Mary model of the Church : insights from the Carmelite Marian mystical tradition

Abstract

This study proposes a way forward in the context of the renewal ideal of the Church today. It presents the Virgin Mary, Model of the Church, as experienced in the Carmelite Tradition. In so doing, it puts forward a renewal which is, primarily, on the level of being rather than on the level of the acting out of structures, strategies or activities. As Popes Benedict and Francis insist the Church is essentially not an institution, but a living person, given life by the Holy Spirit. On the example of Mary, the Marian Church seeks to let God transform her into a space of love, for God and for humanity. Mary, the Virgin Bride of Christ, teaches the Church virginity of the heart, which makes of her a space for God alone, totally receptive of God’s Word, which becomes incarnated in her. This Word which she ponders in silence transforms her into a maternal space of love for humanity, in the same way that Mary became Mother of humanity, through her journey of faith. Mary Sister and Mother of the Church, accompanies Christ’s disciples on their own journey of faith, towards union with God. Thus, the Church becomes a space in which humanity and God encounter each other. This virginal and maternal space is feminine and fruitful. It is a space of compassion, in which the wounds of humanity are transformed into wounds of love. Feminine spirituality as presented in this study is rooted in God’s worldview and brings about renewal, change and transformation through the power of love. It is a femininity which makes it possible for human beings, both male and female, to come to wholeness, through the appreciation of all persons in their diversity.