see Isaiah 62:11) -
are heard now by Mary.
The angel also tells Mary that her Son will be "Son of the Most High" and will be given "the throne of
David His father."
For the literal meaning of this passage, we have to return to the Old Testament background of God's
covenant with David
In fact, in the angel's words we hear echoes of God's covenant with David (see 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Psalm
89:4-5; 27-30).
God swore that David's son would be "a son to Me." And the angel promises that Mary's child will be
"Son of the Most High" - another way of saying "Son of God" (see Mark 5:7; Luke 1:35; 8:28).
God swore that David's son would rule on his throne forever. The angel promises that Mary's Son will
be seated on "the throne of David his father...forever."
Mary is shown here to be the "sign" that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah from David's dynastic line.
Handmaid of the Lord
Mary has asked how she, as a virgin, will conceive the child promised by the angel. The angel replies:
"For nothing will be impossible for God" (see Luke 1:37). These words, too, are freighted with Old
Testament meaning.
An angel spoke almost these same words to Abraham's wife, Sarah, when she laughed at the notion that
in her old age she would bear the son that God had promised to Abraham (see Genesis 18:14).
Luke appears to be showing us that Mary, too, is being called to bear the son of God's covenant promise.
Mary's response to the angel takes up the story of still another barren woman who found favor with God
- Hannah the mother of Samuel (see 1 Samuel 1:11, 19-20).
In presenting herself as "the handmaid of the Lord," she recalls the oath of Hannah - who pleaded with
God for a son, vowing to consecrate him to the Lord.
Three times Hannah described herself as the Lord's "handmaid" (see 1 Samuel 1:11,16,18).
Made a gift to the Lord by his grateful mother (see 1 Samuel 1:11,22; 2:20), Samuel became a holy and
righteous priest and prophet, chosen by God to anoint David as King.
In describing herself as the Lord's handmaid, Mary too is vowing to dedicate her child to God. Her child,
too, will be a holy prophet and priest, anointed to be a Davidic king.
Mary in the Gospel of John
A First Reading
In our first lesson we acknowledged the relative scarcity of direct references to Mary in the New
Testament.
In this lesson and the next we will look at two of the three Gospel scenes in which Mary can be said to
play a prominent role.
Many if not most of the stories in the Gospel have "parallels" - accounts of the same story or episode in
another or in all of the other Gospels. For example, Matthew, Luke and John each report the story of
Jesus' Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist. All four Gospels tell the story of Jesus' Baptism.
The few stories involving Mary are much different. Each is unique to the Gospel that records it - with no
parallels. Only Luke, for instance, tells the story we studied closely last week - the Annunciation.
Matthew alludes to it, but gives no details. Mark and John pass over the scene entirely.
Likewise, the scene we study in this lesson - the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee - is only found in
John's Gospel (see John 2:1-12).
At first glance, it is a straightforward account of a miracle that Jesus performs - changing water into
wine. Mary's role in the story is apparently limited to calling Jesus' attention to the fact that the wine has
run short.
But again, as we saw in our last lesson, we will see that when it comes to Mary, there is more to
Scripture than what first meets the eye.
Sign of a New Creation
The first clue that we should look for a deeper meaning is found in the story's opening words - "on the
third day." This points us to what has gone before in the Gospel.
The Cana story marks the conclusion of a series of events that begin in John's first chapter. John begins
his Gospel with a kind of recapping of the creation story found in the Bible's first book. His first words
are even the same as the first words of Genesis - "In the beginning..." (compare John 1:1; Genesis 1:1).
John's opening verses are likely adapted from an early Christian hymn (see John 1:1-5,9-18).
There are striking similarities between John's hymn and other "Christological" hymns or hymn excerpts
identified in the New Testament. Like these, John's hymn identifies Jesus as God, the One through
whom all things were created, who manifests himself in the flesh in order to be exalted or to reveal His
glory (compare John 1:1-5,9-18; Philippians 2:6-11; Colossians 1:15-20; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:2-
5).
As the first verses of Genesis describe God creating light and separating it from darkness, so in John's
first verses Jesus is described as a light shining in the darkness.
Genesis shows us, in the beginning, "the Spirit of God...moving over the face of the waters" (see
Genesis 1:2. Note: the New American Bible translates this as "a mighty wind" but "Spirit of God" is a
better, more literal translation). John, in turn, shows us the Spirit hovering above the waters of baptism
(see John 1:32-33).
There are more parallels. Notice John's Genesis-like repetitions of "the next day" (see 1:29; 1:35; 1:43).
On the first day, John the Baptist is introduced, on the second day Jesus is baptized. Days three and four
describe Jesus' calling of disciples. The point to observe is that John's is describing a seven-day
"inaugural week."
John wants us to see the coming of Jesus into the world as a new creation. In this new creation, a new
people of God is to be born by faith in Jesus and the power of water and the Spirit in Baptism (see John
1:12; 29-34; 3:5).
Mary makes her appearance on the seventh day of John's new creation - that is, on the third day after the
calling of Nathaniel on the fourth day.
In Genesis, the seventh day is the pinnacle of creation - when creation is completed, sanctified and
perfected. The Sabbath is instituted on the seventh day as an "everlasting token" of God's "perpetual
covenant" with creation (see Exodus 31:16-17).
The same Greek word translated "token" to describe the Sabbath is also used in John's Cana story. What
Jesus does at Cana is described as the beginning of His "signs" (see John 2:11 ) .
The Mother of Jesus
Scolding Mary?
Read in context, then, we see that Mary is present on the new Sabbath of God's new creation. As the
Sabbath was the sign of God's first covenant, Mary is a part of the "sign" of God's new and everlasting
covenant with His creation.
In the creation story only the name of God is spoken. The first man and woman are identified not by
name but as "the man" and "the woman."
The same is true in the Cana story. Notice that only Jesus is referred to by name. Mary is never named.
John refers to her as "the mother of Jesus" and Jesus calls her "woman."
This is another indicator that John intends us to find a deeper, symbolic connection between what
happens at Cana and the Genesis story.
And we should keep this deeper meaning in view as we try to understand the tricky or difficult passages
in the account.
The most infamous of these is Jesus' response to Mary: "Woman, how does your concern affect me? My
hour has not yet come."
Quite often this text is used by non-Catholics to "prove" that Catholic devotion to Mary is
"unscriptural." Jesus, they argue, is obviously distancing himself from Mary in this passage - He even
seems to be scolding her.
This interpretation doesn't hold up to careful study. It's true that to our ears Jesus sounds like He is
telling Mary to mind her own business and that He doesn't care whether the wine has run out.
But we have to remember that the Gospel wasn't written in English. It was written in Greek and recounts
a dialogue that originally took place in a Hebrew dialect.
Actually, the words Jesus uses (literally, "what to me and you") were a figure of speech common in the
Greek and Hebrew of His day.
The phrase has several shades of meaning in the Old and New Testaments.
However, in each biblical instance where it is found, the phrase expresses a situation similar to what's
going on at Cana: Someone is reluctant or refuses to do something and doesn't agree that he has any
business involving himself in the situation.
With that background, how should we understand Jesus' use of this idiom? First, there is no evidence
anywhere in John or the rest of the New Testament to suggest that Jesus harbored hostility toward His
mother.
Jesus was without sin (see Hebrews 4:15). Among other things that means He was faithful to the fourth
commandment and honored and obeyed His parents (see Luke 2:51).
Nor do we find any evidence in the Cana episode that implies separation or tension between Mary and
Jesus. In fact, four times in these twelve verses she is referred to as "the mother of Jesus."
Perhaps the best evidence for what Jesus meant is found in Mary's reaction to His words. She turns to
the servants and says: "Do whatever He tells you."
Certainly, she doesn't take His words to be dismissive. And if Jesus had intended to reproach her, surely
He wouldn't have complied with her implied request.
Woman of Revelation
The real drama - and deeper significance - of the passage is found in Jesus' addressing of Mary as
"Woman."
Jesus often addresses women this way (see Matthew 15:28; Luke 13:12; John 4:21; 8:10; 20:13). In
every case this form of address is polite and respectful.
It is, however, most unusual that He would address His own mother this way. In fact, nowhere else in
the Bible or in other literature of the time do we have an example of a son referring to his mother as
"woman."
This strongly suggests the word has symbolic value for Jesus and John. In fact, this is the only way that
Jesus refers to Mary in John's Gospel. Note that on the cross, when the dying Jesus entrusts His mother
to His beloved Apostle John, He also calls her "woman" (see John 19:26).
To understand what's happening at Cana, we need to keep in mind John's larger framework - the new
creation.
In the first creation, "woman" was the name Adam gave to Eve (see Genesis 2:23). And as we will see,
John wants us to see the "woman" at Cana as a New Eve and to see Jesus as a New Adam.
This reading is reinforced when we look at another work attributed to John, the Book of Revelation.
There, a mysterious "woman" is at the center of a great cosmic battle, described as a "sign" that John
sees in heaven (see Revelation 12:1).
As in John's Gospel, the Book of Genesis lies behind the scene in Revelation 12. The drama there plays
out a promise made by God in the Garden of Eden.
After Adam and Eve ate the fruit (see Genesis 3), God promised that throughout human history there
would be an "enmity" between the serpent and the woman and between the offspring of the woman and
the offspring of the serpent. He promised further there would be a decisive struggle and that the
woman's male child would crush the serpent's head (see Genesis 3:15).
In Revelation, the "woman" plays out the role assigned to Eve. She travails to give birth to a male child
while a huge serpent, explicitly identified as the serpent of Genesis (see Revelation 12:9), waits to
devour him.
The woman's offspring is described as the long awaited Messiah - a "male child" who would "rule all the
nations" (compare Revelation 12:5 and Psalm 2:9). That could only be Jesus, so the woman could only
be His mother, Mary.
When the child is born and is whisked up to heaven, the serpent makes war against the "the rest of her
offspring." This can only be the Church, the people of God - " those who keep God's commandments
and bear witness to Jesus" (see Revelation 12:17).
That's why the woman from Revelation has from the earliest days of the Church been interpreted as both
a symbol of Mary and of the Church.
How does this help us understand the story of Cana?
First, the creation story of Genesis is in the background at Cana as it was in Revelation. Mary is here,
too, called "woman."
Also, Mary is presented at Cana as the mother of the Messiah, Jesus, as she is in Revelation.
She is also associated with Jesus' disciples - as the woman in Revelation is the mother of those who
"bear witness to Jesus." Indeed, at Cana, Mary is the catalyst for the miracle that manifests Christ's glory
and causes His disciples to begin to believe in Him (see John 2:2,11).
It is interesting to note that in Mary's only other appearance in John - at the foot of the Cross - she is also
portrayed as mother of the Church. Jesus designates her the "mother" of His beloved Apostle John and,
by extension, mother of all his disciples (see John 19:26-27).
The New Eve
Mother of All Living
In his "new creation" story, then, John wants us to see Mary as the New Eve.
At Cana, the New Eve radically reverses the decision of the first Eve. The first woman led the first
Adam to commit his first evil act in the garden. At Cana, the new woman leads the New Adam to
perform His first glorious work.
The first Eve counseled Adam to defy God and eat the fruit. The New Eve brings the people's needs to
her Son and teaches the people to obey Him in faith - "Do whatever He tells you" (see John 2:5).
The first Eve was "the mother of all the living" (see Genesis 3:20). By teaching the disciples and
servants to believe in Jesus, the new Eve becomes the mother of the Church - "the children of God" (see
John 1:12; 19:26-27).
New Covenant Bride
At Cana, then, John is presenting Jesus as the Messiah, the divine bridegroom and provider of the new
wine at the wedding feast of the new covenant.
Again our interpretation is helped by looking at John's Revelation, which concludes with a cosmic
wedding feast. It is the "wedding feast of the Lamb" - of Christ to His bride, the Church (see Revelation
19:9; 21:9; 22:17); there too, this wedding feast marks the pinnacle of a new creation - a new heaven and
a new earth (see Revelation 21:1).
Elsewhere in John's Gospel, Jesus is explicitly identified as both the "Lamb of God" (see John 1:29, 36)
and the Bridegroom (see John 3:29).
Jesus is also shown at Cana to be a new Adam, the firstborn of a new creation.
What John implies is made clear elsewhere in the New Testament. Paul calls Jesus a "type" of Adam
(see Romans 5:14) and the new or last Adam (see 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, 45-49).
At Cana, Mary is the "bride" of the New Adam, the mother of the new creation.
It is significant that the only "vow" spoken at this wedding are the words Mary speaks to the servants -
"Do whatever He tells you."
In Mary's words we hear a distinct echo of Israel's covenant traditions.
We find essentially the same phrase used to describe Israel's ratification of the covenant at Mount Sinai:
"Everything the Lord has said, we will do" (see Exodus 19:8; 34:3-7; Deuteronomy 5:27). It is also used
in the accounts of Israel's renewal of the covenant (see Joshua 24:24; Exodus 10:12; Nehemiah 5:12).
So the words Mary speaks at Cana are a sort of covenant vow that she speaks on behalf of the servants
and the disciples - expressing their acceptance of Jesus and their willingness to live by faith in His
words.
That the servants share her faith is reflected in their decision is reflected in John's detail - told by Jesus
to fill the jars, they filled them "to the brim" (see John 2:7).===================================================================
The Truth About Mary
Councils and the Bible
Since the very beginnings of the Church, the biblical portrait of Mary has been studied and prayed over
by popes, bishops, theologians, and saints.
And Mary - who she was, and what role she played in God's plan for the salvation of the world - was an
important topic of discussion and debate in the early Church councils such as the Council of Ephesus
(431 AD) and Constantinople II (553 AD).
The Church's interpretation of the Scriptures concerning Mary has continued down through the
centuries. The result has been a series of dogmas and doctrines about Mary.
Dogmas and the Bible
Before we do that, however, we should say a word about the meaning and purpose of dogma and
doctrine in Catholic teaching.
Doctrine and dogma are the revealed teachings of Jesus as defined by the Church, which has been
entrusted with the Holy Spirit of Jesus to protect it from error and to guide it into all the truth (see John
14:26; 16:12-15; 20:21-22; Acts 2:1-4).
In the New Testament, the Greek word dogma is used to refer to the "legal claims" of the divine law
revealed in the Old Testament scriptures (see Ephesians 2:15). It is also used to refer to the "decisions"
reached by the first Church council, held in Jerusalem (see Acts 16:4).
The Council of Jerusalem met to make a definitive interpretation of the Old Testament Scriptures
regarding the treatment of non-Jews who convert to Christianity (see Acts 15), a decision in which the
apostles were guided by the Holy Spirit (see Acts 15:28).
In the same way, the Church's doctrines about Mary - about her Immaculate Conception, her status as
the "ever-Virgin Mother of God," and her "Assumption" into heaven as "Queen of all things" - represent
a definitive interpretation of the whole of Scripture as it relates to Mary's role in God's plan for our
salvation.
Mary and the First Gospel
The dogma of Mary's Immaculate Conception states that Jesus' mother, alone among the billions born
since the beginning of the world, was conceived without inheriting the curse of Adam and Eve's original
sin. In God's plan, and by His grace, she was kept free from sin in order to become the all-holy Mother
of God, as she was declared by the Council of Ephesus in 431.
Pope Pius IX declared the dogma on December 8, 1854, in a document entitled Ineffabilis Deus ("The
Ineffable God")
He noted the long history of the Church's belief that Mary was unstained by original sin - expressed
especially in the writings of popes and in the Church's prayers and worship.
And he noted that this belief was ultimately founded on centuries of preaching and teaching on three
passages that we have looked at in great detail in earlier lessons - the "first Gospel" in the Garden of
Eden (see Genesis 3:15), the annunciation (see Luke 1:26-38), and the vision of the "woman" in the
Bible's last book (see Revelation 12).
These passages give us the biblical portrait of Mary as a "new Eve."
In the dogma of the Immaculate Conception we see the Church peering deeper into the mystery of God's
plan.
The biblical account of God's punishment of Adam and Eve contained a proto-evangelium ("first
gospel") - an inaugural announcement of the salvation that would come from a "woman" and her
"offspring."
In this first gospel, God himself promised that there would be perpetual enmity between this woman and
the serpent, and this enmity would culminate in the crushing of the serpent's head by the woman's
"offspring" (see Genesis 3:15).
Original Sin, Original Enmity
What does this have to do with Mary's Immaculate Conception? To answer means taking a closer look at
the "first gospel."
First, the scene in Genesis depicts punishment for "original sin” which was caused by the temptation of
the serpent.
This sin is inherited by every human being as Eve became "the mother of all the living" (see Genesis
3:20). And as a result of this sin, humans are under the power of death (see Wisdom 2:24; 1 Corinthians
15:21-22). This is one of the reasons that Jesus said of the Devil, "He was a murderer from the
beginning" (see John 8:44; Hebrews 2:14).
In punishment, God promised there would be "enmity" between the "woman" and the serpent, and
between their offspring. "Enmity" means mutual hatred.
Elsewhere in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word translated "enmity" implies a mortal rivalry, a hatred
which causes each party to desire the death of the other (see Numbers 35:21; Ezekiel 25:15; 35:5).
The word is used only to describe rivalries between persons or nations. It isn't ever used to describe a
hatred between a person and an animal.
This suggests that this passage of Genesis is meant to be read symbolically. In other words: although the
text depicts God literally promising to put enmity between a snake and a woman, symbolically the text
speaks of enmity between whom or what the snake "stands for" and whom or what the woman "stands
for."
Indeed, this is how the Church's earliest saints and theologians interpreted the passage, beginning in the
pages of the New Testament (see Romans 16:20; Revelation 12).
Note that it is God who establishes the enmity ("I will put enmity"). This is no natural aversion. This is a
divinely created opposition, one that God has established for all time.
Offspring and Death
Note also that this enmity is "two-fold" - between the serpent and the woman, and between the serpent's
offspring and the offspring of the woman.
The Hebrew word translated "offspring" is literally, "seed."
It refers to the seeds of plants (see Genesis 1:11; 12:29; Leviticus 26:16). It also refers to the children of
individuals (see Genesis 4:25; 15:3; 2 Samuel 7:12) and to a person's descendants or to the race of a
people (see Genesis 12:7; 13:15; Isaiah 14:20; 57:3).
Occasionally, the word is used in a "moral" sense, as when the psalmist speaks of "the posterity of the
wicked" (see Psalm 37:28) and the prophet Isaiah speaks of an "evil race, corrupt children" (see Isaiah
1:4).
Finally, God promises that the woman's seed will "strike" or crush the head of the serpent.
To crush the head of a serpent is to kill it. So what we have here is the promise of the serpent's death
under the foot of the seed of a woman, that is under the foot of the woman's child.
From Scripture to Dogma
From a close reading, we can see how the Church - beginning in the New Testament - has long seen this
text as supporting a belief in Mary's Immaculate Conception.
First, it forsees a new "woman," a new Eve, and her "seed," Jesus. As we've seen in earlier lessons, this
passage is the source of the description of Mary as "woman" in John's Gospel (see John 2:4; 19:26).
This woman and her child were the focus of Christian expectations for a messiah, as Paul says: "when
the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman . . ." (see Galatians 4:4)
Also as we've noted in earlier lessons, the dramatic conflict between "the woman" and the "serpent" in
the Bible's last book are heavily influenced by the proto-evangelium (Revelation 12). This, also as we've
noted, is where we get the interpretation of the serpent in Eden as Satan (see Revelation 12:9).
In Revelation, we're shown that the woman's offspring is both Jesus (see Revelation 12:5) and "those
who keep God's commandments and bear witness to Jesus" (see Revelation 12:17).
Finally, the proto-evangelium envisions the defeat of Satan by the woman's seed. Paul alludes to this
when he writes: "the God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet" (see Romans 16:20).
How does this interpretation forsee "the woman" (Mary) being born without original sin?
It is true Scripture teaches that all men and women have been conceived "in sin" (see Psalm 51:7). Paul
wrote that sin entered the world through Adam and Eve and, as a result, "all sinned" and "condemnation
came upon all" (see Romans 5:12,18).
But the proto-evangelium envisions at least two people - the woman and her offspring - who will not be
conceived under the rule of the serpent and the consequences of the serpent's deceit.
Recall what the text says - the enmity is "put" by God, and that enmity is a mortal rivalry - an absolute
hostility, a struggle to the death.
If Mary was conceived with original sin, there couldn't be the perpetual enmity promised by God himself
between the seed of the woman and the serpent. To the contrary, if Mary was conceived with original
sin, the serpent would be victorious, subjecting the woman to his power. If this were the case, God's
promise would prove to be untrue.
But this clearly is not what God intended in putting enmity between the woman's seed and the serpent's.
Rather, it appears that Mary, the woman promised in the beginning, must be born outside of Satan's
power in order to fulfill God's promise of absolute enmity.
That's how Pope Pius XII interpreted this Scripture in Fulgens Corona ("The Radiant Crown"), written
to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the dogma's declaration (see no. 7). This interpretation was
also affirmed by Pope John Paul II (see "Mary's Enmity Towards Satan Was Absolute").
Also, as Paul noted, for the sake of our salvation, God caused grace to overflow, and caused Jesus "who
did not know sin" to reign over the power of sin and death (see Romans 5:20; 2 Cor 5:21). If the
woman's seed, Jesus, was not to know sin, how could His mother?
Hailing Mary
Full of Grace
The annunciation scene in Luke's Gospel, in which the angel Gabriel greets Mary by the title "full of
grace," is also cited as a biblical foundation for the Immaculate Conception.
Here we want to focus on the angel's greeting: "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you" (see Luke
1:28).
This is a greeting found nowhere else in Scripture. Kecharitomene, the word translated "favored one," or
"full of grace" is extremely rare, used only in the annunciation text and in Paul's Letter to the Ephesians.
In each case, the verb is used to indicate an action that causes some effect in the object of the verb.
Paul speaks of how God "granted" or bestowed His grace upon us in Jesus (see Ephesians 1:6-7). In this
instance, Paul uses the word to describe how God's grace causes a transformation in us - forgiving our
sins, making us His adopted sons and daughters.
In the same way, the use of kecharitomene in the angel's address implies that Mary has been favored by
the bestowal of God's grace.
Some Church fathers and scholars believe that the sense of the term would best be translated as "made
full of grace" or "transformed by grace." The sense is that Mary has already been "graced" and is now
and will be in the future, filled with grace.
Another thing to note about the angel's greeting - she is not hailed as Mary, but as "full of grace."
No other person is addressed this way by an angel in Scripture. It's almost as if "Full of Grace" is
Mary's name.
Throughout Scripture, when God gives a person a new name it indicates that person's true place in God's
plan of salvation.
Abram's name is changed to "Abraham," signalling his role as designating him to be the "father of a host
of nations" (see Genesis 17:5). Simon is called "Peter," because he will be the rock upon which Christ
founds His Church (see Matthew 16:18).
And, by the command of God, Mary is called "full of grace." In this name, her destiny is revealed .
From before the foundation of the world, she was chosen to be sinless mother of His only-begotten
Son.
This is how Pope John Paul II interpreted this Scripture in the homily he preached on the 150th
anniversary of the dogma. Full of grace, he said, "is the name that God, through His messenger, chose to
use to describe the Virgin. This is how He had always seen and thought of her, ab aeterno (from all
eternity)."
From Bible to Liturgy
All these scriptural images of Mary are brought together in the liturgy for the Feast of the Immaculate
Conception.
The Entrance Antiphon for the Mass, puts the words of the prophet Isaiah in the mouth of Mary: "My
soul rejoices in my God, for He has clothed me in the garment of salvation . . . like a bride adorned with
her jewels" (see Isaiah 61:10).
The Opening Prayer explains the great mystery of the Immaculate Conception in God's plan for the
world's salvation - "Father, you prepared the Virgin Mary to be the worthy mother of Your Son. You let
her share beforehand in the salvation Christ would bring by His death, and kept her sinless from the first
moment of her conception."
The First Reading for the feast is the story of Adam and Eve's sin and the proto-evangelium (see Genesis
3:9-15,20).
The Second Reading is drawn from Paul's letter to the Ephesians, including the same verse we discussed
earlier - the only other place in the New Testament where the Greek word kecharitomene is used (see
Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12).
Paul's words were originally addressed to every believer in Christ. Read in the Liturgy, they apply first
and foremost to Mary - who is to be the forerunner of every Christian.
"Before the foundation of the world," she was chosen "to be holy and without blemish" by the "grace
that God granted" her in the Beloved, Jesus. The grace given to Mary in her mother's womb, is to be the
destiny of all who believe in her Son and are baptized.
The reading reminds us, too, that Mary was "destined in accord with the purpose of the One who
accomplishes all things according to the intention of His will." In other words, God's will, expressed in
the First Reading, is accomplished in Mary's Immaculate Conception and her bearing of Christ.
This is reinforced by the Gospel reading for the feast - the annunciation (see Luke 1:26-38).
Finally, the special Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer for the feast is another summary of the biblical
testimony to Mary's Immaculate Conception, revealing Mary to be a sign of the Church and "a promise
of its perfection."
Seeing Mary with Catholic Eyes
Modern Marian Dogmas
Like the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption is not an event recorded in Scripture. Indeed, the last
mention of Mary in the biblical narrative is in relation to the life of the early Church in the days between
the Ascension and Pentecost (see Acts 1:14).
But in Munificentissimus Deus ("The Most-Bountiful God"), Pius pointed to a long heritage of belief in
the Assumption - an ancient tradition expressed in homilies, prayers, the dedication of churches, and the
celebration of liturgies.
Underlying this tradition was a rich vein of Scriptural meditation and interpretation.
The 'Woman' of Revelation 12
The Ark Returns
The image of the woman in Revelation 12 actually begins in the last verses of Revelation 11- with the
fantastic scene of the temple revealed in heaven along with the ark of the covenant.
Keep in mind that the chapter divisions in Revelation, as in all the books of the Bible, are artificial -
imposed by scribes in the Middle Ages. There were no chapters in John's original.
As it was written, John's vision was this: "Then God's temple in heaven was opened and the ark of the
covenant could be seen in the temple . . . A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the
sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars . . . ." (see Revelation 11:19-
12:1).
To understand this scene, we have to understand the "backstory" concerning the ark.
The ark had been missing since around 587 B.C., when the prophet Jeremiah hid it in a cave before the
Babylonians invaded and destroyed the temple in Jerusalem (see 2 Maccabees 2:4-8 ).
Jeremiah foretold that the ark would remain hidden until "God gathers His people together again and
shows them mercy."
The ark's reappearance, then, was tied to the long hoped for restoration of the kingdom to Israel (see
Acts 1:6).
The prophets envisioned this restoration as a great in-gathering of Israel's exiles in a new exodus that
would culminate in all nations worshipping in the temple at Jerusalem (see 2 Maccabees 2:18; Isaiah
11:12,15-16; Jeremiah 31:8,10; Ezekiel 36:25; 37:21; 38:8,12).
Jeremiah hearkens to both the first exodus and the kingdom and temple. He promises that the "glory of
the Lord" will be seen in a cloud - as it came to the tabernacle in the time of Moses, and as it came to the
temple ("the place") in the time of Solomon (see Exodus 40:34-35; 1 Kings 8:11).
Indeed, the return of the ark was to be a sign of the return of God's own presence to Israel. It would be a
sign of His dwelling among His people - which the ark symbolized from the beginning (see Jeremiah
3:16-17; Ezekiel 37:37; Exodus 29:43-46).
We see all these images and expectations in John's revelation.
John's vision of the ark deliberately evokes the great "theophany" or appearance of God to Moses on
Mount Sinai (see Exodus 19:16-17).
In the Greek, the words translated in Revelation 11:19 as "flashes of lightning, rumblings" are the same
as those translated "peals of thunder and lightning" in Exodus.
The "violent hailstorm" John beholds recalls the "fierce hail" that God rained down upon Pharaoh, which
was also accompanied by peals of thunder (see Exodus 9:18,23).
And as Moses heard a "very loud trumpet blast," John, too, hears trumpeting and loud voices in heaven -
using language again similar to that used to describe Moses' theophany (see Revelation 11:15).
The scene also has echoes the Old Testament story of the fall of Jericho - which marked Israel's entrance
into the Promised Land, and the end of its exodus in the wilderness.
Bearing the ark, the Israelites marched around Jericho for seven days, circling the city seven times on
the seventh day, blowing a trumpet that finally brought the city's walls down (see Joshua 6:1-20).
In Revelation, the seventh trumpet likewise sounds with an "earthquake," signaling the beginning of a
new world - the everlasting kingdom of Jesus (see Revelation 11:15,19).
John is showing us the fulfillment of Jeremiah's promise - and the promise of Israel's exodus. The
kingdom has been restored. The ark has been revealed.
And the ark is revealed to be a woman - as we see in the very next verse.
The Queen-Bride
Revelation 12 uses Old Testament imagery to describe the "woman" as both the mother of Jesus and as
the mother of the Church - which is the new people of God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and the bride of
Christ (see Revelation 21:1-3; 9-13; 22-24).
But to understand what it means to say that Mary is the virgin queen mother assumed into heaven, we
need to look closely at John's use of Old Testament ideas and images.
Israel was often portrayed in the Old Testament as a woman, a virgin daughter espoused to God in a
covenant relationship compared to a marriage bond.
In Revelation, John presumes this Old Testament idea, and develops the Old Testament's image of
daughter Zion giving birth to the Messiah.
In foretelling Israel's salvation, the prophet Isaiah said that Israel would be arrayed like a queen-bride -
gloriously crowned, radiant with the brightness of the sun and the moon (see Isaiah 60:19-20; 62:3-5). In
the same way, Solomon's bride is described as a queen radiant as the moon and the sun (see Song of
Songs 6:4,10).
John, in using this Old Testament imagery, is showing us the queen-bride, Israel.
The twelve stars of her crown are an obvious symbol of the twelve tribes of Israel. But throughout
Revelation, the twelve tribes are also reckoned as signs of the twelve apostles, the representatives of the
new Israel, the people of God, the Church (see Revelation 7:4-8; 21:12-14).
So the woman in Revelation is Daughter Zion and Mary. But as Daughter Zion was a symbol of whole
people of God - Israel- the woman in John is also a symbol of the Church.
Paul, in language similar to that of Revelation, called the Church "the Jerusalem above . . . our mother"
(see Galatians 4:26-27; Isaiah 54:1), and spoke of the Church as the bride of Christ (see Ephesians 5:31-
32). John referred to the Church as a "Lady" (see 2 John 5).
So it is natural to see that Mary, as presented in Revelation, is the mother of the Church, and is a symbol
for the whole Church, which gives birth to a new people of God. Indeed, Mary, as the Mother of the
Church, is said to have "offspring" in addition to the one male child she gives birth to. Those children
are described as those who believe in Jesus (see Revelation 12:17).
John's woman is depicted in a painful childbirth, again evoking Old Testament images of Daughter Zion
in travail - suffering in exile, awaiting the birth of her salvation (see Micah 4:10; Isaiah 26:17-19).
Isaiah said that Daughter Zion, amid roaring sounds from the temple, would give birth to a male child
and more children (see Isaiah 66:6-10). The scene is very similar in John.
We should note, too, that John's choice of words in Revelation 12:1-2 seems to deliberately evoke
Isaiah's prophecy of the Messiah's birth (see Isaiah 7:10,14). In both, we read of a sign high in the sky,
and of a woman with child giving birth to a son.
John is showing us Daughter Zion giving birth to the Messiah.
The son born to the woman is said to be "destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod." This is a
reference to Psalm 2, which depicts God giving His son the nations as an inheritance, and instructing the
son to "rule them with an iron rod" (see Revelation 12:5; Psalm 2:7-9).
Elsewhere in the New Testament, this Psalm is interpreted as a prophecy of Jesus (see Acts 13:32;
Hebrews 1:5). So in showing us the Messiah's birth to Daughter Zion, John is, at the same time, showing
us that Jesus is that Messiah and Mary is that Daughter Zion.
In John's vision, the Christ child is taken to heaven and enthroned, as a battle breaks out in between a
huge dragon and the heavenly host.
The First Gospel
Here we see a dramatic portrayal of the promise made by God in the Garden of Eden - the so-called
protoevangelium or "first gospel" (see Genesis 3:15).
Recall that God promised to place "enmity" between the serpent and "the woman," and between their
respective "offspring." That the woman's offspring would strike at the serpent's head with his heal.
Now, examine the scene in Revelation.
We have a "woman," and an dragon that John clearly identifies as "the ancient serpent," the Devil who
deceived the whole world (see Revelation 12:9). The woman, then, must be the "new Eve" foretold in
Genesis.
The serpent is waiting beneath the woman to devour her offspring. And the birth of this son and "the rest
of her offspring" is the occasion of moral combat in which the serpent is ultimately defeated.
The final image of the woman in Revelation 12 is that of the woman fleeing into the desert - to a place
specially prepared for her by God.
Later in his vision, John sees the woman given eagle's wings to fly to a place in the desert where she
would be nourished by God (see Revelation 12:6,14).
John's language here recalls Jesus' words to the apostles - that He was going to the heaven to "prepare a
place" for them "so that where I am you also may be" (see John 14:1-3).
The language of preparing a place is often used in the New Testament to describe the destiny that God
has planned for His children - He prepares a place for believers at Christ's right hand (see Matthew
20:23), and prepares the kingdom for those He has blessed (see Matthew 25:34; see also 1 Peter 1:5; 1
Corinthians 2:9).
John also evokes God's care for Israel in the wilderness, where He bore the people on eagles' wings in
their time of trial (see Exodus 19:4; Deuteronomy 1:31-33; 32:10-12). And God's care in the desert
included nourishing His people with bread from heaven (see Deuteronomy 8:2-3,6; Psalm 77:24-25;
104:40; Wisdom 16:20-21,26).
From the Bible to the Liturgy
Summary of Revelation
What do we learn from about Mary in Revelation 12 - and how is this passage related to Catholic belief
in her Assumption?
First, we find in Revelation all of the biblical images of Mary that we have discussed in this course. She
is portrayed as the new ark of God's covenant, the new Eve, the Daughter Zion, and the Queen Mother
of God's kingdom.
She is depicted as a virgin mother, giving birth to the Messiah, and as spiritual mother of all those who
keep the commandments and bear witness to Jesus.
She is shown to embody or represent all of God's people. She experiences God's protection and
nourishment in the wilderness of the world and is flown to a place prepared for her by God.
We see, then, the outlines of the biblical foundation for this great Marian doctrine:
Because Mary is the New Eve, envisioned by God since before the garden of Eden to be the ark of His
new covenant, to bear God's only begotten Son, the Author of Life (see Acts 3:15), Mary was protected
from the serpent and taken on eagle's wings to a place prepared for her by God.
The Feast of the Assumption
The Church's interpretation of these biblical texts can be found in the Mass readings for the Feast of the
Assumption and for the Vigil of the Assumption, August 14-15.
The vigil for the feast begins with a reading from the first book of Chronicles (see 1 Chronicles 15:3-4,
15-16; 16:1-2) - about David bringing "the ark of the Lord to the place which he had prepared for it."
The psalm for the vigil likewise celebrates this event: "Advance, O Lord, to your resting place, you and
the ark of your majesty" (see Psalm 132:8).
The epistle gives thanks for the victory over death won for us by Christ (see 1 Corinthians 15:54-57).
The gospel celebrates Mary as not only the mother of Christ, but as one who heard God's word and
believed (see Luke 11:27-28).
The Mass for the feast begins with a reading from Revelation - beginning with the vision of the ark in
the heavenly temple (see Revelation 11:19-12:1-6, 10). The psalm depicts a queen standing at the king's
right hand (see Psalm 45), while the epistle envisions Christ as the king putting His enemies under His
feet - the last enemy being death (see 1 Corinthians 15:20-27).
Finally, the gospel for the feast is Mary's visitation of Elizabeth (see Luke 1:39-56) which depicts Mary
as the ark of the covenant.
In the Assumption liturgies, then, we see the Church identifying as the fulfillment of numerous Old
Testament figures. Mary is shown to be the ark of the covenant, bearing the Lord's presence. And we see
her described as Daughter Zion, the new Eve, and the Queen of Heaven.
We also see her as a symbol of the whole people of God. As Revelation describes her offspring as
keeping God's commandments and bearing witness to Jesus (see Revelation 12:17), she is hailed by
Jesus herself in the liturgy as "blessed" because she heard the work of God and observed it (see Luke
11:27-28).
Portrayed in the Scriptures as the model of believers and the new Eve, it is fitting that the dogma and the
worship of the Church associates Mary with Christ's victory over death, which came into the world
through the first Adam and the first Eve (see 1 Corinthians 15:20-27).
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