212
saving mission. Jesus left us his mother to be our
mother. Only after doing so did Jesus know that
âall was now finishedâ
(
Jn
19:28). At the foot of
the cross, at the supreme hour of the new crea-
tion, Christ led us to Mary. He brought us to her
because he did not want us to journey without
a mother, and our people read in this maternal
image all the mysteries of the Gospel. The Lord
did not want to leave the Church without this
icon of womanhood. Mary, who brought him
into the world with great faith, also accompa-
nies âthe rest of her offspring, those who keep
the commandments of God and bear testimo-
ny to Jesusâ (
Rev
12:17). The close connection
between Mary, the Church and each member of
the faithful, based on the fact that each in his or
her own way brings forth Christ, has been beau-
tifully expressed by Blessed Isaac of Stella: âIn
the inspired Scriptures, what is said in a universal
sense of the virgin mother, the Church, is under-
stood in an individual sense of the Virgin Mary...
In a way, every Christian is also believed to be
a bride of Godâs word, a mother of Christ, his
daughter and sister, at once virginal and fruitful...
Christ dwelt for nine months in the tabernacle
of Maryâs womb. He dwells until the end of the
ages in the tabernacle of the Churchâs faith. He
will dwell forever in the knowledge and love of
each faithful soulâ.
212
212
âI
saac of
S
tella
,
Sermo
51: PL
194, 1863, 1865.