Mary and the Clergy: God in her Womb, God in his hands

Saint Maximilian Kolbe once said, “Let us remember that love lives through sacrifice and is nourished by giving. Without sacrifice, there is no love.” I can never find a quote better but as short as Saint Maximilian’s as stated above that can perfectly fit the connection between Mary and the Ministerial priesthood. The primary similarity between the roles of Mary and the clergy in the salvific order is sacrifice: to give up oneself and to bring the incarnated Word of God into the world.

            Just as the second Person of the Blessed Trinity was incarnated, “descended”, from the heavens to be conceived in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary to be offered as the once for all sacrifice to God for our salvation, Christ, once more, like the incarnation, substantially descends to the bread and wine at the consecration at Mass for our salvation. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary conceived Christ, the Living Bread of life. Through that same Spirit, the priest consecrates the sacred species into Christ’s salvific Body and precious Blood. Both the incarnation (God becoming man) and transubstantiation (mere bread and wine turning into Christ’s body and Blood) are directed towards the salvation of Men. Mary and the priests share this similar, though not equal, mission to be offered to God for us- to bring Christ into the world.

Again, it would be necessary to reiterate that Mary’s mission, though it shares some similarities with a priest’s mission, is not equal with the mission of the clergy. Unlike the sacrament of Holy Orders, which could be shared among multiple men, the mission of Mary is just uniquely set apart for her: to be, not only the daughter of the Father, but also the mother of the Son, and the spouse of the Holy Spirit. The reason for pointing out the parallel is that if ever there is one person that the priests should imitate, it has to be Mary.

There are three essential Marian virtues that priests have to embody in order to become good shepherds: obedience, consistency, and humility.

Obedience- Mary has risked a lot when she said “yes” during the annunciation. She is just a young lady, unmarried, when she conceived Christ. Think of what the people were thinking of her during that time. Think if what they were thinking about her baby! They would’ve thought of Jesus as an illegitimate child. But despite all the negative remarks the people may have against her, Mary remained loyal to her calling. Priests, like Mary, must be obedient as well. The priesthood is not an easy vocation, but all we need is obedience, and that virtue unites us closer to God. Again, priesthood is not easy. Sometimes, priests even have to risk their lives just to share the Gospel. But “what would profit a man, if he gains the world yet loses his soul?” (Mk 8:36). Obedience is hard, but it’s worth it in the end.

Consistency­- Mary didn’t just say “yes” during the annunciation, she continued to say “yes for the rest of her life, avoiding sin and accepting even the fact that her Son has to die in the most humiliating manner. Priests are called to be consistent with their “yes” at their ordination. Meaning, obedience is a continuous duty. The clergy cannot be “lukewarm” in their ministry. The zeal for bringing Christ in word and deed has to be with them always, up to the point of death.

Humility- Mary was just a mere humble servant of the Lord, yet because she obeyed, she was exalted above the other creatures, making her the queen of Heaven and earth. The end of every man is to be “exalted”: to fully experience the spiritually true, the spiritually good, and the spiritually beautiful. In other words, the end of every man is heaven (and when a soul is in hell, it does not meet its end, therefore it’s a disordered soul), the Church Triumphant. Priests have to “wear combat boots” and lead the Church Militant into heaven. And that could only be possible if they embody this third virtue: to humbly bow down to our “Commander King”, Jesus Christ.

In conclusion, a priest can never be a good priest if he does not know how to be obedient, consistent, and humble like Mary. We, the faithful, have the rightful duty to pray for our priests, especially those priests who have played a big role in our nourishment as Christians; priests who baptized us, gave us Holy Communion, absolved our sins, who became our spiritual directors, and many more. Let us, most of all, ask the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of all priests, that she may always guide them and wrap them in her maternal protection.

- Matthew Luis D. Antero