1.38 Perché Maria è così importante?
Maria fu scelta da Dio per dare vita a Gesù e allevarlo. Facendo questo, anche lei cooperò alla salvezza di tutti. Era una donna profondamente religiosa che amava suo figlio con tutto il cuore. Quando Gesù dovette soffrire, soffrì con lui.
Quando Gesù pendeva dalla croce, disse al suo discepolo Giovanni: “Ecco tua madre” (Gv 19, 27)Gv 19, 27: Poi disse al discepolo: "Ecco tua madre!". E da quell'ora il discepolo l'accolse con sé.. Con queste parole Maria divenne la madre di tutti noi; questo significa che tutti noi possiamo essere discepoli di Gesù. Maria è molto vicina a Gesù in paradiso. Possiamo chiederle di pregare per noi, cosa che lei fa di cuore.
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)]
