Mary’s presence in the life of the Church

When reflecting on the relationships between Mary and the Church, the first truth that strikes us is the ecclesial value of Mary’s life: everything given to this unique woman was granted for the sake of the Church. Everything given to Mary was granted for the sake of redemption, and through her, for the sake of the Church: a bond indissolubly joining Mary to the life and destiny of the community of the saved by the Redeemer. Therefore, there is an indissoluble bond that joins Mary to the life and destiny of the Church.The Bond We Seek to DeepenThis bond, we aim to explore, by first considering the title and role of Mary as “Mother of the Church” and then specifying these in three considerations: Mary as “Mother in the Church,” Mary as “Mother with the Church,” and Mary as “Mother for the Church.” This is because Mary, “Mother of the Church,” continually solicited by the Spirit for her maternal role, acts and intervenes without cease and in diverse ways in the life of the Church, guiding it ever more closely to its supreme escatological end in Christ.Mary “Mother of the Church”The dogmatic constitution *Lumen gentium* of the Second Vatican Council, after proclaiming Mary “most excellent member,” “type,” and “model” of the Church, states: “The Catholic Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, with filial devotion venerates her as most loving Mother” (Second Vatican Council, *Lumen gentium* Dogmatic Constitution, November 21, 1964, in *Enchiridion Vaticanum* EDB, Bologna 1971, vol. 1, 284-445).While the Council does not explicitly attribute the title of “Mother of the Church” to the Virgin, it undeniably conveys its meaning, echoing a statement made in 1748 by Benedict XIV. He, describing the Church’s filial feelings towards Mary, recognized as the most loving Mother, indirectly proclaims her “Mother of the Church” (Benedict XIV, *Bullarium Romanum* Series 2, vol. 2, n. 61, p. 428).The use of this title was quite rare in the past, but has become more common in recent times in the pronouncements of the Church’s Magisterium and in the piety of the Christian people. The faithful have invoked Mary primarily with the titles of “Mother of God”, “Mother of the Faithful” or “our Mother”, emphasizing her personal relationship with each of her children. Subsequently, due to a greater attention given to the mystery of the Church and Mary’s relationship with it, the Virgin has begun to be invoked more frequently as “Mother of the Church”.The expression, prior to the Second Vatican Council, is present in the Magisterium of Pope Leo XIII, who stated that Mary was “in every truth Mother of the Church” (Acta Leonis XIII, 15, 302). Later, the title was used several times in the teachings of Pope John XXIII and Paul VI.Pope Paul VI himself desired that the same Second Vatican Council proclaim: “Mary, Mother of the Church, that is, of the whole People of God, both of the faithful and of the Pastors”. He did so in his closing address to the third session of the Council on November 21, 1964 (A. Grasso, *La Madre di Dio e la pace in alcuni documenti magisteriali di Paolo VI*, doctoral thesis in Theology with a specialization in Mariology, Pontifical Theological Faculty “Marianum”, Rome 2005, pp. 137-139). He further requested that “from now on, with such a most sweet title, the Virgin be even more honored and invoked by the whole Christian people”, thus explicitly affirming the doctrine already contained in Chapter VIII of the dogmatic constitution on the Church *Lumen gentium* officially promulgated on the same day, and desiring that the title “Mother of the Church” gain an increasingly prominent place in the liturgy and piety of the Christian people (Paul VI, Closing Address of the Third Session of the Second Vatican Council, November 21, 1964, in *Acta Apostolicae Sedis* 56 [1964], 1015-1016).Biblical, Patristic, and Theological FoundationAlthough attributed to Mary later, the title “Mother of the Church” expresses the Virgin’s maternal relationship with the Church, as already illustrated in some texts of the New Testament:a) Since the Annunciation, Mary is called upon to give her consent to the coming of the messianic kingdom, which will be fulfilled with the formation of the Church.b) In Cana, when asking the Son to exercise his messianic power, she offers a fundamental contribution to the roots of faith in the first community of disciples and cooperates in the establishment of the Kingdom of God, which has its “seed” and “beginning” in the Church ( *Lumen gentium*).

5. c) On the Cross, joining herself to the sacrificial offering of the Son, she offers her maternal contribution, which takes the form of a painful birth, the birth of the new humanity. Addressing Mary with the words, “Woman, behold your Son”, the Crucified proclaims her motherhood not only to the apostle John, but also to every disciple. The same Evangelist, stating that Jesus had to die “to gather into one the children of God who were scattered”, points to the birth of the Church as the fruit of the redeeming sacrifice to which Mary is maternally associated (Jn 11:52).

d) The Evangelist Luke, referring to Mary’s presence in the early Jerusalem community, highlights her maternal role towards the nascent Church, in analogy to her role at the birth of the Redeemer. The maternal dimension becomes thus a fundamental element of Mary’s relationship with the new people of the redeemed (Acts 1:14).

Following Sacred Scripture, patristic doctrine recounts Mary’s motherhood in relation to Christ’s work and, therefore, the Church’s, though not always explicitly:

a) According to St. Irenaeus, Mary “became the cause of salvation for all humanity”, and her pure breast “regenerates the races into God” (St. Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses 3, 22, 4. Patrologia Graeca 7, 959. Idem, Adversus Haereses 4, 33, 11. Patrologia Graeca 7, 1080).

b) St. Ambrose echoes this, stating, “A virgin gave birth to the salvation of the world, a virgin gave life to all things”, and other Fathers call Mary “Mother of Salvation” (St. Ambrose, Epistula 63, 33. Patrologia Latina 16, 1198. Severian of Gabala, Oratio 6 De mundi creatione 10. Patrologia Graeca 54, 4. Faustus of Riez, Maxima Biblioteca Patrum VI, 620-621).

c) In the Middle Ages, St. Anselm addresses Mary as, “You are the mother of justification and of the justified, the mother of reconciliation and of the reconciled, the mother of salvation and of the saved”, while other authors attribute to her the titles of “Mother of Grace” and “Mother of Life” (St. Anselm, Oratio 52, 8. Patrologia Latina 158, 957).

The title “Mother of the Church” thus reflects the deep conviction of believing Christians, who see in Mary not only the mother of Christ’s person, but also of the faithful. She who is recognized as the mother of salvation, life, and grace, mother of the saved and mother of the living, is therefore rightly proclaimed “Mother of the Church” (John Paul II, Mater Ecclesiae, catechesis of Wednesday, September 17, 1997, in Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II XX/2 [1997], pp. 330-332. B. Gterardini, “Ecclesiae” in S. De Fiores, S. Meo [eds.], Nuovo Dizionario di Mariologia [original: Italian], Edizioni Paoline, Cinisello Balsamo 1986, pp. 357-358. G. Colzani, Maria mistero di grazia e di fede, San Paolo, Cinisello Balsamo 1996, pp. 184-217).

Let us now delve deeper into the ways in which the Virgin lives in, with, and for the Church, her function as “Mother of the Church”.

Mary “Mother in the Church”

If what we have affirmed is true, Mary is not merely the memory of a distant creature from a time long past, who lived over two thousand years ago on this earth, involved in the mystery of the Incarnation, who gave virgin birth to the Savior, who participated in the drama of the Cross, becoming the mother of the beloved disciple, who was part of the first group of disciples on the day of Pentecost. For Christians, she is the universal mother, actively present in the current life of the Church, in such a way that everything she received in the past, she makes available today and always to those she loves, serves, and assists as her daughters (A. Serra, Maria di Nazaret. Una fede in cammino, Edizioni Paoline, Cinisello Balsamo 1993).

Her presence is, therefore, of far greater importance and significance than the scant biblical texts at first glance might suggest. The Angel of the Annunciation, gazing in wonder upon Mary, called her Kekaritomene, “the one who is filled with grace.” The immaculate splendor of the Virgin of Nazareth was destined to illuminate the Church, a Church that was to confront a world of sin and was itself composed of sinners. Mary’s spiritual perfection appears as a light that reveals the wonders of divine grace. She is a model for Christians, who, though recognizing their inability to attain her, know that they must strive for perfection. The Church looks upon the immaculate splendor of Mary and rejoices in the knowledge that she has a mother of perfect purity, whose heart has always been free from deceit and animated by sincere and wholehearted love. Her fullness of grace is certainly a unique and exceptional privilege, but, like the privilege of a mother, it enriches all her children and draws Mary closer to each of us and to the Church, for if grace opened her heart to the full, it also united her in the most complete way to all humanity.By her exalted sanctity, which flows from an unqualified reception of grace, Mary presents herself to the Church as the embodiment of that perfection to which all Christians are called to aspire. In her, the love of God and the love of one’s neighbor, which form the essence of the law, have developed in full measure. When, during his earthly life, Jesus declared that the whole law and the prophets are summed up in the two commandments of love, he was expressing what he had always seen in his mother’s behavior (Mt 22:40). The whole of Christian morality is represented in the most concrete way in Mary’s immaculate and holy face.In Christ’s moral teaching there is a simplification, the love of God and the love of one’s neighbor, which reduces the old law of the fathers to its essential ends, stripping it of a great many particular prescriptions. At the same time, there is an unlimited expansion of the fundamental commandment of love. This simplification and this expansion of authentic holiness had already been realized in Mary, by the grace of God, even before they were proclaimed by the authority of the Master. They continue to be present in one who, conscious of grace, represents to the Church an ideal fully lived out. (A. M. Canopi, *Ecco tua madre. Maria nella Scrittura e nella vita della Chiesa*, Piemme, Casale Monferrato 1992, pp. 23-42).Christ and the Virgin MotherSomeone might object: this place given to Mary does not compete with the unique role we must recognize for Christ our Lord? Is Christ not the model to be contemplated and followed by all Christians? Should he not therefore be the sole focus of attention and devotion? The objection, often made to Marian devotion, tends to relegate Mary to the shadows, to concentrate all attention and affection on him who is the sole Savior.But if we consider well the divine plan of salvation devised by the Father, we find the answer to these objections. The Father who presented his Son to humanity as Redeemer and supreme model of human perfection, willed that he come to us as the Son of Mary, the Virgin conscious of grace. It was he who inaugurated the work of salvation, granting to Mary a fullness of holiness. It was he who, in the message of the Annunciation, made us understand his own admiration for the perfection with which he had filled the young woman of Nazareth, in order to introduce us thus to the understanding of the excellence of the Savior, conceived by the power of the Spirit in her immaculate womb.Theology has not failed to show how the privilege of the Immaculate Conception was due to an anticipatory application of the merits of the Redeemer. Through his sacrifice, Jesus obtained for his Mother the preservation from every stain. Not only is Mary’s exceptional holiness a free gift of divine grace, but it is the result of the theological generosity of Calvary. She therefore tends to make even more apparent the wonderful effects of Christ’s work, (S. De Fiores, *Immacolata*, in *Nuovo Dizionario di Mariologia* [original: Italian], Edizioni Paoline, Cinisello Balsamo, pp. 679-708).This solidarity of Mary with Christ shows another significant development, the full association of a woman with the mystery of Incarnation. St. Paul had already expressed his astonishment at this aspect of the mystery of Incarnation, stating: “When the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman…” (Gal 4:4). That a young woman is the mother of God clearly testifies to the supreme contribution of women to the mystery of salvation (J. Galot, *Mary, the Woman in the Work of Salvation*, Rome [Gregorian University] 1984). To be “Mother of God” is not simply a title, for Mary is Mother of God with all the reality of human motherhood: the woman collaborated fully and truly in the Incarnation, and it was through her that the Son of God could become like us. Inseparable from Christ by this maternal mission, Mary is present with him in the Church. By the fullness of grace she received, she serves as a model for Christians, as a woman, and thus plays a complementary role in relation to Christ, the essential model of all Christian life. It should not be forgotten that she receives her perfection from the Savior, but this perfection takes on a female face in her. Mary is the perfect woman, fully realized, of unsullied beauty in the eyes of God, as the term *kekaritomene* (C. Militello, *Mary with Woman’s Eyes*, Piemme, Casale Monferrato 1999. A. Decedei, “The Figure of Mary in the Education of Women,” in *The Place of Mary in the New Evangelization*, Marian Center “Mother of the Church,” Rome 1992, pp. 166-182. I. Siviglia, “The Woman of Our Time Confronts Mary,” in *Mary and Contemporary Culture Thirty Years After *Marialis Cultus*, AMI, Rome 2005, pp. 173-183. G. Colzani, *Mary, Mystery of Grace and Faith*, San Paolo, Cinisello Balsamo 1996, pp. 218-230). When Church doctrine defines Mary as “New Eve,” it recognizes her as the ideal woman. The woman attains in the Virgin such perfection that she casts into the shadows the imperfection of the first woman.The fullness of her faithMary is the first example of pure and genuine faith, of true Christian faith, which is faith in Jesus. The Virgin of Nazareth was the first to believe. Believing in the angel’s message, she gave her faith to the mysterious Child announced to her. Her faith then developed, recognizing Jesus as the Son of God, a faith that inspired her to ask for the first miracle. Her faith precedes the miracle, while that of the disciples follows it (John 2:11). She who, triggering the first public revelation of Jesus, provoked the disciples’ faith, continues to draw the whole Church along in the wake of her faith. Mary remains, in our eyes, the supreme model of the closest union with Jesus. Her virginal altar over Jesus constitutes a model of contemplation. Her attachment to Him in faith, hope, and love has continued to develop, remaining an example that the Church is invited to meditate upon and follow (S.M. Perrella, *Mary, Virgin Mother. The fertile virginity of Mary between faith, history, and theology*, San Paolo, Cinisello Balsamo 2003, especially pp. 273-294; G. Colzani, *Mary, mystery of grace and faith*, San Paolo, Cinisello Balsamo 1996, pp. 161-183). In the total faith of the Virgin in Christ, in her complete and intimate union with Him, in her painful and loving cooperation in His work of salvation, we have before us a perfect and complete example. This example, which, following Mary, shows us the way to follow, can be imitated without any reservation and must be contemplated endlessly within and by the Church. As Galot justly observes, to guide us along the path of faith, of total adherence to Christ and His work, we are not only given doctrinal exhortations, but effectively proposed as a model to imitate is the simple and attractive personality of Mary (A. Serra, *Mary at Cana and at the Cross*, Center for Marian Culture «Mother of the Church», Rome 1991: for the Cana event, pp. 7-78; *Mary at the Cross*, pp. 79-118).Mary, «Mother with the Church» Christ and Mary with the ChurchMary is not merely in the Church, but with the Church. To fully grasp this statement, it is necessary to recall that Jesus declared to his apostles that he would remain with his Church. His most comforting and encouraging words are found in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, as he concludes his message: in a final appearance, the Risen One gives his disciples a mission to evangelize all nations, with the definitive assurance of his continuous assistance: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt 28:20). At the moment he is about to return to the Father, Jesus affirms that his presence will remain, a presence in every moment: he will remain with his disciples in an invisible solidarity, guide them in their struggles, accompany them everywhere in their apostolic activities, share in their trials, sustain them in their difficulties, suffer the persecutions they will endure, to the point that later he will tell Saul on the road to Damascus: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:5). In formulating his promise, Jesus implied that he would be as God, remaining everywhere and always with his disciples. “I am with you” echoes the divine name “I am,” a name Jesus would attribute to himself on numerous occasions throughout his public life. It is as God that he establishes an indissoluble covenant with his Church (J. Galot, *Knowest Thou the Christ?* Florence [LEF] 1984, 3rd ed., p. 160).With what title can we acknowledge that Mary is equally with the Church? As Mother of God, she is inseparable from her Son Jesus: if the Savior accompanies his disciples as God made man, Mary is united to him. As Mother of humanity, she could not abstain from being with the Church throughout its development. We see Mary with the disciples in the assembly awaiting Pentecost (Acts 1:14). She participates in the communal prayer that ascends to heaven in anticipation of the coming of the Holy Spirit. She too receives the Spirit at Pentecost and can proclaim once more the wonders of God. This outpouring of the Holy Spirit testifies that, far from concluding, Mary’s role in the work of salvation continues as a renewal and further development, now consisting in accompanying the initial expansion and life of the Church. Mary, who had been united to the Son and sustained him in his mission, is now united to the nascent Church and to all who are called to spread the Good News, supporting them with her help and encouragement (A. M. Canopi, “…And There Was the Mother of Jesus. Biblical Meditations,” Edizioni Paoline, Rome 1987, pp. 28-36).The Compassion of MaryThe first Byzantine theologian to enunciate an explicit doctrine of Mary’s compassion was John the Geometer, who lived in the 10th century. He spoke of Mary’s intense participation in the first apostolic impulse of the Church, emphasizing the aspect of solidarity and compassion, which he saw as a prolongation of the compassion on the Cross. He writes, among other things:“What was most remarkable about her was that she suffered anew, as she had once with her Son, now with her preachers and disciples, and this above all because of her Son, for whom they spoke and suffered. Thus she already behaved as a universal mother, whose heart was consumed with affection for all, not only for those who suffered, but even more for their persecutors, whose situation was much more perilous, since for the disciples suffering was not a danger, but salvation” (J. Galot, “The Earliest Affirmation of Marian Co-redemption,” in *Recterctes de Science Religieuse* 45 [1957], p. 205. *Vita di Maria* of John the Geometer, cited according to a manuscript in the Bollandist Library [Brussels], copy of a manuscript from Genoa: f. 151v-152r).This painful participation of Mary in the vicissitudes of the Church is described by the theologian in the most vivid and concrete terms:“Thus, she was bound with the bound, scourged with the scourged. She fought with all who were in battle and, by her will, overcame in herself the battles of all. In these struggles, she placed words of encouragement and, as an example, proposed to the combatants the Passion of the Master, for whom they should suffer,” (Ibidem, 206. *Vita di Maria*, f. 152r).With these incisive expressions, John, the Geometer, sought to make clear the reality of Mary’s painful participation in the grave trials to which the primitive Church was subjected. He enables us to understand better Mary’s solidarity with the Church of today. Today, the Mother of Jesus enjoys the happiness of heaven in the glory of her Assumption. She no longer needs to walk the path of the cross as she did during her earthly life. However, the maternal love that animated her on earth has not faded in her celestial state. On the contrary, it unfolds in fullness and involves a participation in the heart in all human situations, especially the most painful ones.The faithful recognize in Mary the most moving face of compassion. With her maternal presence, she is the sign of divine compassion for humanity. God revealed himself as a compassionate and merciful God. In the Old Testament, the term used to express divine mercy was that which designated maternal entries, *rechamim* (Cf. J. Galot, “*The Face of the Father and Christian Life*”, in *La Civiltà Cattolica* 135 [1984] III, p. 116. G. Colzani, *Maria, Mystery of Grace and Faith*, pp. 275-287. C. M. Martini, *Mary Still Suffers*, Gribaudi, Milan 1997. O. Musumeci, *The Arcane Language of Those Tears: Considerations on the Madonna of Tears*, Siracusa 1963). Divine paternity towards the people is manifested in compassion, and this compassion carries with it a tone of maternal tenderness.Being with the Church, for Mary, means participating in the existence of all the members of the Church and of all those called to enter the Church. Since this call extends to all, Mary’s maternal tenderness is open to all. No maternal pain leaves her indifferent towards those whom Christ has made the universal Mother. The smallest afflictions, as well as the most tragic trials, resound in her maternal heart. In her sorrows, the faithful find consolation when they turn to Mary, well aware that they are welcomed, understood, and assisted (Cf. A. M. Canopi, “…And There Was the Mother of Jesus,” pp. 36-40).Communion with Church lifeBeing with the Church, Galot asserts, is not merely being with those who live on earth, sharing in their difficulties and sympathizing with their sufferings. It is also being with everyone to help them integrate into Church life. Mary possesses all the tenderness of a mother who accompanies her children on the path of earthly existence, but she never loses sight of the ultimate goal of this existence. She does not merely offer love and comfort, but encourages each one to live more sincerely and deeply a life in the Church, a life in union with Christ and in fraternal charity, a life in accordance with the precepts of the Gospel. Therefore, one can affirm that, by being with each one of us, Mary is truly with the whole Church. Her attention to the Church does not detract from the affection she bears to each individual. With each one of us, she seeks to recreate that intimate communion that existed between her and her Son on earth. She becomes all for all in fullness, without reserving anything from her heart.Mary and the social mission of the ChurchBeing with the Church and for the Church, Mary guides us to focus our efforts more on the great problem of world history, namely, the spread of the Good News, the reception of Christ, the conversion of each one and of all, the establishment of a civilization of love and Christian peace. This is the mission of the Church, an ancient and always new mission, which requires renewed and continuous efforts (cf. A. Grasso, “The Mother of God and Peace in Some Magisterial Documents of Paul VI,” pp. 181-199; C. Boff, “Mariology Social,” Pontifical Theological Faculty “Marianum,” Rome 1999; Idem, “Mariology Social in the Documents of the Magisterium,” in AA.VV., “Mary and the Social Commitment of Christians,” AMI, Rome 2003, pp. 137-168). The Church must still travel the ways of the world and continually renew itself, in order to attain, in its spiritual and apostolic development, the full measure of faith and charity that, through the announcement of the Gospel to all peoples, transforms and renews humanity (cf. Paul VI, “Evangelii Nuntiandi”).In his Apostolic Exhortation, on December 8, 1975, in *Enchiridion Vaticanum* (EDB, Bologna 1980, vol. 5, nn. 1588-1716), Mary walks with the Church, and even invites us to walk hand in hand with her, leading us as the Star of the new evangelization of the world (cf. P. Giglioni, “*The new evangelization in the face of Mary*”, in *The place of Mary in the new evangelization*, Marian Cultural Center “Mother of the Church”, Rome 1992, pp. 7-34).As the beloved disciple, all the faithful, peace-makers in the world, are invited to “*take Mary with them*”, that is, to deepen their intimate relationship with her in order to fulfill their mission. Mary’s maternal role is not solely dedicated to the development of apostolic activity. It concerns all aspects of human and Christian existence, but it is particularly exercised in promoting all forms of apostolate (cf. A. Serra, *Marian dimensions of the paschal mystery*, Paoline, Milan 1985, pp. 13-37).The secular experience of the Church attests to the fertility of apostolic activity that develops expressly with Mary’s cooperation. Thus, one can see to what extent Mary works for the Church. This fertility is explained by the fact that, by soliciting Mary’s action in a special way, the apostolate is situated in the continuation of the event that inaugurated the work of salvation: the coming of the Savior into this world, obtained thanks to Mary’s cooperation with the Holy Spirit. The wonderful fertility that followed Mary’s assumption in the Annunciation tends to be repeated throughout the history of the Church. The Holy Spirit takes pleasure in performing wonders where Mary is invoked and called to assist in the apostolic work. Therefore, Mary is recognized as the star of the new evangelization of the Church (cf. P. Giglioni, «La nuova evangelizzazione di fronte a Maria», pp. 7-34).Mary, «Mother of the Church»He who is in the Church and with the Church is also for the Church. It could not be otherwise.«Yes» to Christ and «No» to the ChurchMany contemporaries, as Galot affirms, describe their religious position with a «yes» to Christ and a «no» to the Church. They say they accept the Jesus of the Gospel, but reject the Church that presents itself in His name. Many multiply criticisms of those who exercise authority in the Church, or of the faithful in general, maintaining, for example, that they are no better than others. Many among them do not know how to grasp the demands of a church life and remain distant from liturgical manifestations. The Church often finds itself oppressed by reproaches and abandoned precisely by those who say they love and follow Christ’s teachings.In Mary, the «yes» to Christ was always united with the «yes» to the Church, from the consent given in the Annunciation, where accepting motherhood also meant collaborating for the establishment of a kingdom that would never be destroyed. Pentecost marked the moment when all that Mary had given to Jesus before was then put at the service of the Church. In Mary’s love and life, there could be no dissociation between Jesus’ person and His work, between Him and His Church.Mary is for the Church with all her heart and all her strength. She is not united only to an ideal Church, but to the Church as it exists concretely on earth, for it is this Church that is the work of Christ and that proclaims the good news of the Gospel. Her attachment is pure, complete, and conscious, because she does not ignore the failings and shortcomings in the life of the members of the Church, but sees them with greater clarity and justice than those who pass severe judgment. She knows that the Church is a community of sinners, but she also knows that it is the chosen way by Christ to communicate his holiness to the world (cf. E. Ribet, «Marialis cultus: a evangelical reading», in AA.VV., *Mary and the culture of our time*, pp. 75-86).Mother of the ChurchMary is all the more for the Church in that she acts as its Mother. If she is truly the Mother of the Church, then one understands to what extent she is for the Church. To condemn, reject, or neglect the Church, writes Galot, is to offend the one who generated it and who maternally watches over it. Mary is never discouraged by the difficulties the Church encounters in its efforts towards holiness. She persists in seeing the Church as the great spiritual force that acts in the world to make it better, and as the community that received from Christ the guarantee of its existence and development.If we were to describe her reaction to the shortcomings she observes in the Church today, we could recall her intervention at the wedding in Cana. She herself had warned Jesus: “They have no more wine” (Jn 2:3). This is a sign of her attentiveness to the smooth running of the nuptial feast. While the directly concerned, the bride and groom, were unaware of the situation, Mary had noticed the lack of wine and entrusted everything to the Son. The Church never has enough wine to ensure, as it should, the Messianic banquet. It lacks sufficient faith and charity, and thus is unable to give the world all it should expect from it. With her maternal compassion, Mary continually presents these situations of deficiency to Jesus, knowing she can count on the abundance of wine, life of faith, and love granted in response to her prayers (cf. E. H. Stillebeeckx, *Maria madre della Redenzione*, Edizioni Paoline 1965, pp. 172-176; G. Colzani, *Maria mistero di grazia e di fede*, pp. 64-66).Mother of Charity and UnityAs Mother of the Church and Mother of men, Mary dedicates her care to the widest diffusion of the values of interior life that constitute the richness of the Church. Among these values, charity holds essential importance, as it sums up and contains all the others, since the Church lives from God’s love and love for one another. Mary, who in her earthly life gave a constant example of perfect charity, uses all her maternal resources to strengthen the kingdom of love. She is the first to spread a spirit of sweetness that renounces all violence and a disposition of universal sympathy that overcomes exclusions and discriminations. Mary gives generously to ensure that the love brought by the Savior to humanity is concretely reflected in social relations with greater justice, sincere mutual aid, benevolence, compassion, forgiveness, and peace (cf. S. De Fiores, “The Liberating Figure of Mary and the Social Commitment of Christians,” in *Maria e l’impegno sociale dei cristiani*, AMI, Rome 2003, pp. 27-32).Mother of the Church, she is more precisely the mother of the unity of all who adhere to the Son. The prayer Jesus directed to the Father for that “all may be one” is perpetually etched in her maternal heart. A mother desires the union of her children. This natural desire is reinforced by the deeply unifying guidance of redeeming grace. On the Cross, Mary suffered for the reconciliation of humanity with God and for the reconciliation of men among themselves. In her celestial role, she strives to penetrate this reconciliation into every human heart.Mother of unity, Mary sustains everything that contributes to unity within the Catholic Church. She works for harmony between shepherds and the faithful, and in conflicts, she seeks to prevail the will of good understanding. She also favors all ecumenical approaches, contributing to grow, in Christians from various Churches, a higher desire for unity. Even among non-Christians, she encourages, as much as she can, what most unites men among themselves, with a grace that secretly operates in all and that, in reality, is the grace of the Saving and Reconciling Christ (Augustinus, Sermo 192, 2. Patrologia Latina 38, 1013: “Mater est unitatis”). Cf. M. Triaca, “Maria vergine madre dell’unità”, in La Tteotokos nel dialogo ecuménico.Journal of Liturgy 2-3 [1998], pp. 171-208. S. M. Perrella, Do not be afraid to take Mary with you [Mt 1,20]. Mary and Ecumenism in the Post-Modern Era (San Paolo, Cinisello Balsamo 2004, especially the postfation by I. Calabuig, pp. 213-231). H. W. Taja, «The Blessed Virgin Mary, a sign of unity among Christians», in AA.VV., Mary and the Social Commitment of Christians pp. 55-64.We can conclude by affirming that all the riches accumulated by the Holy Spirit in Mary are intended to enrich the Church and enrich it truly and continuously. Everything in her is for the Church. A Church without Mary would not be the Church that we know and love. An essential trait would be missing from its motherly face. There would be no true Church without Mary. The Mother of Jesus, made our mother, is forever Mother of the Church and will always be in the Church, with the Church, for the Church, until its final and complete fulfillment.ConclusionIn light of the path traveled, it becomes clear that the title Mother of the Church is not a devotional ornament nor a late formula of piety, but the organic synthesis of a reality inscribed in God’s design. Everything the Spirit achieved in Mary, from the fullness of grace that prepared her for the yes of the Annunciation to her painful association with the offering of the Son on the Cross, was granted with a view to the generation and building of the People of God. The virginity of her divine motherhood, by its very nature, opens up to ecclesial motherhood: the one who gave the world the Head cannot fail to be linked, in a singular and permanent way, to the Body.Therefore, the three modalities considered here do not add up as independent aspects, but illuminate each other. Mary is Mother in the Church as a living presence and face of holiness that the Church contemplates to recognize the primacy of grace, the beauty of faith, and the demand of love. She is Mother with the Church as communion, compassion, and care that accompany the concrete journey of the faithful, supporting them in trials, guiding them to interior life, strengthening perseverance, and animating apostolic zeal. She is Mother for the Church as intercessor and educator, committed to the maturation of charity and the gift of unity, always in favor of the evangelizing mission and the testimony of peace that the Church is called to offer the world.The centrality of Christ, far from being obscured, shines even more brightly. Mary’s relationship with the Church is entirely Christological: she does not replace the Lord but refers to Him. She does not retain but hands over. She does not scatter but gathers. Her do whatever he tells you remains as a permanent form of her maternal service, helping the Church to recognize, welcome, and obey the Word, to live the sacraments, to persevere in prayer, and to conform itself, ever more, to the Crucified-Ressurected.From this flows a decisive pastoral consequence. True love for Mary does not lead to an intimate spirituality, nor to a devotion disconnected from ecclesial life, but to a full “yes” to Christ and the Church simultaneously. To take Mary into one’s life, in the likeness of the beloved disciple (Jn 19:26-27), means to embrace her faith pedagogy, to enter into the logic of the Gospel, to embrace communion and to serve the mission. Where Mary is received as Mother, the Church finds, with greater clarity, its own maternal face, learns to have compassion, to reconcile, to educate, to gather, and to evangelize.Therefore, we can conclude with the affirmation that permeates this entire study: everything in Mary is for the Church, and everything in the Church finds in Mary a singular maternal aid. There is no true Church without Mary, not as a parallel condition to Christ, but as a gift from Christ to his Bride. Until the full escatological fulfillment, the Mother of Jesus remains, without ceasing, in the Church, with the Church, and for the Church, so that she may be, in every age, more faithful to her Son and more transparent to the grace that constitutes her.For further magisterial study, refer to Chapter VIII of the foundational document of the Second Vatican Council on Mary, *Lumen Gentium*: *Lumen Gentium* Chapter VIII, “Mary, Mother and Model of the Church.”Deepen your studies: explore Mariology, Marian theology, Marian apparitions, and a Postgraduate degree in Mariology.To further reflect on Mary’s role in the life of the Church and in the history of salvation, consult the Encyclical *Redemptoris Mater* by Pope John Paul II.