Ecclesia de eucharistia – Mary, the Eucharistic Woman (John Paul II)

Ecclesia de Eucharistia is the Encyclical Letter of John Paul II on the Eucharist and its relation to the Church, published on April 17, 2003, Holy Thursday. Its Chapter V, Mary, “Eucharistic woman”, is one of the most beautiful magisterial texts on the Eucharistic spirituality of Mary and on her role as a model of the priesthood and of the liturgical life of the Church.

Historical context

The encyclical was written by John Paul II in the autumn of his life, when the Pope was already gravely ill. It is therefore also a spiritual testament. Chapter V, “Mary, Eucharistic Woman” (nn. 53-58), is an unexpected and brilliant addition: it was not foreseen in the original plan of the encyclical, but the Pope insisted on including a reflection on Mary because he wished to show that Eucharistic spirituality has a maternal face.

Original Latin text, chapter V: Mary, “mulier eucharistica” (nn. 53-55)

IOANNES PAULUS PP. II

If the Church, like the Eucharist, is a mystery of faith that transcends our understanding and can be believed only by faith, Mary, who believed, is for us an example and a way. In the mysteries of Christ, Mary is always present because she is a partaker of the body of Christ. (n. 53)

In Annuntiatione Maria Verbum acceptavit: «Fiat». Hoc est «fiat» eucharisticum: Maria et Eucharistia idem gaudium habent , gaudium Dei in hominibus versantis. Ut Verbum caro factum est in utero Mariae, ita corpus Christi in Eucharistia sub speciebus panis et vini praesens est , et in utroque Maria adest. (n. 54)

Maria post Ascensionem Domini memor erat verborum eius: «Hoc facite in meam commemorationem». In fractione panis, ut Lucas in Actibus Apostolorum narrat, Maria erat praesens in cenaculo cum apostolis. Haec praesentia non externa erat sed interior: Maria in fractione panis intelligebat corpus Filii sui. (n. 55)

Magnificat , canticum eucharisticum Mariae , est professio fidei eucharisticae ante litteram: «Magnificat anima mea Dominum» (Lk 1:46). Hoc canticum est gratiarum actio, gaudium, adoratio , tria elementa quae Eucharistiam characterizant. Maria, antequam sacerdotes Ecclesiae, eucharistiam vixit et celebravit. (n. 58)

English translation, chapter V: Mary, “mulier eucharistica” (nn. 53-58)

JOHN PAUL PP. II

If the Church, like the Eucharist, is a mystery of faith that surpasses our understanding and can be believed only in faith, Mary, who believed, is for us an example and a way. In the mysteries of Christ, Mary is always present because she shares in the body of Christ. (n. 53)

At the Annunciation Mary accepted the Word: “Fiat.” This is the “Eucharistic fiat”: Mary and the Eucharist have the same joy, the joy of God dwelling among men. Just as the Word became flesh in the womb of Mary, so the body of Christ is present in the Eucharist under the species of bread and wine, and in both Mary is present. (n. 54)

After the Ascension of the Lord, Mary remembered His words: “Do this in memory of me.” At the breaking of the bread, as Luke recounts in the Acts of the Apostles, Mary was present in the upper room with the apostles. This presence was not exterior but interior: in the breaking of the bread Mary recognized the body of her Son. (n. 55)

The Magnificat, the Eucharistic canticle of Mary, is a profession of Eucharistic faith avant la lettre: “My soul magnifies the Lord” (Lk 1:46). This canticle is thanksgiving, joy, adoration, three elements that characterize the Eucharist. Mary, before the priests of the Church, lived and celebrated the Eucharist. (n. 58)

Theological significance

Chapter V of Ecclesia de Eucharistia introduces the category of Mary as “Eucharistic woman,” which has become one of the most quoted formulas of the mariology of John Paul II. The argument is simple and profound: if the Eucharist is the real presence of the body of Christ, then Mary, who gave her body to the Word, has a unique and unsurpassable relation to the Eucharist. The Magnificat is presented as the “first Eucharistic canticle” of Christian history.

Further reading

Deepen your studies: explore Mariology, Marian Dogmas, Redemptoris Mater, Lumen Gentium ch. VIII, and the Postgraduate Program in Mariology.

Learn more about the Immaculate Conception.