With Special Love - Mary, Mother of God

The mystery of Christ unfolds across the course of the liturgical year. In celebrating this annual cycle of Christ’s mysteries, the Church honours with special love Mary, the Mother of God, who is joined by an inseparable bond to the saving work of her Son. In her the Church holds up and admires the most excellent effect of the redemption and joyfully contemplates, as in a flawless image, that which the Church itself desires and hopes wholly to be (SC 104). Thus Mary Mother of God holds a special place in the heart of the Church.

This is reflected in the daily prayer of the Church. In each Eucharistic Prayer, the memory of Mary, the ever-virgin mother of Jesus Christ our Lord is honoured. In Evening Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours, the Canticle of Mary (the Magnificat) is prayed daily and the Church always ends the day with an anthem to the Blessed Virgin at the conclusion of Compline. As well as these regular reminders of Mary’s position, the sanctoral cycle is sprinkled with celebrations which enable the Church to reflect on various aspects of Mary’s life and her relationship to Christ and the members of the Body of Christ. These celebrations are graded from those of greatest solemnity, through feasts and memorials, to optional memorials which include the use of the Mass of the Virgin Mary on Saturdays ad libitum.

How can parishes mark these occasions liturgically in a meaningful way? How can these celebrations be used fruitfully so that we, the Church, are formed more deeply in the image of the one who is held 'to be the beginning and the pattern of the Church in its perfection?' (Preface of the Assumption)

The celebrations of Mary focus on facets of the image of the Church seen in Mary. Just as the mystery of Christ unfolds throughout the liturgical year so does the mystery of the Church open out through the various images of Mary exemplified in the Marian feasts. These celebrations are not an amorphous collection but a continuing revelation of mystery so that people may be broadened in their way of living the Christian life and of seeing Mary as the mirror for their own lives. Therefore, the preparation of these celebrations needs to grasp the relative importance of the particular feast and what specific aspect of the mystery is to be highlighted in the celebration. Each feast also has its own history and parish bulletins could be used to provide information in this regard.

In any liturgy (Eucharist, Hours, Liturgy of the Word or blessing) texts, symbols, movement and gestures need to be chosen within the local environment. Each liturgy demands that attention be given to the culture of the worshipping community and its spiritual readiness. In addition to the Scripture texts in the Lectionary, consideration should be given to texts such as the antiphons, collects and prefaces. These provide the basis for reflecting on the particular celebration and preparing music, homilies, intercessions and environment. For example there are four Prefaces given in the Missal – two for general use and specific ones for the Assumption and the Immaculate Conception. Adding the special Lectionary and Sacramentary comprising the Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary gives another 46 Mass formularies, each complete with its own Preface. The titles of these votive Masses are striking in their variety of imagery and scriptural themes.

The opening collect for each celebration names a particular aspect for that feast. Note, for example, the difference between the opening prayer for Australia’s patronal feast (Mary Help of Christians) with its emphasis on prayer for our leaders and our country, and that of the Mass for the day of the Assumption which prays that we may see heaven as our final goal and come to share the glory of Mary.

Different parish groups might have a particular resonance with certain Marian feasts. Involving them in preparing the liturgy for these feasts might give a new perspective and highlight new aspects of the feasts. For example, the Assumption as a feast of hope for our own ‘falling asleep in the Lord’ might appeal especially to the parish bereavement group, enabling them to bring to the fore the ‘sure and certain hope of resurrection’ in the face of the human mystery of death. Those who visit the sick and dying might bring a particular perspective to the Mass for Our Lady of Lourdes, or Our Lady of Sorrows or the Visitation. Such groups could contribute the intercessions and help make the choices for the celebration whether it be Eucharist, Liturgy of the Hours or a Liturgy of the Word.

Various cultural groups have their own ways of celebrating particular feasts. Sometimes these do not focus strongly on the liturgy itself, so it could be formative to provide them with the texts for the liturgy of the feast and invite their reflections and suggestions to enrich the celebration without undermining their tradition. This is in keeping with the principles enunciated in the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy (2002). In Filipino communities, for example, the May feasts of Mary Help of Christians and the Visitation might coincide with the cultural festival Flores de Mayo to the mutual benefit of both.

The reality of parish life is that Sunday is the only day when the majority of parishioners gather for Eucharist. In rural and regional areas even this is not always a possibility. Therefore we need to explore options and possibilities for small group and family prayer that marks weekday feasts and fosters a recognition of the place of the Virgin Mary in the Christian life.

Although most of our celebrations focus on the pinnacle of the Church’s worship, the Eucharist, the Church offers the possibility of the Liturgy of the Hours as part of the daily prayer of Christians. Each feast has texts for the Liturgy of the Hours as well as the Mass. The General Introduction to the Liturgy of the Hours notes: Pastors of souls should see to it that the chief hours, especially Vespers, are celebrated in common in church on Sundays and the more solemn feasts. And the laity, too, are encouraged to recite the divine office, either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually (GILH 100). What better place to start than some of the more significant feasts of the Virgin Mary?

Parishes could print leaflets with the daily prayer for feasts of Mary as take-home sheets. These are available free on websites such as www.universalis.com. Other sites provide a free daily podcast of the divine office, including sung hymns (see, for example, divineoffice.org), which could be helpful for those who are sight impaired. Families could make use of resources prepared for the classroom such as We Pray as One (from The Liturgical Commission in Brisbane) or Daily Prayer under the Southern Cross.

As our artwork frequently shows, Mary is never seen as separate from her Son. When we venerate, imitate and invoke the Virgin Mary, our honour contributes to the adoration of the Trinity. From earliest times Mary has been honoured under the title of Mother of God, under whose protection the faithful take refuge in all their perils and needs (LG 66). As we pray on the octave of Christmas, the solemnity of Mary’s motherhood: may we always profit by the prayers of the Virgin Mother Mary, for you bring us life and salvation through Jesus Christ her Son who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.‍

This article was originally published in Liturgy News Vol 40(1) March 2010. Reprinted with permission.

Image Attribution - Madonna of the Rose Bower, Stefan Lochner, Wallraf-Richartz Museum