The Virgin Mother of Christ and the Church
The Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ, and the Church
Wishing, in His infinite kindness and wisdom, to accomplish the redemption of the world, God, “when the fullness of time had come, sent His Son, born of the Virgin Mary,… so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal 4:4-5). “For us men and for our salvation He came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Virgin Mary by the work and grace of the Holy Spirit.” This divine mystery of salvation is revealed to us and continued in the Church, which the Lord established as His body. In her, the faithful, adhering to Christ the Head and in communion with all the saints, must also venerate the memory “first of all of the glorious ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of our God and Lord Jesus Christ” (Lumen Gentium, 52)
Indeed, the Virgin Mary, who at the Annunciation of the Angel received the Word in her heart and in her womb and gave Life to the world, is acknowledged and honored as the true Mother of God the Redeemer. Redeemed in a more sublime manner, in view of the merits of her Son, and united to Him by a close and indissoluble bond, she was endowed with the lofty mission and dignity of Mother of God the Son. She is therefore the beloved daughter of the Father and the temple of the Holy Spirit, and by this signal gift of grace she surpasses all other creatures in heaven and on earth. Yet, as one of the offspring of Adam, she is associated with all men who are in need of salvation. Better still, “she is truly Mother of the members (of Christ), for she cooperated by her love so that the faithful, the members of that Head, might be born in the Church”. For this reason she is hailed as a preeminent and wholly singular member of the Church, and as her type and most perfect exemplar in faith and charity. And the Catholic Church, taught by the Holy Spirit, devotes to her, as to a most loving mother, the filial affection of piety. (Lumen Gentium, 53)
For a deeper study of Mary’s place in the history of salvation, we recommend the encyclical Redemptoris Mater by John Paul II.
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