1.38 Waarom heeft Maria zo’n belangrijke rol?
Maria werd uitgekozen door God om Jezus te baren en op te voeden. Daardoor werkte ze ook mee aan de verlossing van alle mensen. Ze was een diepgelovige vrouw, die zielsveel van haar Zoon hield. Toen Jezus moest lijden, leed zij mee.
Toen Hij aan het kruis hing zei Jezus tegen zijn leerling Johannes 'Zie daar je moeder' (Joh 19,27)Joh 19,27: Vervolgens zei Hij tegen de leerling: ‘Daar is je moeder.’ Toen, van dat uur af, nam de leerling haar bij zich in huis op.. Daarmee werd Maria tot moeder van ons allemaal; dat betekent dat we allemaal leerlingen van Jezus kunnen zijn. Maria is in de hemel heel dicht bij Jezus. We kunnen haar vragen om voor ons te bidden, wat ze van harte doet.
In what way is the Blessed Virgin Mary the eschatological icon of the Church?
Looking upon Mary, who is completely holy and already glorified in body and soul, the Church contemplates in her what she herself is called to be on earth and what she will be in the homeland of heaven. [CCCC 199]
Why does Mary have such a preeminent place in the communion of saints
Mary is the Mother of God. She was united with Jesus on earth as no other human being was or could be—in an intimacy that does not cease in heaven. Mary is the Queen of Heaven, and in her motherhood she is quite close to us.
Because she committed herself, body and soul, to a divine yet dangerous undertaking, Mary was taken up body and soul into heaven. Anyone who lives and believes as Mary did will get to heaven. [Youcat 147]
Believe that this Only-begotten Son of God for our sins came down from heaven upon earth, and took upon him this human nature of like passions with us, and was begotten of the Holy Virgin and of the Holy Spirit and was made man, not in seeming or mere show, but in truth; nor yet by passing through the Virgin as through a channel; but was of her made truly flesh, and did truly eat as we do, and truly drink as we do. For if the Incarnation was a phantom, salvation is a phantom also. [St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catecheses, No. 4:9 (MG 33, 465)]
