CCC Paragraph 972 and the BVM

[Cruxis117]

A Protestant had made this claim, after he quoted a part of CCC paragraph 972. The part he quoted will be in bold:

**After speaking of the Church, her origin, mission, and destiny, we can find no better way to conclude than by looking to Mary.**In her we contemplate what the Church already is in her mystery on her own “pilgrimage of faith,” and what she will be in the homeland at the end of her journey. There, “in the glory of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity,” “in the communion of all the saints,” 518 the Church is awaited by the one she venerates as Mother of her Lord and as her own mother.

In the meantime the Mother of Jesus, in the glory which she possesses in body and soul in heaven, is the image and beginning of the Church as it is to be perfected in the world to come. Likewise she shines forth on earth until the day of the Lord shall come, a sign of certain hope and comfort to the pilgrim People of God. 519

His statement was that because the paragraph says “we can find no better way to conclude than by looking to Mary”, that the Church is saying that Mary is better than Jesus. I countered by noting that the Church is referring to looking towards Mary as a symbol of the Church. I must admit, because the protestant I was speaking with didn’t fully quote the paragraph, and I did not actually check the reference itself, I did not know that the paragraph continues with saying that “The Mother of Jesus…is the image and beginning of the Church as it is to be perfected in the world to come.”

I wanted to ask two questions:

1. What would you respond with to the statement which is being made?
   And
2. Where can I find a good comparison of the similarities between Mary and the Church?

 

[DihydrogenOxide]

Mary is the first Christian, and the most perfect of all Christians, because she was sinless from the moment of her conception.

The Church triumphant will be white from the blood of the Lamb. We will all be conformed to God’s will as Mary has always been.

She is the model of Christians.

As an edit, I just wanted to say, the quote itself isn’t exactly stressing Mary’s similarity to the Church, but rather her exemplary life as all Christians should have. All Christians, as the Body of Christ, should conform themselves to His Holy Will.

What you will have to find a way to talk to him about is the pure, sinless nature of Mary, which may be a hurdle for you. That is what must be focused on.

 

[TimothyH]

Where can I find a good comparison of the similarities between Mary and the Church?

Lumen Gentium, one of the Documents of the Second Vatican Council might have some info. Chapter 8 it titled “The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God in the Mystery of Christ and the Church.”

Ultimately the fullness of Mary as a type of the Church is not accessible to those who do not know the Eucharist. Mary made Christ present in the world and the Church, following her model, makes Christ present. We as members of Christ’s body, the Church, bring Christ into the world by our actions and make Christ present to those in the world through our love of them, the peace we bring them, and the charity we show them.

A thourough familiarity and basic understanding of the Book of Revelation is required as well. “The Woman” who gives birth to a male child who is caught up to God’s throne, “The Mother” whos offspring are those who keep God’s commandments and bear witness to Jesus, and “The Bride of the Lamb” who waits for Christ to enter the bridal chamber are all tied together in Revelation.

-Tim-

 

[MarcoPolo]

As I recall, there’s a good treatment on this in then-Cardinal Ratzinger’s Mary: The Church at the Source. If it’s the book I’m thinking, it talks about how Mary parallels the Church, journeys into the wilderness (just like Israel - another figure of the Church), suffers with Christ, etc…

Also, remember, that the Church is the Bride of Christ, even according to Scripture. So if we look to the qualities of woman that tell us something about the Church, does that mean women are “better than Jesus”? That’s nonsensical.

 

[puzzleannie]

A Protestant had made this claim, after he quoted a part of CCC paragraph 972. The part he quoted will be in bold:

His statement was that because the paragraph says “we can find no better way to conclude than by looking to Mary”, that the Church is saying that Mary is better than Jesus. I?

the quote does not say or imply that.
by his reasoning if I said “you can find no better example of the Christian life to look at than Billy Graham, or Joel Osteen or St. Paul” or any notable Christian witness as a model of the Christian life I would be placing that individual above Christ. His conclusion is ludicrous.