Mary as a Type of the Church - Holiness

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 14 May 2011)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

We have shared with you about Mary as a type of the Church as a virgin mother, and how we, members of the Church, can live the life and mission of the Church as both mother and virgin. Today, I would like to share on Mary’s holiness and the Church, again extracting mainly from Fr. Josef Neuner’s “Mary, Mother of the Saviour”, the Lumen Gentium (LG) and other Church documents.

Fr. Neuner wrote: God alone is holy beyond all creation. Christian holiness is based on God’s free invitation to share in His life. This free gift from God must be responded to and realised in the newness of life. All holiness in the Church comes from Jesus Christ, who “loves the Church as his bride, giving himself up for her so as to sanctify her”. (LG, #39). This is realised first in Mary, whose holiness makes her the model of the whole Church.

Mary’s holiness is God’s free gift to her because she is the Virgin-Mother of Jesus Christ, the Saviour. Embodying the mystery of Mary in her life and mission, the Church too, is virgin and mother. Thus the Church also shares in Mary’s holiness. But, Mary, conceived without sin, is holy from the beginning, whereas the Church is called from sin to grace; as St. Chrysostom wrote: a harlot made virgin by Christ the bridegroom (p93). I quote Fr. Neuner: “We are members of the Church not through the natural birth but through baptism, reborn in Jesus Christ. Hence as Eve became the symbol of the unredeemed world, so Mary is the type of the world redeemed and sanctified in Jesus Christ, which is the Church.”

Fr. Neuner concluded: “Christian holiness is embodied in Mary and must be realised in the Church. It is God’s transforming presence which must become fruitful in life and work. …Holiness…is the transparency of God’s presence. …Mary is transparent, filled with the mystery of God. When people pray before her image they enter into God’s presence. Also in the Church holiness is more than moral correctness. The “Holy” Catholic Church must offer to the world the consciousness of God’s presence, elevating and powerful in its silence.”

How do we, as members of the Church, live up to that? Whom shall we turn to if not Mary, the very one who is filled with holiness, and is the figure of the Church? For Vatican II taught: “But while in the most holy Virgin the Church has already reached that perfection whereby she is without spot or wrinkle, the followers of Christ still strive to increase in holiness by conquering sin. And so they turn their eyes to Mary who shines forth to the whole community of the elect as the model of virtues.” Moreover, (LG, #65) “…true devotion … proceeds from true faith, by which we are led to know the excellence of the Mother of God, and we are moved to a filial love toward our mother and to the imitation of her virtues.” (LG, #67)

To imitate Mary, we need to know her, constantly be reminded of her virtues, and have the grace and perseverance to live by them against worldly temptations. We get to know Mary by reading about her; there is a vast ocean of literature on Mary – in printed material, on the Internet, and prayers and homilies. We also know her through others’ sharing on their experiences of her love and intercession.

Praying the Rosary will remind us of her virtues. Meditating often on the mysteries of the Rosary, we learn more and more about the life of Jesus Christ and His Blessed Mother, and will be better disposed to imitate their virtues.

As God alone can make us holy, we must pray for the grace to respond to this invitation of His. We receive grace and strength through the sacraments administered by the Church.  

We should also ask Mary to pray for us to be more like her, so that we will be more like Christ. Mary, being our Mother, is ever ready to help us and intercede for us. Again, the Rosary is the prayer where we invoke our Blessed Mother’s powerful intercession.

In subsequent weeks, we will share on Mary’s virtues. Quoting St. Alphonsus Liguori, “Humility being the foundation of all virtues, as the holy Fathers teach…” we will next share on the great humility of the Mother of God.

The Rosary as a Path to Holiness

(Sharing during Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 4 December 2010)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Recently, I was advised against promoting the Rosary as a path to holiness, as it may put off the young. Holiness, it seems, is no longer an ideal. However, in this penultimate sharing in our Rosary series, there is no escape, for it is the title itself. Indeed, as Christians, holiness is certainly our “business”. Mother Teresa once told a journalist that holiness is not a choice, but a necessity.

In the Bible, God often commanded the Israelites to be holy, for He, their God, is holy. Jesus also taught, “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt 5:48) The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that all are called to holiness. Impossible for us weak human beings? But as a priest said, if we cannot be holy, then Jesus’ coming and dying on the Cross would have been in vain. We can be trained to be holy.

Genuine training in holiness, said Pope John Paul II, involves contemplating the Christian mystery (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 2001) and the Rosary is a most effective way towards it. (Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 2002, 5). Throughout the centuries, countless Popes and Saints had strongly encouraged the Rosary devotion. They themselves being its ardent devotees, became the proof of its efficacy in leading one to holiness.

How does the Rosary effect this? Blessed Bartolo Longo equated it with two friends frequently in each other's company tending to develop similar habits (RVM, 2002, 15). So from frequent meditation on the Mysteries, as Pope Pius XII wrote, the soul gradually and unnoticeably absorbs the virtues they contain, and is wondrously inspired with a longing for things immortal. It becomes strongly and easily moved to follow the way which Christ and His Mother have followed. (Ingruentium Malorum, 1951, 9) Thus the Rosary helps us in answering our Christian calling to be conformed to Christ. Many people have testified being healed of addictions, or inexplicably filled with a thirst for the knowledge of God after praying the Rosary.

But the best tool is useless unless correctly used. So how to pray the Rosary correctly and effectively? You have heard them in our previous sharings.

Foremost, the secret is in the contemplation, without which the Rosary would be like a body without a soul. We should not recite the Rosary prayers unthinkingly and mechanically, but we must contemplate and meditate on the mysteries of the life of our Lord with His Mother. To counter distractions, we can use pictures and images from leaflets, booklets, the Internet, and even statues. Looking at the scenes of the mysteries meditated on helps a lot. Remember our sharing on the Ignatian way of praying the Rosary? For our sights, God will give us insight. We can take a step further and imagine that we are in the scenes. Picture Jesus and Mary looking at us and talking to us. Rosary leaflets and books are sold at bookstands outside the church. On the Internet, meditations and images to help in praying the Rosary abound. Just google “Praying the Rosary”. To ensure more trustworthy content, you may use the Catholic search engine, Cathoogle. Other means to consider are using beads to pray, praying before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, and joining in public Rosary prayers in the church. At our parish, we pray the Rosary every Saturday at 5.20 p.m. Since it is only once a week, we pray the mysteries in a monthly cycle following Jesus’ life cycle, i.e. His birth, public ministry, passion and death, and Resurrection.

Lack of time? Well, we can pray the Rosary anywhere, anytime. If really hard-pressed, we can pray while waiting, walking, driving (as long as we can remain careful), washing, etc. Ultimately, it is making a point to pray. Mother Teresa said, “God doesn’t require us to succeed; he only requires that you try.” The Devil increases attacks on those who start praying, but perseverance is the key. Our Lady’s 15 promises may encourage us.

At our recent Parish Assembly, our Parish Pastor, Fr. Simon, has outlined the way for us in entering our Jubilee Year, i.e. towards a renewal of holiness. The Rosary is simple and efficacious towards this end, so why not put to use this precious tool given to us? Trustingly with our Mother, let us “learn” Christ and conform to Him more and more.