The perfection God conferred upon Mary acquires its most authentic
meaning if it is interpreted as the prelude to divine life in the Church
"The plan of salvation which orders the prefigurations of the
Old Testament to fulfilment in the New Covenant likewise determines that
Mary would live in a perfect way what was later to be fulfilled in the
Church", the Holy Father said at the General Audience of Wednesday,
6 August, as he reflected on Mary as "the Church's type and
outstanding model in faith and charity". Here is a translation of
his catechesis, which was the 58th in the series on the Blessed Mother
and was given in Italian.
1. The Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium of the Second
Vatican Council, after presenting Mary as "pre-eminent and as a
wholly unique member of the Church", declares her to be
the Church's "type and outstanding model in faith and charity"
(Lumen gentium, n. 53).
The Council Fathers attribute to Mary the function of
"type", that is, figure, "of the Church", borrowing
the term from St Ambrose who expresses himself thus in his commentary on
the Annunciation: "Yes, she [Mary] is betrothed, but she is a
virgin because she is a type of the Church which is immaculate but a
bride: a virgin, she conceived us by the Spirit; a virgin, she gave
birth to us without pain" (In Ev. sec. Luc., II, 7, CCL,
14, 33, 102-106). Thus Mary is a type of the Church because of her
immaculate holiness, her virginity, her betrothal and her motherhood.
St Paul uses the word "type", to give tangible form to a
spiritual reality. In fact, he sees in the crossing of the Red Sea by
the People of Israel a "type" or image of Christian Baptism,
and in the manna and in the water which gushed from the rock, a
"type" or image of the Eucharistic food and drink (cf. 1 Cor
10:1-11).
By defining Mary as a type of the Church, the Council invites us to
see in her the visible figure of the Church's spiritual reality, and in
her spotless motherhood, the announcement of the Church's virginal
motherhood.
In Mary, the spiritual reality proclaimed is completely fulfilled
2. It is necessary to explain that, unlike the Old Testament images
or types, which are only prefigurations of future realities, in Mary the
spiritual reality signified is already eminently present. The Red Sea
crossing described in the Book of Exodus is a saving event of
liberation, but it was certainly not a baptism capable of remitting sins
and giving new life. Likewise, the manna, a precious gift from Yahweh to
his people wandering in the desert, contained nothing of the future
reality of the Eucharist, the Body of the Lord, nor did the water which
gushed from the rock already contain Christ's Blood, shed for the
multitude.
The Exodus is the great work accomplished by Yahweh for his people,
but it does not constitute the definitive spiritual redemption which
Christ would achieve in the paschal mystery.
Moreover, referring to Jewish practices, Paul recalls: "These
are only a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to
Christ" (Col 2:17). This is echoed in the Letter to the Hebrews
which, systematically developing this interpretation, presents the
worship of the Old Covenant as "a copy and shadow of the heavenly
sanctuary" (Heb 8:5).
3. However, in affirming that Mary is a type of the Church, the
Council does not intend to equate her with the figures or types of the
Old Testament, but instead to affirm that in her the spiritual reality
proclaimed and represented is completely fulfilled.
In fact, the Blessed Virgin is a type of the Church, not as an
imperfect prefiguration, but as the spiritual fullness which will be
found in various ways in the Church's life. The particular relationship
that exists here between the image and the reality represented is based
on the divine plan, which establishes a close bond between Mary and the
Church. The plan of salvation which orders the prefigurations of the Old
Testament to fulfilment in the New Covenant likewise determines that
Mary would live in a perfect way what was later to be fulfilled in the
Church.
The perfection God conferred upon Mary, therefore, acquires its most
authentic meaning if it is interpreted as a prelude to divine life in
the Church.
Mary's perfection surpasses that of all other Church members
4. After saying that Mary is a "type of the Church", the
Council adds that she is her "outstanding model", an example
of perfection to be followed and imitated. Indeed, Mary is an
"outstanding model" because her perfection surpasses that of
all the other members of the Church.
Significantly, the Council adds that she carries out this role
"in faith and in charity". Without forgetting that Christ is
the first model, the Council suggests in this way that there are
interior dispositions proper to the model realized in Mary, which help
the Christian to establish an authentic relationship with Christ. In
fact, by looking at Mary, the believer learns to live in deeper
communion with Christ, to adhere to him with a living faith and to place
his trust and his hope in him, loving him with his whole being.
The functions of "type and model of the Church" refer in
particular to Mary's virginal motherhood and shed light on her
particular place in the work of salvation. This basic structure of
Mary's being is reflected in the motherhood and virginity of the Church.
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