Mary, Mother of God

The Presentation of Mary in the Temple

The commemoration of the Presentation of Mary in the Temple is on 21st November. It has been kept at least from the 7thC. in the Orthodox tradition. Emperor Justinian built a splendid church dedicated to Mary in the Temple area in Jerusalem. It was dedicated on November 21, 543 but was destroyed by the Persians within a century. Many of the early church Fathers such as St. Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople and St. John Damascene, his contemporary, preached magnificent homilies on this feast referring to Mary as that special plant or flower which was being nurtured for better things. “She was planted in the House of God, nourished by the Holy Spirit and kept her body and soul spotless to receive God in her bosom. He Who is all-holy rests among the holy.”

In the Byzantine Church this feast is considered one of the twelve great feasts of the liturgical year, called the Dodecaorton. By the 9thC. it is celebrated in the monasteries of southern Italy which had been influenced by the traditions of the Byzantine churches, and by the 14thC. it had spread to England. However it was not until 1472 that Pope Sixtus IV extended its celebration to the Western church.

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The source for the presentation is the Protoevangelium of James. Like Hannah, Anna has promised that any child she had would be offered as a gift to the Lord and presented in the Temple to serve Him. Tradition tells us that the Anna and Joachim took Mary to the Temple when she was three years old.

Mary served in the Temple where she was fed miraculously by the angels until she was twelve. Then Zachariah, prompted by the message of an angel, betrothed her to one of the widowers who was indicated by the Lord.

AdelaMaria, BSP: It is filling and proper, therefore, to present the rest of the story

In 1974, Pope Paul VI wrote a document on devotion to Mary, which continues to be the norm for Marian devotion. The following articles dwelt on the topic,

Marialis Cultus: The Holy Spirit and Marian

Spirit and Mary (MC 26, 27). The first (article 26) shows the rich symbolism developed by the Father to describe the relation between Mary and the Holy Spirit:

26. It seems to us useful to add to this mention of the Christological orientation of devotion to the Blessed Virgin a reminder of the fittingness of giving prominence in this devotion to one of the essential facts of the Faith: the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. Theological reflection and the liturgy have in fact noted how the sanctifying intervention of the Spirit in the Virgin of Nazareth was a culminating moment of the Spirit’s action in the history of salvation. Thus, for example, some Fathers and writers of the Church attributed to the work of the Spirit the original holiness of Mary, who was as it were “fashioned by the Holy Spirit into a kind of new substance and new creature.” [LG 56] Reflecting on the Gospel texts — “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will cover you with his shadow” (Lk. 1:35) and “Mary was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit…. She has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit” (Mt. 1:18, 20) — they saw in the Spirit’s intervention an action that consecrated and made fruitful Mary’s virginity and transformed her into the “Abode of the King” or “Bridal Chamber of the Word,” the “Temple” , or “Tabernacle of the Lord,” the “Ark of the Covenant” or “the Ark of Holiness,” titles rich in biblical echoes. Examining more deeply still the mystery of the incarnation, they saw in the mysterious relationship between the Spirit and Mary an aspect redolent of marriage, poetically portrayed by, Prudentius. “The unwed Virgin espoused the Spirit,” and they called her the “Temple of the Holy Spirit,” an expression that emphasizes the sacred character of the Virgin now the permanent dwelling of the Spirit of God. Delving deeply into the doctrine of the Paraclete, they saw that from Him as from a spring there flowed forth the fullness of grace (cf. Lk. 1:28) and the abundance of gifts that adorned her. Thus they attributed to the Spirit the faith, hope and charity that animated the Virgin’s heart, the strength that sustained her acceptance of the will of God, and the vigor that upheld her in her suffering at the foot of the cross. In Mary’s prophetic canticle (cf. Lk. 1:4655) they saw a special working of the Spirit who had spoken through the mouths of the prophets.” Considering, finally, the presence of the Mother of Jesus in the Upper Room, where the Spirit came down upon the infant Church (cf Acts 1:12-14; 2:14), they enriched with new developments the ancient theme of Mary and the Church. Above all they had recourse to the Virgin’s intercession in order to obtain from the Spirit the capacity for engendering Christ in their own soul, as is attested to by Saint Ildephonsus in a prayer of supplication, amazing in its doctrine and prayerful power: “I beg you, holy Virgin, that I may have Jesus from the Holy Spirit, by whom you brought Jesus forth. May my soul receive Jesus through the Holy Spirit by whom your flesh conceived Jesus…. May I love Jesus in the Holy Spirit in whom you adore Jesus as Lord and gaze upon Him as your Son.”

Note that Pope Paul VI has quoted 30 Fathers of the Church and Church writers by using the above expressions.

27. It is sometimes said that many spiritual writings today do not sufficiently reflect the whole doctrine concerning the Holy Spirit. It is the task of specialists to verify and weigh the truth of this assertion, but it is our task to exhort everyone, especially those in the pastoral ministry and also theologians, to meditate more deeply on the working of the Holy Spirit in the history of salvation, and to ensure that Christian spiritual writings give due prominence to His life-giving action. Such a study will bring out in particular the hidden relationship between the Spirit of God and the Virgin of Nazareth, and show the influence they exert on the Church. From a more profound meditation on the truths of the Faith will flow a more vital piety.

There can be no doubt that the Second Vatican Council — when we are speaking of the discussion between Mary and the Holy Spirit — stayed in the framework of traditional Mariology, which has officially taught that dogmatically there can be no doubt that every experience of faith is an experience of the Spirit, and that our relationship to Mary is also possible only through the mediation of Christ’s Spirit.

What Pope Paul VI explains in various sources is capsuled in the words hidden relationship. What the Church says about the action of the Holy Spirit in, through, and on the Church is what the Church has already said about Mary. In Mary, the Church sees itself fulfilled.

Recent Magisterial Teachings on the Holy Spirit and Mary

On Mary and the Holy Spirit, in general

Letter to Members of Consecrated Life,
Pope John Paul II,
May 22, 1988
Mary’s motherhood is to be transferred from her as a “model” to the whole Church, which will be revealed to the world on the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.

On Mary Overshadowed by the Holy Spirit

On the Dignity and Vocation of Women,
Pope John Paul II,
August 15, 1988
» Only by the power of the Holy Spirit, who “overshadowed” her, was Mary able to accept what is “impossible with men, but not with God” (cf. Mk 10:27).
» The particular union of the “Theotokos” with God … is a pure grace and, as such, a gift of the Spirit.
» Explanation: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you” -your motherhood will not be the consequence of matrimonial “knowledge,”: but will be the work of the Holy Spirit: the “power of the Most High” will “overshadow” the mystery of the Son’s conception and birth… 17 [See Also 20]
» This “prophetic” character of women in their femininity finds its highest expression in the Virgin Mother of God. She emphasizes, in the fullest and most direct way, the intimate linking of the order of love - which enters the world of human persons through a Woman - with the Holy Spirit. At the Annunciation Mary hears the words: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you” (Lk 1:35). [29]

Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994

» The Apostles’ Creed: He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
» The Nicene Creed: by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
» 437 … God called Joseph to “take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit,” so that Jesus, “who is called Christ,” should be born of Joseph’s spouse into the messianic lineage of David. (Mt 1:20 et al)
» 456 With the Nicene Creed, we answer by confessing: “For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit, he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.”
» 504 Jesus is conceived by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary’s womb because he is the New Adam, who inaugurates the new creation: “The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.” (1 Cor 15:45, 47) From his conception, Christ’s humanity is filled with the Holy Spirit, for God “gives him the Spirit without measure.” (Jn 3:34) From “his fullness” as the head of redeemed humanity “we have all received, grace upon grace.” (Jn 1:16; cf. Col 1:18)
» 695 Anointing. … But Jesus is God’s Anointed in a unique way: the humanity the Son assumed was entirely anointed by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit established him as “Christ.” (Cf.. Lk 4:18-19)The Virgin Mary conceived Christ by the Holy Spirit who, through the angel, proclaimed him the Christ at his birth, and prompted Simeon to come to the temple to see the Christ of the Lord. … (cf. Lk 2:11, 26-27)
» 697 Cloud and light. These two images occur together in the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. … In the Holy Spirit, Christ fulfills these figures. The Spirit comes upon the Virgin Mary and “overshadows” her, so that she might conceive and give birth to Jesus. … (Lk 1:35)
» 723 In Mary, the Holy Spirit fulfills the plan of the Father’s loving goodness. With and through the Holy Spirit, the Virgin conceives and gives birth to the Son of God. By the Holy Spirit’s power and her faith, her virginity became uniquely fruitful. (Cf.. Lk 1:26-38)
[See also 494]

On Mary’s Whole Existence Fashioned by the Holy Spirit

Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994

» 493 The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God “the All-Holy” (Panagia) and celebrate her as “free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature.” (LG 56) By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long.
» 722 The Holy Spirit prepared Mary by his grace. It was fitting that the mother of him in whom “the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Col 2:9) should herself be “full of grace.” She was, by sheer grace, conceived without sin as the most humble of creatures, the most capable of welcoming the inexpressible gift of the Almighty. It was quite correct for the angel Gabriel to greet her as the “Daughter of Zion”: “Rejoice.” (Cf.. Zeph 3:14; Zech 2:14) It is the thanksgiving of the whole People of God, and thus of the Church, which Mary in her canticle (cf. Lk 1:46-55) lifts up to the Father in the Holy Spirit while carrying within her the eternal Son.
» 744 In the fullness of time the Holy Spirit completes in Mary all the preparations for Christ’s coming among the People of God. By the action of the Holy Spirit in her, the Father gives the world Emmanuel, “God-with-us” (Mt 1:23).

On Mary’s Fullness of Grace

On the Dignity and Vocation of Women,
Pope John Paul II,
1988
» [the Annunciation] is clearly interpersonal in character: it is a dialogue. We can only understand it fully if we place the whole conversation between the angel and Mary in the context of the words: “full of grace.” (Cf.. RM 7-11)
» [supernatural event] Grace never casts nature aside or cancels it out, but rather perfects and ennobles it. Therefore the “fullness of grace” that was granted to the Virgin of Nazareth, with a view to the fact that she would become “Theotokos,” also signifies the fullness of the perfection of “what is characteristic of woman,” of “what is feminine.”
» the culminating point, the archetype, of the personal dignity of women. [5]
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994

» 721Mary, the all-holy ever-virgin Mother of God, is the masterwork of the mission of the Son and the Spirit in the fullness of time. For the first time in the plan of salvation and because his Spirit had prepared her, the Father found the dwelling place where his Son and his Spirit could dwell among men. In this sense the Church’s Tradition has often read the most beautiful texts on wisdom in relation to Mary. (Cf.. Prov 8:1-9; Sir 24) Mary is acclaimed and represented in the liturgy as the “Seat of Wisdom.” In her, the “wonders of God” that the Spirit was to fulfill in Christ and the Church began to be manifested.

The Holy Spirit and Mary in Iconography

Iconography is evidence of the belief of the Church. Iconography of Mary and the Holy Spirit is found relatively late, and it is only just prior to the Renaissance that the themes emerge. Below are some of the images frequently used in the Church to teach of Mary’s relationship to the Holy Spirit:

Apocrypha:
The conception of Ann and Joachim; Ann learns that her child would be filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb. This image was used as an interpretation of the Immaculate Conception, especially in the 1500s.

Immaculata:

The Annunciation
Juan Correa de Vivar, ca. 1600
Located at the Prado in Madrid

The dove frequently is depicted above the Immaculata, that is, depictions of Mary conceived without sin. Often the Father is seen in the background, giving his blessing.

The Baroque period interpretations of the Annunciation:
A ray of light streams from the dove through a mirror to the heart of the Virgin.

Wedding of Mary and Joseph:
A dove is often depicted above the union.

Visitation:
A dove is frequently depicted above both women.

Nativity, Adoration of the Magi:

Nativity
School of Stephan Lochner
ca. 1410-1451
Munich, Bavarian state collection

Images often portray a dove hovering above.

Death of Mary:
A dove is often depicted above her bed.

Asssumption:

Coronation of Mary, detail
Gentile da Fabriano
1370-1450
Vienna Art Academy

The Trinity welcomes Mary on her arrival into heaven. The Holy Spirit usually is depicted hovering between the Father and Son and over the head of Mary.

In portrayals of the Litany of Loreto, the title, Mother of Fair Love, is usually painted with the dove. There is a painting based on a sermon by Petrus Damiani (11th century) where the house of Nazareth rests on seven pillars, which represent the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which Mary possessed. Another very early 11th century painting shows Christ on his throne, Mary stands next to him, her breastplate has a dove on it, representing the spirit of wisdom. The image is surrounded by six other shields with the gifts radiating light to Mary and from her.

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Sources: Pope John Paul II, On the Holy Spirit in the Life of the Church and the World [Encyclical Letter, Dominum et Vivificantem, Boston: St. Paul Books & Media, 1986; Pope John Paul II, The Spirit, Giver of Life and Love: A Catechesis on the Creed, Boston: Pauline Books & Media, 1996, 459 pp, ISBN 0-8198-6987-2; Pope Paul VI, For the Right Ordering and Development of Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary [Encyclical Letter, Marialis Cultus, 1974; Pope Paul VI, The Holy Spirit and the Blessed Virgin [Letter to Cardinal Léon Jozef Suenens], May 13, 1975, TPS 19-20 (1974-75); K. Wittkemper, “Heiliger Geist, II: Dogmatik” und F. Zeilinger, “Heiliger Geist, I Exegese:” Marienlexikon, Band 3.