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Office Of Readings | Advent Saturday Week 2 | A Reading From A Sermon By Blessed Isaac Of Stella, Abbot | Mary And The Church
‘Mary and the Church.’
Saint Isaac of Stella reflects on the deep unity between Christ, Mary, the Church, and the individual Christian. His central conviction is that God’s saving work is one, though it is shared in different ways. What is true of Christ is extended to those who belong to him; what is true of Mary is reflected in the Church; and what is true of the Church touches each believer.
Isaac begins with Christ himself. By nature, Christ is the only-begotten Son of the Father. Yet by grace he becomes the first-born of many brothers. Those who receive him are not merely followers but are made children of God. This does not diminish Christ’s uniqueness; instead, it shows the generosity of his sonship, which he shares without losing anything of his own.
Because Christ unites others to himself, head and members together form what Isaac calls the ‘whole Christ’. Christ is one, yet not alone. His body, the Church, shares in his life. Just as Christ is born eternally from the Father, he is also born in time from Mary. In an analogous way, Christ continues to be born in the world through the Church.
This leads Isaac to place Mary and the Church side by side. Both are virgins and both are mothers. Mary conceives Christ physically by the Holy Spirit, without sin. The Church conceives Christ spiritually by the same Spirit, through faith and forgiveness of sins. Mary gives birth to the head; the Church gives birth to the members. Neither gives birth to the whole Christ without the other. Together they belong to the one mystery of salvation.
Isaac then explains how Scripture can speak in overlapping ways. What is said of the Church can often be understood of Mary, and what is said of Mary can be understood of the Church. This is not confusion but depth. God’s work is coherent across different levels: universal, particular, and personal.
Finally, Isaac draws the believer into this mystery. Each Christian, in a real though spiritual sense, becomes a dwelling place of Christ. Christ lived for a time in Mary’s womb, lives now in the faith of the Church, and desires to dwell forever in the knowledge and love of each faithful soul. Salvation is not only something that happened in the past or exists in the Church as an institution; it is meant to take shape within the life of every believer.
A Reading From A Sermon By Blessed Isaac Of Stella, Abbot | Mary And The Church
The Son of God is the first-born of many brothers. Although by nature he is the only-begotten, by grace he has joined many to himself and made them one with him. For to those who receive him he has given the power to become the sons of God.
He became the Son of man and made many men sons of God, uniting them to himself by his love and power, so that they became as one. In themselves they are many by reason of their human descent, but in him they are one by divine rebirth.
The whole Christ and the unique Christ – the body and the head – are one: one because born of the same God in heaven, and of the same mother on earth. They are many sons, yet one son. Head and members are one son, yet many sons; in the same way, Mary and the Church are one mother, yet more than one mother; one virgin, yet more than one virgin.
Both are mothers, both are virgins. Each conceives of the same Spirit, without concupiscence. Each gives birth to a child of God the Father, without sin. Without any sin, Mary gave birth to Christ the head for the sake of his body. By the forgiveness of every sin, the Church gave birth to the body, for the sake of its head. Each is Christ’s mother, but neither gives birth to the whole Christ without the cooperation of the other.
In the inspired Scriptures, what is said in a universal sense of the virgin mother, the Church, is understood in an individual sense of the Virgin Mary, and what is said in a particular sense of the virgin mother Mary is rightly understood in a general sense of the virgin mother, the Church. When either is spoken of, the meaning can be understood of both, almost without qualification.
In a way, every Christian is also believed to be a bride of God’s Word, a mother of Christ, his daughter and sister, at once virginal and fruitful. These words are used in a universal sense of the Church, in a special sense of Mary, in a particular sense of the individual Christian. They are used by God’s Wisdom in person, the Word of the Father.
This is why Scripture says: I will dwell in the inheritance of the Lord. The Lord’s inheritance is, in a general sense, the Church; in a special sense, Mary; in an individual sense, the Christian.
Christ dwelt for nine months in the tabernacle of Mary’s womb. He dwells until the end of the ages in the tabernacle of the Church’s faith. He will dwell for ever in the knowledge and love of each faithful soul.
Christian Prayer With Jesus
Lord Jesus Christ,
only-begotten Son of the Father
and first-born of many brothers,
teach us to receive you with faith and love.
May your Spirit form Christ within us,
as you once formed him in Mary
and now form him in the Church,
so that we may belong wholly to you
and share in your life for ever.
Amen.
Glossary Of Christian Terms
Blessed Isaac of Stella – Twelfth-century Cistercian abbot and theologian, known for his teaching on Christ, Mary, and the Church.
Only-begotten Son – Christ’s unique sonship by nature in relation to the Father.
First-born of many brothers – Christ’s role in sharing divine sonship with believers by grace.
The whole Christ – A theological expression meaning Christ together with his body, the Church.
Mary, mother of Christ – She who gave birth to Christ the head through the Holy Spirit.
The Church – The body of Christ, which gives birth to believers through faith and the sacraments.
Virgin and mother – A title applied both to Mary physically and to the Church spiritually.
Indwelling of Christ – Christ’s presence within the faithful through faith, love, and grace.
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