A Biblical Basis for Marian Devotion
The New Eve
She shall be called “Woman” because she was taken out of Man. -Genesis 2:23
An angel spoke to the woman, a virgin, and asked if she would say “yes” to God. The woman’s answer brought about deep and long-lasting consequences for the rest of humanity. The woman would later be named Eve, “because she was the mother of all living,” and it was Lucifer, the fallen angel that tempted her to disobedience. Adam’s culpability was more grave, and as God warned, the consequence of their sin was death – the immediate physical death of the animal whose skin God used to clothe them (Gen 3:21), separation from face-to-face communion with God, and a life of toil, pain, and sweat before they too “return to the ground” (Gen 3:19). And yet God gave them hope, the proto-evangelium (Gen 3:15), the first hint of the Gospel that the seed of the woman would someday crush the head of the serpent, Satan.
“The Father of Mercies willed that… just as a woman had a share in the coming of death, so also should a woman contribute to the coming of life.” – Lumen Gentium 56
An angel spoke to the woman, a virgin, and asked if she would say “yes” to God. The woman’s answer brought about deep and long-lasting consequences for the rest of humanity. The woman was named Mary. Her “seed,” of course, was Jesus.
The Ark of the New Covenant
God commanded Moses to build an ornate wooden box (Ex. 25:10-22, 37:1-10) and cover it with gold, the lid of which would be the “mercy seat” where God in His Glory would “meet with” and “speak with” his people. Within this “Ark of the Covenant” were the tablets of testimony, the stones on which God had written the Ten Commandments (Deut. 10:2-5). The Ark was to be treated with honor and respect. It was to be kept in the “Holy of Holies,” a special room within the Tabernacle of Meeting and, later, the Temple in Jerusalem where God would come to dwell with His people. Only the High Priest was permitted to enter, and then only once a year (Heb. 9:7)
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory.”
Thus the Apostle John proclaims (1:14) about Jesus, God incarnate. And how did the “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev. 19:16) choose to enter into our world? He chose a sacred room – the womb of a poor Jewish girl in an obscure village in Galilee. A girl who had the courage to say “yes” and thus become the first and greatest disciple of Jesus, the Ark of the New Covenant, and the Mother of God.
Do Whatever He Tells You
“There was a wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited.” -John 2:1-2
When the servers realized they had run out of wine, they went straight to the bridegroom or the headwaiter, right? No, they apparently went to Mary, the mother of Jesus. I like to think she was often approached for advice and assistance, having as she must have an air of charity, humility, and grace. “They have no wine,” she told Jesus. “Woman,” Jesus replied, “My hour has not yet come.” Undeterred, Mary told the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” Significantly, these are the last recorded words of Mary in the Bible, and her advice remains just as true for us today. Obediently, Jesus proceeded to instruct the petitioners on the steps they should take to have their need fulfilled. This is an important Biblical model for our prayer life: The intercession of Our Lady is so influential that it can move Jesus to act in our life. “Therefore the Blessed Virgin is is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix.” (Lumen Gentium 52)
The Beloved Disciple
Throughout the Gospel of John, an unnamed companion is referred to as “the disciple that Jesus loved.” (See John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, and 21:20). Most scholars believe that this is John himself, who is otherwise not identified by name. Maybe John was humble, or perhaps he so reveled in the love of Jesus that that was the “name” he preferred. Additionally we can ask who else could identify as “the disciple that Jesus loves.” YOU! ME! And there we are at the foot of the Cross…
“When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, 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 into his home.” –John 19:26-27
At the Cross, Jesus gives us His mother as our spiritual mother, and we are urged to take her into our home.
Veneration, not Adoration
“You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.” (Luke 4:8).
No, Catholics do not worship Mary. As Jesus makes abundantly clear, we are to worship God and God alone. However, “The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship. The Church rightly honors the Blessed Virgin. …This differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church #971)
Mary is the New Eve, the Woman who said “yes” to God. She is the first and greatest disciple, the Ark of the New Covenant, and the Mother of God. She is our advocate and mediatrix. Mary is our Spiritual Mother, and worthy of honor and respect. As St. Louis de Monfort so aptly said, “We never give more honor to Jesus than when we honor His mother.” And from St. Maximilian Kolbe, “Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.”
The Annuciation (15th Century fresco) by Fra Angelico image via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Fra_Angelico_-_The_Annunciation_-_WGA0455.jpg&oldid=196881333.
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