Here Comes the Bride

Loving Mary and her Son, Jesus

08/22/2019

Luke 1:26-38 The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end."

I love to celebrate Marian feast days, like today, the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Some people complain about or criticize that too much Marian devotion will distract you from Jesus. They say, “Ratchet down the Marian rhetoric.” But I would reply that all authentic Marian piety only helps us run faster to Jesus, not slows us down. In other words, Mary does not dilute our Christian faith, she only deepens our faith in Christ, her son. What mother does not want you to love her son more? I know my mom wants you to love me more: just ask her! Mary, therefore, the mother conceived without sin, wants us to love her Son perfectly and purely. Let me say three things about this feast of Mary to help deepen our faith in Jesus, her Son.

First, the rosary ends where it begins: with Mary commanding the angels. You know the first mystery of the rosary is the Annunciation, and today we celebrate the last mystery of the rosary, the Coronation of Mary as queen of heaven and earth. In both these “book-end feasts” the angels are eager and joyful to be of service to Mary, like Gabriel in the gospel of Luke. Why? Well, they see in her a sort of preview of coming attractions. What attractions? There is nothing more attractive than when the Father’s will is “done on earth as it is in heaven.” Mary perfectly accepted and accomplished God’s will for her life. In other words, the angels happily help those who do the Father’s will, like Mary and Jesus, because the angels themselves do the Father’s will. When we grow in Marian devotion, we should likewise grow in a desire to do God’s will rather than our own, like for me becoming a priest instead of a teacher. Mary helped me to choose God’s will over my own.

Secondly, the Coronation of Mary has a beautiful Old Testament background. In the Old Testament time of King David, the king’s mother was called the “Gebirah,” the institution of the queen-mother, who sat at the king’s right hand. In 1 Kings 2:20, King Solomon says to Bathsheba, his mother, seated on a throne at his right: “Make your request, Mother, for I will not refuse you.” That scenario is almost identical to what unfolds in John 2, at the wedding at Cana when the couple runs out of wine. Jesus, the King, did not decline to honor the request of Mary, the Queen-Mother, the Gebirah, to perform his first miracle and change water into wine. Today, Mary is not in Cana interceding for that couple, but rather she’s seated next to Jesus in heaven, praying for all of us. Thanks to her prayers, Jesus continues to provide wine for us, the best wine, the Eucharistic Wine of his Blood. Mary always asks Jesus to provide for what we lack and need the most. And we need nothing more than we need the Eucharist. Marian devotion leads us to Eucharistic Adoration.

The third point needs to be carefully nuanced to avoid misunderstanding. Mary is Jesus’ natural mother, but there is also a sense in which spiritually she symbolizes the Bride of Christ, the Church. Now, please don’t hear overtones of the Oedipus complex. Rather, I hope you hear the prophesy of Isaiah 62:5, who said strangely: “As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Maker marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.” In other words, Jesus came on earth not only as a Savior but also as a Spouse, not only to save us, but also to marry us as his Bride. And Mary is the first installment of Jesus’ saving and spousal mission. When we grow in devotion and love for Mary, we only grow more deeply in love and awe of Jesus, her Son.

Do you know the most entertaining point in every wedding ceremony? Invariably it’s when the flower girl and the ring bearer walk down the aisle before the grand entrance of the bride. They always do something unexpected and cute. Nowadays, it’s fashionable that one of them carries a sign that says, “Here comes the bride!” When I see those cute little children I think of the angels who happily and innocently introduce the Bride of Christ, the Church, symbolized by Mary. Their whole earthly mission can be summed up in that one phrase: “Here comes the Bride.” And all true Marian devotion can be summed up by it as well.

Praised be Jesus Christ!