Mary, New Eve

[ChrisRedfield47]

“…we believe that the Blessed Mother of God, the New Eve, Mother of the Church, continues in heaven her maternal role with regard to Christ’s members, cooperating with the birth and growth of divine life in the souls of the redeemed.”

-The Credo of the People of God

Proclaimed by His Holiness Pope Paul VI on June 30, 1968

Mary is the New Eve, just as Jesus is the New Adam. See this video titled “Mary New Eve” which is explains why:

English:
youtube.com/watch?v=14HbU8-PcGg

Spanish:
youtube.com/watch?v=VD1DM9FAIZo

 

[R_C]

Wonderful, thanks for sharing.

“Devotion to you, O Blessed Virgin, is a means of salvation which God gives to those whom he wishes to save”
St. John Damascene

 

[cuddlz24]

I am curious to know how the Roman Catholic Church views such verses of Scriptures as

Luke 1:46-47 - And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And myspirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

In the above verse, Mary is obviously aware, joyfully so, of her need of a Saviour.

Also in Matthew 12:46-50 -
While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.
Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.
But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

In the above passage Jesus gives us the exact regard we need to show Mary and his siblings as well. Jesus does not teach the veneration of Mary here, he teaches that ANYONE who does the will of God the Father, is the same as as his brother, sister AND MOTHER.
Lastly, in 1 Timothy 2:5- God tells us
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Nowhere is there an indication that there is any other acceptable mediator, intercessor, Saviour etc… other than Jesus Christ himself, one of the reasons being because without blood their is no remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22 - And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.)

Finally, John 19:30 and Hebrews 1:3 are pretty clear anout the nature of Jesus’ blood atonement being a finished and completed one.

Heb 1:3 - Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

The words “by himself purged our sins” is pretty powerful and only attributed to Christ.

Please, I am trying to see where some of the Roman Catholic dogmas come from. I am a Christian and want to know the differences between Christianity and how/why Roman Catholicism split off from the teachings of Christ and the Word of God as passed on by the apostles themselves.

Thank you in advance to those with the patience to answer!

PS, where are the biblical references to Mary as the New Eve? I just noticed someone called her that in another post. If someone could include the verse references for this too, thanks!

 

[cuddlz24]

[edited]

I know that Jesus is the new Adam, because God tells us it is so in 1 Corinthians 15:22 -

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
and in 1 Corinthians 15:45, 47 -

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit…
The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

I still would like references from God that say the same about Mary, if you wouldn’t mind providing them. I’m not one to watch videos made my men about who they think God, Jesus, Mary, the Devil etc… are. God has promised to preserve his words for ever (Psalm 12:6-7) and so I try to look to his truth first before searching out other sources.

Thank you!

 

[ConstantineTG]

I am curious to know how the Roman Catholic Church views such verses of Scriptures as

Luke 1:46-47 - And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And myspirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

In the above verse, Mary is obviously aware, joyfully so, of her need of a Saviour.

Mary couldn’t save her own. Even if one is sinless, it is not possible to enter heaven had Christ not become man and defeated death by his own death. Mary’s sinlessness would have amounted to nothing if not for the Incarnation, Passion and Resurrection.

Also in Matthew 12:46-50 -
While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.
Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.
But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

In the above passage Jesus gives us the exact regard we need to show Mary and his siblings as well. Jesus does not teach the veneration of Mary here, he teaches that ANYONE who does the will of God the Father, is the same as as his brother, sister AND MOTHER.
Lastly, in 1 Timothy 2:5- God tells us
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

This is a completely false interpretation of the Gospel. Jesus said we should honor Mary and his family not because of their blood relation, but rather because of their obedience to the will of God. And who in the entire Bible is more obedient to God than Mary?

I
Nowhere is there an indication that there is any other acceptable mediator, intercessor, Saviour etc… other than Jesus Christ himself, one of the reasons being because without blood their is no remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22 - And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.)

Finally, John 19:30 and Hebrews 1:3 are pretty clear anout the nature of Jesus’ blood atonement being a finished and completed one.

Heb 1:3 - Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

The words “by himself purged our sins” is pretty powerful and only attributed to Christ.

Please, I am trying to see where some of the Roman Catholic dogmas come from. I am a Christian and want to know the differences between Christianity and how/why Roman Catholicism split off from the teachings of Christ and the Word of God as passed on by the apostles themselves.

Thank you in advance to those with the patience to answer!

PS, where are the biblical references to Mary as the New Eve? I just noticed someone called her that in another post. If someone could include the verse references for this too, thanks!

Definitely without Jesus, Mary would be insignificant. We should not lose sight of that. Whatever Mary is today, it is because of her total obedience to God and her role in our salvation, that is through her God became flesh and dwelt among us. No angel bore God, no other human being bore God, only Mary. That is why she is the First among All Saints, more honorable than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim.

 

[ChrisRedfield47]

I am curious to know how the Roman Catholic Church views such verses of Scriptures as

Luke 1:46-47 - And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And myspirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

In the above verse, Mary is obviously aware, joyfully so, of her need of a Saviour.

Yes, and the Catholic Church has never said she doesn’t need a saviour. The fact that she never sinned, is precisely because she was saved from original sin.

Also in Matthew 12:46-50 -
While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.
Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.
But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

In the above passage Jesus gives us the exact regard we need to show Mary and his siblings as well. Jesus does not teach the veneration of Mary here, he teaches that ANYONE who does the will of God the Father, is the same as as his brother, sister AND MOTHER.

The only thing Jesus said here is that those who do his will are his family. We give honor to Mary because through her Jesus our Savior was born. We give honor to her, not worship or anything else that is only for God. I know you didn’t say this, but you know, I just wanna be clear on that.

Lastly, in 1 Timothy 2:5- God tells us
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Nowhere is there an indication that there is any other acceptable mediator, intercessor, Saviour etc… other than Jesus Christ himself, one of the reasons being because without blood their is no remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22 - And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.)

Jesus is the** only** mediator, yes. But as members of the Body of Christ he allows us to share in his redemption/mediation. Allow me to show this from other examples in Scripture:

One foundation?

1 Corinthians 3:11 say there is no other foundation than the one already laid:
“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

Yet Ephesians 2:19-20 teaches that Apostles and Prophets are foundations
“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone”

Revelation 21:14 12 further says that there are 12 Foundations, 12 Apostles.

One Judge?

James 4:12 says there is only one Judge who will be judging the living and the dead
(2 Timothy 4:1). That would be Jesus. Yet 1 Corinthians 6:2 says Saints will Judge the World. And Luke 22:28-29 says the apostles will judge the twelve tribes if Israel.

One Father?

Matthew 23:9 says call no man Father. Yet there is ton of scripture in the old and new testament of other people (including the apostles) being called, or adressing others as “Fathers”. Few examples are: Acts 7:2, Acts 22:1,1 Corinthians 4:15

One Teacher?

Matthew 23:10 says don’t call anyone else Teacher yet it is clear taht in the Church there are teachers Acts 13:1, 1 Corinthians 12:28

Only God Forgives sins

Luke 5:21 and Mark 2:7 and elsewhere in scripture point to the fact that Only God can forgive ones sins.
Yet it says that God forgives sin through the apostles John 20:23.

One Shepherd?
Scripture says “There will be one Shepherd” John 10:16, Ezekiel 34:23
Yet in scripture 1 Peter 5:1-2 indicates the Church has Shepherds, and Particularly Peter becomes the Shepherd of the whole Church when Christ entrusts him his entire flock in John 21:15-18.

Other examples can be provided (One Rock?, One Lord? Etc).

One Mediator?
Of course Jesus is the only mediator. But other (as members of HIS Body) share in his mediation.

Also in a way, Mary is mediator between Jesus and Us. Jesus is Mediator between God the Father and us.

Finally, John 10:30 and Hebrews 1:3 are pretty clear anout the nature of Jesus’ blood atonement being a finished and completed one.

Heb 1:3 - Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

The words “by himself purged our sins” is pretty powerful and only attributed to Christ.

What exactly is your question here? I believe the scripture verses you cited. As we Catholics believe the entire bible. But is this a question you have to the Catholic belief on Purgatory?

 

[ConstantineTG]

[edited]

I know that Jesus is the new Adam, because God tells us it is so in 1 Corinthians 15:22 -

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
and in 1 Corinthians 15:45, 47 -

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit…
The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

I still would like references from God that say the same about Mary, if you wouldn’t mind providing them. I’m not one to watch videos made my men about who they think God, Jesus, Mary, the Devil etc… are. God has promised to preserve his words for ever (Psalm 12:6-7) and so I try to look to his truth first before searching out other sources.

Thank you!

It is by Eve’s disobedience that Man fell, and it is by Mary’s obedience that Man is saved.

 

[ChrisRedfield47]

Please, I am trying to see where some of the Roman Catholic dogmas come from. I am a Christian and want to know the differences between Christianity and how/why Roman Catholicism split off from the teachings of Christ and the Word of God as passed on by the apostles themselves.

Thank you in advance to those with the patience to answer!

PS, where are the biblical references to Mary as the New Eve? I just noticed someone called her that in another post. If someone could include the verse references for this too, thanks!

Its not explicitly stated in Scripture just like many things aren’t. But it is possible to find Mary as the “New Eve” from scripture. All you have to do is click on the link of the video:
youtube.com/watch?v=14HbU8-PcGg

From there you get the idea that she is the New Eve. This was taught by the first Christians by the way.

 

[R_C]

Please, I am trying to see where some of the Roman Catholic dogmas come from. I am a Christian and want to know the differences between Christianity and how/why Roman Catholicism split off from the teachings of Christ and the Word of God as passed on by the apostles themselves.

Thank you in advance to those with the patience to answer!

PS, where are the biblical references to Mary as the New Eve? I just noticed someone called her that in another post. If someone could include the verse references for this too, thanks!

I suggest you begin by going over the Compendium to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and then the letter Redemptoris Mater On the Blessed Virgin Mary in the life of the Pilgrim Church.

As a fellow brother in Christ, I can assure you that it is the Catholic Church that has preserved the fullness of the divine revelation as well as the Sacred Scriptures, and that until the great heresies of the XIV Century nobody would have dared to think that the Catholic Church somehow split off from the teachings of Christ, in fact, nothing could be farther from the truth.

I invite you to do what nobody does, namely, to simply learn more about the Sacred Tradition (which ever since the beginning of Christianity has been considered one with Sacred Scripture), and to learn how the teachings of Christianity have been gradually distorted and diminished by the communities that separated themselves from the Catholic Church (though some, such as the Orthodox Church, are so close that they are almost in full communion with the Catholic Church).

Consider a few relevant quotes from the beginning of the Church:

And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added unto the Church daily such as should be saved.
Acts 2:46-47

Clement I, A.D. 88-97
Heretical teachers pervert Scripture and try to get into Heaven with a false key, for they have formed their human assemblies later than the Catholic Church. From this previously-existing and most true Church, it is very clear that these later heresies, and others which have come into being since then, are counterfeit and novel inventions.

Ignatius of Antioch, A.D. 107
For as many as are of God and of Jesus Christ are also with the Bishop. And as many as shall, in the exercise of repentance, return into the unity of the Church, these, too, shall belong to God, that they may live according to Jesus Christ. Do not err, my brethren. If any man follows him that makes a schism in the Church, he shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Irenaeus, A.D. 202
"Since therefore we have such proofs, it is not necessary to seek the truth among others [heretics] which it is easy to obtain from the Church; since the apostles, like a rich man [depositing his money in a bank,] lodged in her hands most copiously all things pertaining to the truth: so that every man, whosoever will, can draw from her the water of life. For she is the entrance to life; all others are thiefs and robbers. On this account we are bound to avoid them, but to make choice of the things pertaining to the Church with the utmost diligence, and to lay hold of the tradition of the truth. Wherefore it is incumbent to obey the presbyters who are in the Church, those who, as I have shown, possess the succession from the apostles; those who, together with the succession of the episcopate, have received the certain gift of truth, according to the good pleasure of the Father.

Pionius, A.D. 205
I am a Christian and belong to the Catholic Church. Would to God I could persuade all of you to become Christians

Origen, A.D. 254
Let no man deceive himself. Outside this house, that is, outside the Church no one is saved.

Cyprian, A.D. 258
But if any one considers these things carefully, he will need no long discourse or arguments. The proof is simple and convincing, being summed up in a matter of fact. The Lord says to Peter, “I say to thee, that thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not overcome it. It will give to thee the keys to the kingdom of heaven. And what thou shalt bind upon earth shall be bound also in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed also in heaven.” And He says to him again after the resurrection, “Feed my sheep.” It is on him that he builds the Church, and to him that he entrusts the sheep to feed. …] If a man does not hold fast to this oneness of Peter, does he imagine that he still holds the faith? If he deserts the Chair of Peter upon whom the Church was built, has he still confidence that he is in the Church?

 

[R_C]

Lactantius, A.D. 310
It is the Catholic Church alone which retains true worship. This is the fountain of truth, this is the abode of the Faith, this is the temple of God; into which if anyone shall not enter, or from which if anyone shall go out, he is a stranger to the hope of life and eternal salvation.

Ambrose, A.D. 397
And He [Christ] affirms that they act with devilish spirit who divide the Church of God, so that he includes the heretics and schismatics of all times …] Peter is he to whom the Lord said: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build the Church.” Therefore where Peter is, there is the Church; where the Church is, there is no death but only eternal life.

John Chrysostom, A.D. 407
We know that salvation belongs to the Church alone, and that no one can partake of Christ nor be saved outside the Catholic Church and the Catholic Faith.

Gaudentius of Brescia, A.D. 410
It is certain that all men of Noah’s time perished, except those in the Ark, which was a figure of the Church. Likewise, they cannot in any way now be saved who are aliens from the Apostolic faith and the Catholic Church.

That covers quite a few centuries throughout the beginning of the Church. Similar statements from great teachers of the Church can be found throughout the centuries. I skip a bit ahead:

Francis of Assisi, A.D. 1226
We beseech the whole world to do this, all those who serve our lord and God within the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, together with the whole hierarchy, priests, deacons, subdeacons, acolytes, exorcists, lectors, porters, and all clerics and religious, male or female; we beg all children, big and small, the poor and the needy, kings and princes, labourers and farmers, servants and masters; we beg all virgins and all other women, married or unmarried; we beg all lay folk, men and women, infants and adolescents, young and old, the healthy and the sick, the little and the great, all peoples, tribes, families and languages, all nations and all men everywhere, present and to come; we Friars Minor beg them all to persevere in the true faith and in a life of penance.

Thomas Aquinas, A.D. 1274
But the unity of the Church exists primarily because of the unity of the faith; for the Church is nothing else than the aggregate of the faithful. And because without faith it is impossible to please God, for this reason there is no room for salvation outside the Church.

Thomas More, A.D. 1535
Outside the Church there is no salvation, and therefore if the claims of the pope be true at all, then he who denies them imperils his soul.

Henry Morse, A.D. 1645
I am come hither to die for my religion, for that religion which is professed by the Catholic Roman Church, founded by Christ, established by the Apostles, propagated through the ages by an hierarchy always visible to this day, grounded on the testimonies of holy scriptures; upheld by the authority of fathers and councils, out of which, in fine, there can be no hopes of salvation.

The Church does teach that all those who have been validly baptized are made members of the one Church, though not yet in full communion with it, for it subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the successor of Peter and the bishops in communion with him.

As for what is the will of Jesus, there is no doubt:

I want them to be one, Father, just like you and I are one. …] They shall be one flock with one shepherd.

 

[ConstantineTG]

The Church does teach that all those who have been validly baptized are made members of the one Church, though not yet in full communion with it, for it subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the successor of Peter and the bishops in communion with him.

I would contest that this is not the understanding of St. John Chrysostom when he said “Catholic Church”. It would have been news to him if someone told him back then that “Catholic Church” meant being in communion with the Bishop of Rome.

 

[ChrisRedfield47]

Ok I guess some of my posts were deleted because they went a lil bit off topic. So if you have doubts about this teaching, try reading it from the Church Fathers:

In 150 A.D., Saint Justin the Martyr wrote:

Christ became man by the Virgin that the disobedience which issued from the serpent might be destroyed in the same way it originated. Eve was still an undefiled virgin when she conceived the word of the serpent and brought forth disobedience and death. But the Virgin received faith and joy, at the announcement of the angel Gabriel…and she replied, “Be it done to me according you your word”. So through the mediation of the Virgin he came into the world, through whom God would crush the serpent (Apologia, ch. 100; 150 AD).

Later that same century, Irenaeus of Lyons wrote:

The seduction of a fallen angel drew Eve, a virgin espoused to a man, while the glad tidings of the holy angel drew Mary, a Virgin already espoused, to begin the plan which would dissolve the bonds of that first snare…For as the former was lead astray by the word of an angel, so that she fled from God when she had disobeyed his word, so did the latter, by and angelic communication, receive the glad tidings that she should bear God, and obeyed his word. If the former disobeyed God, the latter obeyed, so that the Virgin Mary might become the advocate of the virgin Eve. Thus, as the human race fell into bondage to death by means of a virgin, so it is rescued by a virgin; virginal disobedience is balanced in the opposite scale by virginal obedience (Against Heresies, Book 3, ch XXII, par. 4; 189 AD).

Tertullian wrote in 210 A.D. or so:

“Likewise, through a Virgin, the Word of God was introduced to set up a structure of life. Thus, what had been laid waste in ruin by this sex, was by the same sex re-established in salvation. Eve had believed the serpent; Mary believed Gabriel. That which the one destroyed by believing, the other, by believing, set straight.” (Tertullian, The Flesh of Christ 17:4; 210 AD)

My Favorite is from Augustine 396 A.D.:

“(The Lord) was not averse to males, for he took the form of a male, nor to females, for of a female he was born. Besides, there is a great mystery here: that just as death comes to us through a woman, Life is born to us through a woman; that the devil, defeated, would be tormented by each nature, feminine and masculine, as he had taken delight in the defection of both” (Augustine Christian Combat 22:24; 396 AD).

 

[teenphilo1]

[BIBLEDRB]GEN 3:15
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you will strike at his heel.[/BIBLEDRB]

The women’s son will strike at the serpent’s head.
Since Jesus was obviously the mentioned son, wouldn’t his mother be the woman?

Eve brought evil into the world through her disobedience. Mary brought good to the world through her obedience.

There are other OT parallels here, as well.

Jesus as the new Adam. (already mentioned)

Satan, a fallen angel, brought words of death to Eve. Gabriel brought words of life to Mary.

Just like humanity fell through Adam, humanity was saved through Jesus, but Eve and Mary both played important roles. Eve in her disobedience, Mary in her obedience.

Hope this helps.

 

[TimothyH]

[edited]

I know that Jesus is the new Adam, because God tells us it is so in 1 Corinthians 15:22 -

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
and in 1 Corinthians 15:45, 47 -

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit…
The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

I still would like references from God that say the same about Mary, if you wouldn’t mind providing them. I’m not one to watch videos made my men about who they think God, Jesus, Mary, the Devil etc… are. God has promised to preserve his words for ever (Psalm 12:6-7) and so I try to look to his truth first before searching out other sources.

Thank you!

Jesus himself tells us that Mary is the New Eve. The Word of God is crystal clear that Mary is the New Eve for anyone who cares to study it.

Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." (Genesis 2:23)

Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” (John 2:4)

Genesis 2:23 is prophecy. This is the very first prophecy of the Bible, where the Adam prophecies that Eve shall be called woman using the future tense. John 2:4 is fulfilled prophecy in which Jesus calls Mary by the title “Woman.” Adam utters the first prophecy of all creation and Jesus fulfills it.

Eve is called Adam’s “Pefect helpmate” or the “Suitable partner” or a “Helpmate fit for him.”

Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." (Genesis 2:18)

Adam’s vocation was to care for the garden, to minister to creation and Eve was created to be a sharer in Adam’s vocation. The New Eve was created to share in the New Adam’s vocation to redeem creation.

People think Mary was some passive peasant girl who sat around silently doing nothing, or praying or something. But Mary was a Jewish mother. I grew up in New York City with many Jewish friends and let me tell you that passive obedience is not an attribute of a Jewish mother.

The Bible has many examples of Jewish mothers who shared in their son’s vocations, who assisted their son’s in holiness, and who exhorted their son’s to be faithful to God’s law and God’s will.

***Most admirable and worthy of everlasting remembrance was the mother who, seeing her seven sons perish in a single day, bore it courageously because of her hope in the Lord. Filled with a noble spirit that stirred her womanly reason with manly emotion, she exhorted each of them in the language of their ancestors with these words: “I do not know how you came to be in my womb; it was not I who gave you breath and life, nor was it I who arranged the elements you are made of. Therefore, since it is the Creator of the universe who shaped the beginning of humankind and brought about the origin of everything, he, in his mercy, will give you back both breath and life, because you now disregard yourselves for the sake of his law.” *(2 Maccabees 7:20-23)

This is the image of a mother exhorting her sons to be faithful to God’s will in the face of extreme torture and death. This is the image of Mary as she sat at the foot of the cross, exhorting her son to faithfully complete his mission, the work he was sent to do by the Father.

This is the image of the New Eve, created to share in the New Adam’s vocation to redeem mankind, suffering as her son died yet encouraging him to complete his work, knowing that he would be raised from the dead.

-Tim-