Mary — a Sign
Because of Mary’s role in the life of Jesus, she receives the extraordinary gifts of freedom from sin, virginal motherhood, and union of her body and soul in heaven. These gifts are special signs that the providential love of the Father, the incarnate grace of Jesus Christ, and the outpoured fellowship of the Holy Spirit are realities that are meant for all those called by God to be His own.
The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a sign that the Father from His providential love has chosen and elected Mary to eternal life in a greater manner than any other human creature. The Father shows through this privilege given to Mary that sin was in no way part of His original intent in creation and that His original intention will be fulfilled in heaven where eternal life will be completely free from sin, suffering, and death.
The Motherhood of Mary is a sign that the Son through His incarnate grace has given her an intimacy with His being and mission in a greater manner than to any other human being. Through this privilege given to Mary, the Son shows that He, as the man Jesus, is the original reason, purpose, and goal of creation, and we are created to grow in the likeness of Christ as well as to be redeemed by Him.
The Assumption of Mary is a sign that the Spirit in His outpoured fellowship has shared the life of the world to come with Mary in a greater manner than any with other human being. The Spirit shows through this privilege given to Mary that all things that are divided, separated, and in conflict — especially symbolized by the separation of body and soul in death — are reconciled, united, and resolved in the incomparable peace of eternal life.
Mary is not only the recipient of extraordinary gifts from the Trinity; she is also a giver of extraordinary gifts from them. There is no greater love after the Father’s providential love than Mary’s loving nurture of those called to be His adopted children. There is no greater grace after the Son’s incarnate grace than Mary’s gift of herself to those called to be the brothers and sisters of Jesus. There is no greater fellowship after the Spirit’s outpoured fellowship than Mary sharing her life and the riches of divine life intimately with those who are called to be friends and even “spouses” of the Spirit.
Mary — “The excellent masterpiece of the Most High”
This explanation of the Trinity’s relationship with Mary through the use of the verse from Second Corinthians dovetails with the explanation that Saint Louis de Montfort, a great apostle of Mary, gives of the same relationship in his True Devotion to Mary. He says Mary is “the excellent masterpiece of the Most High” since the Father imparted to Mary His fruitfulness in order to enable her to bring forth His only Son into the world.
As a consequence, we may say, the Father wills that Mary be the spiritual mother who brings forth His adopted children through her nurturing influence until the end of time. She is “the admirable Mother of the Son”, since the Son became incarnate — was made flesh — through Mary and in Mary. As a result, the Son gives Himself to His spiritual brothers and sisters through His mother; and in a manner of speaking, through her will become incarnate for them as their Eucharistic food, and in them as an ever-greater likeness to Himself.
Finally, Mary is “the faithful spouse of the Holy Spirit” since the Spirit formed Jesus Christ within Mary’s womb, and remained with her in raising the child Jesus. It follows, then, that the Holy Spirit wills to fashion Jesus in His chosen ones and unite them to God by giving all of His gifts in and through Mary. As Saint Louis de Monfort wrote: “Mary is the sanctuary and the repose of the Holy Trinity, where God dwells more magnificently and more divinely than in any other place in the universe”. (This quote, and his titles for Mary are from “Preliminary Remarks” in True Devotion, Father Faber edition.)
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