Continuing our reflections on the collection of votive Masses dedicated to the example of Our Lady, we turn to her celebration as Mother of God. The Mass begins by reminding us that it is the Father’s will that his Son take flesh in Mary’s womb, and that Mary welcomes this mystery of our redemption. St Bernard emphasises the union of Mary’s virginity and humility: Had Mary not been humble, the Holy Spirit would not have rested upon her. Had he not rested upon her, she would not have become pregnant. The moment of Incarnation holds within it the promise and presence of saving Word and Bread of Life: the entire content of the proclamation of the Kingdom of God and the sacramental economy entrusted to the Church is hidden in the Virgin’s womb in this moment, and is revealed by her virgin motherhood.
Amadeus of Lausanne, in his homilies, tries to give voice to the wonder of this moment:
The invisible God was made visible man, the impassible and immortal showed himself passible and mortal. He who was not confined within the garments of our substance willed to be so confined. There is enclosed within the womb of a mother one whose immensity encloses the whole range of heaven and earth. And Mary’s body enfolds him whom the heaven of heavens does not contain.
The fundamental attitude of the Mother of God is held out to us as the perfect way of approaching a relationship with Christ: she was the one who treasured all things concerning him (Luke 2:19; 51). For us, his disciples and her children, this treasuring of his words in his heart is a principal means by which we welcome him. The expected extension of such a treasuring should be witness, as the alternative collect says: that we may show forth in our lives the Christ, whom we have received by faith. The challenge on every level for today’s Christian is clear: both to receive faith as it is given and then to preach it, pass it on, allow it to live in the heart and life of another. St Paul, tutoring the Romans, makes the very same point: But they will not ask his help unless they believe in him, and they will not believe in him unless they have heard of him, and they will not hear of him unless they get a preacher, and they will never have a preacher unless one is sent (Romans 10:14-15).
As so often in liturgical texts set for mass, we find in the Preface a rich store for our own reflection, and a great teaching tool. The wonderful and inexpressible mystery of which it speaks recalls for us the chant antiphon which announces, in a sense, the First Vespers of the feast of Mary, Mother of God (1st January), O Admirabile Commercium: O marvellous exchange! Man’s Creator has become man, born of a virgin. We have been made sharers in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity. And for those who know the prayers of the celebrant at Mass, this mystery is woven into the Preparation of the Gifts, at the moment when a little water is added to the wine, and a wonderful exchange is carefully signalled: By the mystery of this water and wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity. It refers to one of the most daring texts to be found in Sacred Scripture, and a text which would become beloved of the earliest Fathers of the Church as they sought to develop humanity’s divine call: By his divine power, he has given us all the things that we need for life and for true devotion, bringing us to know God himself, who has called us by his own glory and goodness.
In making these gifts he has given us the guarantee of something very great and wonderful to come: through them you will be able to share the divine nature and to escape corruption in a world that is sunk in vice.
(2 Peter 1:3-4)
And all this, we might say, because Mary consents to the greatness of this gift through the greatness of her humility. The same Preface succinctly celebrates God’s twofold gift to and in her: Mary is full of wonder at her virgin-motherhood and full of joy at giving birth to the Redeemer.
– Part of our series on ‘Mary Most Holy’ –
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Our Lady of Bethlehem Abbey, Portglenone 
Dear Fr. Aelred, Greetings to you and the brothers! I wanted to congratulate you on your appointment as Superior Ad Natum. I know you will do a great job in keeping Bethlehem open and vibrant! You have my prayers and if you ever find yourself in the Washington, DC area or even the Maryland area stop by Holy Cross Abbey that’s your house as well. God bless you and have a blessed Lent. Your brother in Christ, Br. Efrain Sosa, OCSO ________________________________
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As you know, Cistercians have a special devotion to Mary. The Salve Regina is sung by the communities every evening before the monks retire for the night. There’s something almost mystical about the Salve Regina sung in Gregorian chant and for me, the music seemed to speak to the soul more powerfully than the words… Former monk.
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