Looking to Advent and the Motherhood of Mary

During Advent we look to the birth of the Christ.  This was a central event in Salvation, second only to the Cross.  The focus, rightly so, is on Jesus who emptied Himself and left His heavenly throne and took the form of a slave.  On the Cross, Jesus endured truly “excruciating” (a word coined by the Romans to speak of the pain of crucifixion) agony to clear our way to the Kingdom of God.  However, Mary’s role is critical.  Throughout the Gospels, Mary stand at the foundation and culmination of the redemptive ministry; never to detract from the authority of her Son, but vital in her importance.

Pope John Paul II, in his Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem, stresses the importance of Mary,  He writes; "When the time had fully come, God sent forth his son, born of woman." With these words of his Letter to the Galatians (4:4), the Apostle Paul links together the principal moments which essentially determine the fulfillment of the mystery "pre-determined in God" (cf. Eph 1:9). The Son, the Word one in substance with the Father, becomes man, born of a woman, at "the fullness of time". This event leads to the turning point of man's history on earth, understood as salvation history. It is significant that Saint Paul does not call the Mother of Christ by her own name "Mary", but calls her "woman": this coincides with the words of the Proto-evangelium in the Book of Genesis (cf. 3:15). She is that "woman" who is present in the central salvific event which marks the "fullness of time": this event is realized in her and through her.

With the birth of Jesus, the motherhood of Mary is defined.  She gave birth to the Messiah, foretold by ages of prophets.  With the crucifixion of Jesus, the motherhood of Mary was redefined.  In John 19:25-27, we read;  Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.  When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,”  and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.  On a practical level, this was a loving son taking care of His mother at His death.  However, this exchange redefined the motherhood of Mary.  As many scholars (including myself) have argued, John, the Gospel writer, was the “beloved disciple”.  Due to his social status, John was able to stand at the foot of the Cross, without fear of being arrested.  At this moment, John is the visible representative of the followers of Christ- to this day.  In other words, Jesus had made his birth mother, who loved Him and raised Him, the mother of an uncountable number of generations of Christians who still worship Him as Lord.  Truly, Mary is “Our Mother”, whom Jesus graciously shares with us.

In this Advent Season, she allows us to share the anticipatory joy of expecting the birth of her son.  However, her joy might be tempered in this by our leaders pushing an horrific abortion agenda.  Devout Catholics, like President Biden, would do well to ask a simple question; what would Mary say?

Is the sword in her Immaculate Heart getting pushed deeper or twisted when her children work toward the elimination of future generations of her children?  Does she lose another drop of blood for every needless abortion performed? How much longer can we ignore the woman whose was present at the central events of Salvation and has assumed the role of Our Mother?