Holy Spirit, Eucharist, Mary
IntroductionThe coming of the Holy Spirit into Mary’s womb (cf. Lk 1:35) is a prelude to Pentecost and also to the Holy Spirit’s action in the Eucharistic mystery, as the updating of the mystery of the Redeemer Christ. “It was in fact from Pentecost that the ‘Acts of the Apostles’ began, just as by the work of the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary Christ was conceived, and by the descent still of the Holy Spirit upon Christ in prayer, He was impelled to begin His ministry” (Vatican Council II, Ad Gentes 4).
The Most Splendid Work of the Holy SpiritWe recall the words of Pope John Paul II in his radio message of Sunday, June 7, 1981, after the Vespers of Pentecost at St. Mary Major: “The most splendid work carried out by the Holy Spirit through the Incarnation was completed with the conscious consent and the humble ‘fiat’ of that one who, becoming the Mother of God, said of herself: ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.’ Mary of Nazareth, the handmaid of the Lord from the lineage of David, became the true Mother of God: Theotokos.”The invocation of the Holy Spirit (epiclesis) in the Eucharist also recalls the mystery that took place within Mary and that, in the celebration of the Eucharist, is made present in a new way: the presence of Jesus under the species of bread and wine, and our transformation into him, also in relation to Mary, the Mother of the Church. St. John Damascene explains the epiclesis thus: “How does the bread become the Body of Christ? It is enough to hear that it is by the action of the Holy Spirit, in the same way that, thanks to the Most Holy Virgin and the same Holy Spirit, the Lord, by himself and in himself, assumed human flesh.”Without Mary, there is no EucharistThe memory of Mary in the Eucharistic prayer, whose text dates back at least to the 3rd century, has therefore a pneumatological and ecclesiological dimension. The mystery of the Incarnation, through the work of the Spirit in Mary’s womb, now occurs in a new way through the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, while Mary is also present in the midst of the Church community.The ancient Mass of January 1st (4th century) in the prayer over the offerings says: “Lord, the gifts we offer on the altar, be received by the goodness of the Holy Spirit who filled Mary’s womb with the splendor of his truth.” By invoking the Holy Spirit (epiclesis) to transform the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of the Lord, we remember Mary’s presence and example. With her and like her, the Church says ‘yes’ (amen), making her become the carrier of Christ.The relationship between the Eucharist and Mary is deepened in the light of the action of the Holy Spirit. The text of the *Common of Saint Mary on Saturday* during Pentecost, and the votive Masses of Our Lady, allude to Mary as the bearer of the Spirit, a model of fidelity and a figure of the Spirit’s action in the Church.“You willed, Father, that at the announcement of the Angel, the Immaculate Virgin should conceive Your Eternal Word, and, enveloped in the light of the Holy Spirit, become the temple of the new covenant: grant that we humbly adhere to Your will, as the Virgin trusted in Your word” (Collect of December 20th).The liturgical texts recall this relationship, especially during Advent. The prayer over the offerings on the *Fourth Sunday of Advent* says: “Accept, O God, the gifts we offer on this altar, and consecrate them by the power of Your Spirit who sanctified the womb of the Virgin Mary.” This prayer affirms the connection between the Holy Spirit and the Eucharistic sacrifice, while offering a perfect parallel between what happened in Nazareth with the Virgin Mary (the Incarnation of the Lord) and what happens in the Eucharistic celebration.The same themes are found in the Preface of Advent II/A: “From the virgin womb of the Daughter of Zion, there sprang forth him who feeds us with the bread of angels, and brings salvation and peace to all humanity.” In the Common Preface VI, taken from the Second Eucharistic Prayer, we pray to the Father: “He (Jesus) is Your living Word, made man by the work of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.”Therefore, in the Eucharistic Prayer, we ask the same Holy Spirit who came to the womb of Mary for her virgin conception of Jesus, “to gather us into one body,” that is, to transform us into Jesus “by the communion to His body and blood.” The Eucharist is the “memorial of His death and resurrection” (Second Vatican Council, *Sacrosanctum Concilium* 47) and, thus, in its celebration, we remember the fruit of redemption in Mary and the saints, and at the same time, Mary’s collaboration in that redemption.At every historical period, including our own, the Holy Spirit impels the Church to pray “with Mary,” to become “one heart and one soul,” courageous in evangelization through the listening to the Word and the celebration of the Eucharist (cf. Acts 1:14, in relation to Acts 2:42-47, 4:31-35). These Eucharistic and Marian moments are the most fruitful in the history of the Church. Paul VI, in his Apostolic Exhortation *Evangelii Nuntiandi*,
The Most Splendid Work of the Holy SpiritWe recall the words of Pope John Paul II in his radio message of Sunday, June 7, 1981, after the Vespers of Pentecost at St. Mary Major: “The most splendid work carried out by the Holy Spirit through the Incarnation was completed with the conscious consent and the humble ‘fiat’ of that one who, becoming the Mother of God, said of herself: ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.’ Mary of Nazareth, the handmaid of the Lord from the lineage of David, became the true Mother of God: Theotokos.”The invocation of the Holy Spirit (epiclesis) in the Eucharist also recalls the mystery that took place within Mary and that, in the celebration of the Eucharist, is made present in a new way: the presence of Jesus under the species of bread and wine, and our transformation into him, also in relation to Mary, the Mother of the Church. St. John Damascene explains the epiclesis thus: “How does the bread become the Body of Christ? It is enough to hear that it is by the action of the Holy Spirit, in the same way that, thanks to the Most Holy Virgin and the same Holy Spirit, the Lord, by himself and in himself, assumed human flesh.”Without Mary, there is no EucharistThe memory of Mary in the Eucharistic prayer, whose text dates back at least to the 3rd century, has therefore a pneumatological and ecclesiological dimension. The mystery of the Incarnation, through the work of the Spirit in Mary’s womb, now occurs in a new way through the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, while Mary is also present in the midst of the Church community.The ancient Mass of January 1st (4th century) in the prayer over the offerings says: “Lord, the gifts we offer on the altar, be received by the goodness of the Holy Spirit who filled Mary’s womb with the splendor of his truth.” By invoking the Holy Spirit (epiclesis) to transform the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of the Lord, we remember Mary’s presence and example. With her and like her, the Church says ‘yes’ (amen), making her become the carrier of Christ.The relationship between the Eucharist and Mary is deepened in the light of the action of the Holy Spirit. The text of the *Common of Saint Mary on Saturday* during Pentecost, and the votive Masses of Our Lady, allude to Mary as the bearer of the Spirit, a model of fidelity and a figure of the Spirit’s action in the Church.“You willed, Father, that at the announcement of the Angel, the Immaculate Virgin should conceive Your Eternal Word, and, enveloped in the light of the Holy Spirit, become the temple of the new covenant: grant that we humbly adhere to Your will, as the Virgin trusted in Your word” (Collect of December 20th).The liturgical texts recall this relationship, especially during Advent. The prayer over the offerings on the *Fourth Sunday of Advent* says: “Accept, O God, the gifts we offer on this altar, and consecrate them by the power of Your Spirit who sanctified the womb of the Virgin Mary.” This prayer affirms the connection between the Holy Spirit and the Eucharistic sacrifice, while offering a perfect parallel between what happened in Nazareth with the Virgin Mary (the Incarnation of the Lord) and what happens in the Eucharistic celebration.The same themes are found in the Preface of Advent II/A: “From the virgin womb of the Daughter of Zion, there sprang forth him who feeds us with the bread of angels, and brings salvation and peace to all humanity.” In the Common Preface VI, taken from the Second Eucharistic Prayer, we pray to the Father: “He (Jesus) is Your living Word, made man by the work of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.”Therefore, in the Eucharistic Prayer, we ask the same Holy Spirit who came to the womb of Mary for her virgin conception of Jesus, “to gather us into one body,” that is, to transform us into Jesus “by the communion to His body and blood.” The Eucharist is the “memorial of His death and resurrection” (Second Vatican Council, *Sacrosanctum Concilium* 47) and, thus, in its celebration, we remember the fruit of redemption in Mary and the saints, and at the same time, Mary’s collaboration in that redemption.At every historical period, including our own, the Holy Spirit impels the Church to pray “with Mary,” to become “one heart and one soul,” courageous in evangelization through the listening to the Word and the celebration of the Eucharist (cf. Acts 1:14, in relation to Acts 2:42-47, 4:31-35). These Eucharistic and Marian moments are the most fruitful in the history of the Church. Paul VI, in his Apostolic Exhortation *Evangelii Nuntiandi*,According to Paul VI in his Apostolic Exhortation *Evangelii Nuntiandi* (82), and as referenced in *Ad Gentes* (4) and *Redemptoris Missio* (92), on the morning of Pentecost, Mary, through her prayer, presided over the beginning of evangelization under the action of the Holy Spirit: let her be the ever-renewed star of evangelization that the Church, obedient to her Lord’s command, should promote and fulfill, especially in these difficult yet hopeful times.
Marian spirituality and Christ’s Eucharistic presence
The Eucharistic mystery is celebrated and lived in the Church according to these aspects: presence, sacrifice, communion, communication of the Spirit, ministry, mission, and escatology. Marian Eucharistic spirituality is founded on Mary’s active and maternal presence in all these aspects of the Eucharistic mystery.
In his radio message after Vespers on Pentecost Sunday at St. Mary Major (June 7, 1981), John Paul II stated: «We have come here, especially to remember Mary’s presence at the birth of the Church, and to fix our gaze on her admirable motherhood, which is for us hope and inspiration on the paths of the mission inherited from the Apostles». Mary is the paradigm of our sanctification, which occurs through the Holy Spirit’s work aimed at configuring and uniting us to Christ. Mary becomes «memory» (or anamnese) for the Church, which invokes the Spirit of sanctification (or epiclesis) to become «communion» (or koinonia) as a reflection of God’s love, one and trine.
The «great sign» on this path is «the woman clothed with the sun» (Ap 12:1), who has already reached eschatology. What happened to Mary happens now in the Church, in a different manner and to a different degree. The real presence of Christ in the Eucharist has the meaning of «Alliance», a declaration of love (cf. Mt 26:27, Jn 13:1). It is a presence accepted with faith grounded in Christ’s words (cf. Jn 6:44), with a Marian attitude of listening and responding (cf. Lk 1:29, 38), of contemplative fidelity (cf. Lk 2:19, 51), and of espousal association in the dimension of the new Alliance (cf. Jn 2:4-5, 19:25-27).It is a presence entrusted to the Church, which recalls Mary’s attitude in placing Jesus in the manger: «Two thousand years ago, the Church is the cradle where Mary places Jesus and entrusts him to the adoration and contemplation of all peoples» (St. John Paul II, Incarnationis Mysterium 11). Mary in Bethlehem, «full of the Spirit, gave birth to the Firstborn of the new creation» (St. John Paul II, Incarnationis Mysterium 14) and «indicates to all the way that leads to the Son» (ibid.).St. Mary Major is also called «Sancta Maria ad Praesepe» because she preserves the manger or cradle of Jesus. The presence of Mary in the post-Paschal community celebrating the Eucharist (cf. Acts 1:14, 3:42-47) is a permanent and contemporary reality, as an «active» and «maternal» presence (cf. Redemptoris Mater 24). The fact that the beloved disciple welcomed Mary «into his house» (Jn 19:27) reminds the whole community to adopt an attitude of «communion of life» (Redemptoris Mater 45) with her at every moment of ecclesial life and at the central moment of the Eucharist. Mary is «at the heart of the Church» (Redemptoris Mater 27).The salvific presence of Christ in the community is always accompanied by Mary, associated with the redemptive work, as Mother of the Church, Mystical Body of the Lord. The relationship between the Mystical Body of Christ and its Eucharistic Body gives a unique meaning to Mary’s presence in the Eucharistic celebration. Mary, Mother of the physical Body of the Lord, collaborates in the growth of the Mystical Body of Christ, also in relation to the Eucharistic Body. In the Eucharist, the same Body of Christ, born of Mary, is present in the Church. Mary continues to be the Mother of Christ present in the Eucharist.From this perspective, one can understand the affirmation of Paul VI in “Marialis Cultus”: “Mary as a model of the spiritual attitude with which the Church celebrates and lives the divine mysteries” (Marialis Cultus 16). The Church pays attention to Mary’s words: “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5). With this Marian attitude, the Church listens to and puts into practice the Eucharistic words of the Lord, who makes himself present in a new way among the community: “Do this in memory of me” (Lk 22:19). In this Eucharistic dimension, the Church fulfills Jesus’ commission: “Behold your Mother” (Jn 19:27).The Saints have highlighted the relationship between the Eucharist and Mary, especially by remembering the Bread of Life, the Eucharistic Bread, which was formed in Mary’s womb and is the “Bread of the Virgin” (St. John of Avila, Sermon 39,28). This great saint, contemporary of St. Ignatius, St. Teresa, and St. John of the Cross, has a deep Eucharistic and Marian doctrine. He has a very profound sermon on “Our Lady of the Snow” (August 5, 1547). He also presents the relationship between the Incarnation and the Eucharist (cf. Sermon 55, 235ss). Marian spirituality in relation to the Eucharistic presence becomes a relational attitude with Christ, whose presence demands our presence and intimacy: celebration, adoration, memory. Marian spirituality becomes a lived memory of the Eucharistic presence.Graduate Studies in Mariology
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