Mary in Scripture

The heroic mother of Maccabees watches and supports her seven sons during their martyrdom in order to be true to the Covenant (cf. 2 Mac 7:1-41). Mary, Mother of Jesus, watches and shares in the death of her Son, to redeem the world, and thus to bear seven sorrows in her Immaculate Heart (cf. Lk 2:35; Jn 19:26-27).

Other Old Testament typologies foretelling the Mother of the Redeemer in her multiplicity of roles and prerogatives include the themes of the Daughter Zion and the Queen Mother. The Daughter Zion (sometimes also referred to as "Mother Zion," cf. Is 66) represents the faithful servant to the Old Testament Covenant of Yahweh, the daughter who remains faithful to the Covenant even amidst trials and persecutions. (5) Mary is indeed the fulfillment of the Daughter Zion, as the Jewish maiden who gives her "fiat" to Yahweh and his invitation to participate in the new and eternal Covenant, which fulfills and brings to perfection the Old Testament alliance between God and his people.

The Queen Mother tradition—which will be further discussed in a later article on Mary as "Advocate"—refers to the tradition among the Davidic kings of appointing their mothers as their queens of the Kingdom, which meant they became the principal advocates for the people of Israel to their kingly sons (cf. 1 Kings 2:19). The Queen-Mother was referred to as the "Gebirah" or "Great Lady" of the Kingdom, who gave the people of the kingdom their greatest intercession to the King. In the New Testament, we have a new and eternal King in Jesus Christ, who takes over the "throne of his father, David" (Lk. 1:32). We therefore have a new Queen-Mother in Mary, the Mother of Jesus, who becomes the "Great Lady" of all nations and peoples within the universal kingdom of her divine Son.

These Old Testament references reveal the repeated foreshadowings of the Mother of the Redeemer. The Old Testament is rich in foretelling, through references, types, and models, the future role of the Mother of Jesus.

As the Second Vatican Council confirms:

She is already prophetically foreshadowed in the promise of victory over the serpent which was given to our first parents after their fall into sin (cf. Gen 3:15). Likewise, she is the virgin who shall conceive and bear a son, whose name shall be called Emmanuel (cf. Is 7:14; Mic 5:2-3; Mt 1:22-23). She stands out among the poor and humble of the Lord, who confidently hope for and receive salvation from him. After a long period of waiting the times are fulfilled in her, the exalted Daughter of Sion and the new plan of salvation is established, when the Son of God has taken human nature from her, that he might in the mysteries of his flesh free man from sin (Lumen Gentium, No. 55).

Mary in the New Testament

The New Testament reveals the fulfillment of the woman prophesied in the Old Testament in ways beautiful, mysterious, and profound. The greatest events of the New Testament, in particular the Incarnation and the Redemption, manifest the central role played by Mary in intimate cooperation with and under her Divine Son in the historic work of human salvation.

The question may be asked, "Why is there not a greater quantity of references or degree of development concerning Mary in the New Testament?" For several reasons the New Testament revelation of the Mother of Jesus had to be both profound and concise.

The complete attention of the faithful in the infant years of the one Church of Christ had first to be directed pre-eminently to Jesus Christ himself. The proper adoration of Jesus had to be established before any secondary veneration of Mary would be appropriate or fitting. Her honor, of course, arises first and foremost from her being the Mother of Jesus.

Further, the comparative obscurity of Mary was important to avoid any rash conclusion of an all too human conception of Jesus. In other words, to avoid concluding that the "wise, pure and holy" Jesus was simply the product of a very "wise, pure and holy" mother. Mary's obscurity protected and focused the attention of the Apostolic Church towards the single primacy of Jesus and his heavenly origins.

Of great importance in the appropriate biblical revelation of Mary was the avoidance of anything that would support any perception of her as a goddess. An immediate full revelation of all the extraordinary prerogatives and roles of Jesus' Mother could inadvertently encourage seeing her as a goddess along side Jesus himself. Since it was commonplace for many pagan religions of the time to deify woman in representing a particular virtue or power, the revelation of the roles and virtues of Mary had to be revealed both in truth and in humility.

Moreover, it was important that during Mary's lifetime her humility was rightly respected and protected. Mary was to be the perpetual example of hidden holiness, of interior sanctity—a model for Christians of all future ages.

For these reasons, it was very fitting that Mary, as the humble handmaid of the Lord, not receive a more developed treatment in the New Testament, so as not to diminish the primacy of her Son and the efficient preaching of the Good News.

At the same time, the New Testament manifestation of the Mother of Jesus remains a revelation of the greatest creature in human history who participates more than any other creature in the mission of the Savior. From her "yes" which brings us our Redeemer, to the prophecy of the piercing of her heart by Simeon, to her intercession for the newly married couple at Cana, to her united suffering with her Son for the world's Redemption at Calvary, the New Testament reveals not a woman in Scripture, but The Woman of Scripture.

Let us now survey the principal Marian references in the New Testament, with a greater treatment of their inspired meanings as they relate to the respective dogmas and doctrines:

• The Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel to Mary (Lk 1:26-38): "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you." When Mary gives her "fiat" or "let it be done to me" to the angel's invitation directed to her as "full of grace," the Virgin of Nazareth becomes the Mother of Jesus and all the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning the Messiah are brought to life and fulfillment. Mary freely and actively participates in God becoming man, and is thus immediately the unique cooperator (or Co-redemptrix) with the Redeemer, a cooperation that will continue unto Calvary and for the rest of her earthly life.

• The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth (Lk 1:39-56): Mary immediately departs for the hill country to serve her cousin, Elizabeth. In bringing the unborn Jesus into the presence of Elizabeth, two events of grace take place: Elizabeth prophesies by the Holy Spirit and the unborn John is sanctified in Elizabeth's womb: "When Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe in her womb leapt, and she was filled with the Holy Spirit" (Lk 1:41). Mary then, inspired by the same Holy Spirit, proclaims her "Magnificat" or song of praise glorifying the Lord, in which she rightly prophesies that all generations will call her blessed: "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity for ever" (Lk. 1:46-55).

• The Nativity of Jesus (Lk 2:4-20): Mary "brought forth her first-born Son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes" (Lk 2:7). Mary gives birth to God the Son made man, and thus, as one ancient antiphon states, a wonderment of nature takes place, for a creature gives birth to her Creator.

• The Presentation of the Infant Jesus to the Temple (Lk 2:22-39): Jesus is presented to the Temple in fulfillment of Jewish law, and in a prophetic offering that finds its fulfillment with the offering of Jesus at Calvary. Simeon foretells the suffering of Mary's heart that will ultimately take place at Calvary in this biblical introduction to devotion to the Immaculate and Sorrowful heart of Mary: "And a sword will pierce your own heart too" (Lk 2:35).

• The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple (Lk 2:41-52): When the child Jesus is found after three days (foreshadowing his three days in the tomb), Mary is informed by Jesus: "I must be about my Father's business" (Lk 2:49), and the Gospel tells us that Mary "kept all these things, pondering them in her heart" (Lk 2:51). Due to her freedom from original sin and all its effects, Mary possessed an infused knowledge concerning the things of God, (as did Adam and Eve) (6) and therefore Mary pondered fully the mysterious events of her Son and forever kept them in her heart.

The Gospel of St. Matthew adds several more Marian scriptural references:

• The Betrothal of Mary (Mt 1:18) to Joseph.

• The Ordeal of Joseph (Mt 1:20) concerning the virgin conception of Jesus in Mary, where the angel tells Joseph "do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived of her is of the Holy Spirit."

• The Arrival of the Magi (Mt 2:1-12), the wise men, and how "going into the house they saw the Child with Mary his Mother, and they fell down and worshipped him" (Mt 2:11).

• The Flight of the Holy Family into Egypt (Mt 2:13-18), where Joseph was again instructed by a dream to "take the Child and his Mother and flee into Egypt" (Mt 2:13).

• The Return into Israel (Mt 2:19-23), where Joseph is instructed to "rise, take the Child and his Mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the Child's life are dead" (Mt 2:20).

Note that many of these infancy references repeatedly bespeak the unity of "the Child and his Mother" as a sign of the profound union of Jesus and Mary that would continue for all time, as well as continuing to indicate Mary's virginity, as the child is not referred to as Joseph's child, but Mary's child.