Mary as Ark of the New Covenant

[migencluz]

So, I was talking to someone at church about how Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant. I referenced the Bible as I did this (e.g. Visitation vs David and the Ark, David and John the Baptist leaping, David and the Magnificat, etc.) This guy was somewhat condescending and he explained to me that these are all “flowery theories that are fun for the mind to think about,” but told me to be careful because I was going astray.
I told him that I got this from reliable people of the faith such as Steve Ray and Scott Hahn. However, he said I should just stick to the things that matter to my salvation.
Please, if you don’t mind me asking, what are more credible sources that reference Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant? Did any saint or Pope write about this?

 

[Todd977]

.
Please, if you don’t mind me asking, what are more credible sources that reference Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant? Did any saint or Pope write about this?

How about the Catechism of the Catholic Church…

Mary, in whom the Lord himself has just made his dwelling is the daughter of Zion in person, the ark of the covenant, the place where the glory of Lord dwells. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2676)

Or, St Gregory Thaumaturgus (c. 213-270)…

For the holy Virgin is in truth an ark, wrought with gold both within and without, that has received the whole treasury of the sanctuary. (St Gregory Thaumaturgus, First Homily on the Annunciation)

 

[jlhargus]

CCC2676 This twofold movement of prayer to Mary has found a privileged expression in the Ave Maria:

Hail Mary [or Rejoice, Mary]: the greeting of the angel Gabriel opens this prayer. It is God himself who, through his angel as intermediary, greets Mary. Our prayer dares to take up this greeting to Mary with the regard God had for the lowliness of his humble servant and to exult in the joy he finds in her.30

Full of grace, the Lord is with thee: These two phrases of the angel’s greeting shed light on one another. Mary is full of grace because the Lord is with her. The grace with which she is filled is the presence of him who is the source of all grace. "Rejoice . . . O Daughter of Jerusalem . . . the Lord your God is in your midst."31 Mary, in whom the Lord himself has just made his dwelling, is the daughter of Zion in person, the ark of the covenant, the place where the glory of the Lord dwells. She is "the dwelling of God . . . with men."32 Full of grace, Mary is wholly given over to him who has come to dwell in her and whom she is about to give to the world.

Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. After the angel’s greeting, we make Elizabeth’s greeting our own. “Filled with the Holy Spirit,” Elizabeth is the first in the long succession of generations who have called Mary "blessed."33 "Blessed is she who believed. . . . "34 Mary is “blessed among women” because she believed in the fulfillment of the Lord’s word. Abraham, because of his faith, became a blessing for all the nations of the earth.35 Mary, because of her faith, became the mother of believers, through whom all nations of the earth receive him who is God’s own blessing: Jesus, the “fruit of thy womb.” ]

End of CCC. I added the bold print in CCC2676

Mary Ark of the Covenant: [2Maccabees2:4 It was also contained in the same writing, how the prophet, being warned by God, commanded that the tabernacle and the ark should accompany him, till he came forth to the mountain " where Moses went up, and saw the inheritance of God. 5 And when Jeremias came thither he found a hollow cave: and he carried in thither the tabernacle, and the ark, and the altar of incense, and so stopped the door. 6 Then some of them that followed him, came up to mark the place: but they could not find it. 7 And when Jeremias perceived it, he blamed them, saying: **The place shall be unknown, till God gather together the congregation of the people, and receive them to mercy. 8 And then the Lord will shew these things, and the majesty of the Lord shall appear, and there shall be a cloud as it was also shewed to Moses, "and he shewed it when Solomon prayed that the place might be sanctified to the great God.] DRA Bible.

It is Christ who came to gather His people unto mercy, fulfilling the Law. The cloud of glory is the Holy Spirit, which overshadowed Mary the ark. Just as the glory of the Lord in Moses’ time, overshadowing the tabernacle, and Solomon’s time when dedicating the temple.

[Hb9:3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; 4 Which had the golden censer, and **the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;]

Mary the ark of the new covenant, not made by hands, contained in her womb. The real manna, the living Bread of Life, Christ. The real High Priest, Christ, and the written tables, the real living Word of God, Christ. Not just symbols, as the ark made by hands contained, but the actual realities.

[EX 40:34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle 35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation because the cloud abode thereon and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle]

[LK 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God]

Church Fathers Mary ark of covenant.

catholicfidelity.com/apologetics-topics/mary/church-fathers-on-mary-as-ark-of-the-new-covenant/

 

[Fiasco]

So, I was talking to someone at church about how Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant…

Scott Hahn’s not infallible, but it looks like he knows more than the person who told you that it’s just a “flowery theory”.

Just in case you don’t have the Ark info in the following format, and to reinforce the other posters here:

Luke’s Gospel tells us more about the Mother of Jesus than any other book in the New Testament. Most of this information is packed within his first two chapters, where Luke strings together some of the most beautiful traditions we have about her life and mission. The deeper we delve into Luke’s narrative, the more we appreciate the way in which Luke tells us the story of Mary. One example of this is found in the story of the Visitation. On one level, it tells of a joyous encounter between two expectant mothers; on another, it recalls memorable stories told in the Old Testament about the Ark of the Covenant. By alluding to these ancient traditions, Luke expands the vision of the careful reader considerably. For he leads us to see Mary as the Ark of God’s New Covenant and implies that the sacred Ark of the Old Covenant merely prefigured a more wonderful Ark to come: the Mother of the Messiah.

One tradition upon which Luke draws is from 2 Samuel. He intentionally sets up the subtle but significant parallels between Mary’s Visitation with Elizabeth and David’s effort to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem narrated in 2 Samuel 6. When Luke tells us that Mary “arose and went” into the Judean hill country to visit her kinswoman (Luke 1:39), he reminds us of how David “arose and went” into the same region centuries earlier to retrieve the Ark (2 Samuel 6:2) Parallels continue as the joy surrounding this great encounter causes the [unborn] infant John to leap with excitement (Luke 1:41), much as David danced with excitement before the Ark (2 Samuel 6:16). Finally, Luke adds that Mary stayed in the “house of Zechariah” for “three months” (Luke 1:40,56), recalling how the Ark of the Covenant was temporarily stationed in the “house of Obed-edom” for a waiting period of “three months”. Taken together, these parallels show us that Mary now assumes a role in salvation history that was once played by the Ark of the Covenant. Like this golden chest, she is a sacred vessel where the Lord’s presence dwells intimately with His people.

Luke also draws upon a second tradition from the book of Chronicles. This time he brings into his story a highly significant expression once connected with the Ark. The term shows up in Luke 1:42, where Elizabeth bursts out with an exuberant cry at the arrival of Mary and her Child. Although the Greek verb translated as “exclaimed” seems ordinary enough, it is hardly ever used in the Bible. In fact, it is found only here in the entire New Testament. Its presence in the Greek Old Testament is likewise sparse, appearing only five times. Why is this important? Because every time the expression is used in the Old Testament, it forms part of the stories surrounding the Ark of the Covenant. In particular, it refers to the melodic sounds made by the Levitical singers and musicians when they glorify the Lord in song. It thus describes the “exulting” voice of instruments that were played before the Ark as David carried it in procession to Jerusalem (1 Chron 15:28); 16:4-5) and as Solomon transferred the Ark to its final resting place in the Temple (2 Chron 5:13). Alluding to these episodes, Luke connects this same expression with the melodic cry of another Levitical descendant, the aged Elizabeth (Luke 1:5). She too lifts up her voice in praise, not before the golden chest, but before Mary.
Luke’s remarkable familiarity with these ancient stories enables him to select even a single word that will whisper to his readers that this young Mother of the Messiah is the new Ark of the Covenant.

For the reader with eyes to see and ears to hear, Luke has given a vision of the Virgin Mary that becomes ever more glorious the deeper we dig into the Scriptures.
Our ability to see her as he did depends in part on our knowledge of the Old Testament and in part on our sensitivity to Luke’s skillful use of it. By choosing his words and phrases carefully, he is able to weave various strands of Biblical tradition into his narrative, adding beauty and depth to his already elegant prose.
Little wonder the Church’s liturgical and theological traditions have so often described Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant. This vision is not merely the fruit of mystical speculation from a later age. It is already embedded within the Infancy Narrative of Luke’s Gospel. Emphasis added.

From Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The Gospel of Luke.
Commentary, notes and study questions by Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch.

If nothing else, Scripture and relevant commentaries show us why the Church holds Mary in such high regard.
And as far as our salvation (your acquaintance’s word) is concerned, she will help us if we ask for her intercession.

 

[NeedImprovement]

Mary, Ark of the New Covenant ;Catholic Answers Magazine; Steve Ray, 2011

 

[SAVINGRACE]

This brief video is excellent.

youtube.com/watch?v=kUdYeYy3NQA&t=492s

 

[Autumn_Smoke]

So, I was talking to someone at church about how Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant… This guy was somewhat condescending and he explained to me that these are all “flowery theories that are fun for the mind to think about,” but told me to be careful because I was going astray…However, he said I should just stick to the things that matter to my salvation.

This verse comes to my mind: “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.…”(Psalm 1:1-3)

The is so much beautiful symbolism in the Bible…there is so much to think about. And when our delight truly is in the Lord, the Lord opens up our hearts and reveals so much to us. To say that we should only concentrate on our salvation…yes, that’s very important, but how much we could miss of God’s beautiful and varied revelations. So keep thinking, keep asking God to reveal more and more to you. You will be blessed.

 

[1ke]

Please, if you don’t mind me asking, what are more credible sources that reference Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant? Did any saint or Pope write about this?

How weird that someone would tell you that you are off base.

The Litany of Loreto was approved by Pope Sixtus V in 1587. The Litany of Loreto petitions Mary as Ark of the Covenant.

 

[De_Maria]

So, I was talking to someone at church about how Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant. I referenced the Bible as I did this (e.g. Visitation vs David and the Ark, David and John the Baptist leaping, David and the Magnificat, etc.) This guy was somewhat condescending and he explained to me that these are all “flowery theories that are fun for the mind to think about,” but told me to be careful because I was going astray.
I told him that I got this from reliable people of the faith such as Steve Ray and Scott Hahn. However, he said I should just stick to the things that matter to my salvation.
Please, if you don’t mind me asking, what are more credible sources that reference Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant? Did any saint or Pope write about this?

You already have entirely credible sources for your understanding of that Scripture.

Your question seems illogical to me. Based upon the introduction, I would have expected you to ask, “What matters more to my salvation than understanding the Marian Doctrines?”

So, here are my questions to you. Were you at a Catholic Church? Was this guy a Catholic? Are you asking this question in order to refute his objection?

If this guy is a Catholic, I would say to him, "On the contrary, it is you who are going astray, if you believe that the Mother of God is somehow unimportant to your salvation. Have you not read the Scripture:

Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

That says that it is the children of Mary who will make fight the dragon. And those children are they who keep the Gospel and the Commandments of God. Do you fit that description?

 

[steve_b]

So, I was talking to someone at church about how Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant. I referenced the Bible as I did this (e.g. Visitation vs David and the Ark, David and John the Baptist leaping, David and the Magnificat, etc.) This guy was somewhat condescending and he explained to me that these are all “flowery theories that are fun for the mind to think about,” but told me to be careful because I was going astray.
I told him that I got this from reliable people of the faith such as Steve Ray and Scott Hahn. However, he said I should just stick to the things that matter to my salvation.
Please, if you don’t mind me asking, what are more credible sources that reference Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant? Did any saint or Pope write about this?

Always sorry myself when I run into a Minimalist person. I suspect that thy don’t do the minimum either.

Since you mention Steve Ray and Scott Hahn, you already know how to make the association of Mary as the arc of the New Covenant