(Audio)
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel (see Genesis 3:5).
We see that enmity on full display in today's readings. The dragon does his worst to try to strike at the heel of the woman but she is protected.
Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth,
to devour her child when she gave birth.
She gave birth to a son, a male child,
destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.
Her child was caught up to God and his throne.
The woman herself fled into the desert
where she had a place prepared by God.
The weapon of the dragon is death, power he has over man because of the fall of Adam. But he does not have this power over the new Adam, nor over the new Eve.
For just as in Adam all die,
so too in Christ shall all be brought to life
Mary is the New Eve. She is the mother of those who follow Jesus (see Revelation 12:17 and John 19:26-27). She is the new ark of the covenant for she bears within herself the presence of God in Jesus Christ.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
(Compare with Second Samuel 6:9).
Just as that which was unholy could not touch the old ark (see Second Samuel 6:7) so too does God not permit sin on corruption to touch the new ark. She is assumed into heaven because death has no claim on her. She is assumed into heaven, to show us, as our mother, our destiny as body united to Christ the head. She reveals the holiness of God and how that holiness is meant to transform and infuse our very beings. This is why theologians call Mary and archetype of the Church.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his Name.
Because Mary is in heaven, body and soul, we are meant to have great confidence that she is our mother, not only as a nice idea, but in way that matters, a way, that we can experience. In heaven she is not far away. She is close to us and able to love and care for us by her prayers before the throne of her Son.
The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
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