The New Testament Verse by Verse

Even though Revelation only alludes to Mary in an indistinct way and the Acts simply mention her presence at the time of the Ascension and Pentecost, the Virgin Mary is continually - if invisibly - present at all the major events in the New Testament.

Mary’s fundamental identity is to be "mother" 

What the New Testament does reveal is indicative of how her maternity interests each one of us as disciples of Jesus.

Love and consideration for the Word of God are the principal characteristics of contemporary spirituality. In the conscience of pastors and many Christians, the Bible has progressively taken its central and rightful place.

In this climate of renewed interest in the Holy Scriptures, it is natural that Mary’s emerging image is evangelical.

An index of this attention are the many publications titled "Mary according to the Gospel" or similar topics. Of course such studies existed in the past, but today they have multiplied, and show how rich and fertile the Word of God is to spiritual life.

If we take a look at the overall scheme of the books of the New Testament, we notice that the interest in Mary arises from a sort of "attraction" due to the interest in her Son Jesus rather than from motivations centered on her person.

As the field of reflection about Christ gradually broadens, the number of elements defining the identity of Mary increases as well.

Mary's fundamental identity is her maternity: she is "the mother of Jesus."

Let us draw out that identity by a quick look at the developing thread - beginning with St. Paul's seedling and through re-readings - eventually leading us to the density of John’s vision.

Christians, called to live fully the Word of God - particularly when it refers to Mary as well - are invited to meet her as a mother and to introduce her into "the whole space of their own spirituality" (Redemptoris Mater 45).

Mary, Mother of Beginnings

While in the Synoptic the word "beginning" is mentioned eleven times, it appears eight times in the fourth Gospel alone. This indicates a special interest in the beginning as a "foundation", either of the revelations of Jesus or the testimony of the apostles (Jn 1: 1; 2: 11; 6: 64; 8: 25; 15: 27; 16: 14).

In John’s prologue the first verse is symptomatic: “In the beginning was the Word.” That first eternal "beginning" of the world and of time is oriented toward the Incarnation in Jn 1: 14, where John mentions the "Word" for the last time.

After the narrative prologue (Jn 1: 19-52) immediately comes “the beginning of the signs” (Jn 2: 11). This is where the true narration starts, according to the conclusion of the Gospel (Jn 20: 30-31).

Yet the beginning calls for an accomplishment, which opens to a new "beginning", that of the Christian community with the raising of Jesus on the Cross and with His rising in glory.

The Virgin Mary is present at these three beginnings, in a discreet and hidden way. As the "Mother of Jesus", "His Mother", "the mother", "mother of the beloved disciple" - Mary is the mother of "beginnings": that of the incarnate Word (Jn 1:14), that of the faith (Jn 2: 1-12), and that of the family of the sons of God (Jn 19: 25-27).

As mother, she tells those who serve Jesus, now and always:

“Do whatever He tells you!” (Jn 2: 5)

"Today Christians have transformed Christianity too much into an ideology and an abstraction. Abstractions do not need a mother", said Karl Rahner, one of the greatest theologians of the 20th century. And he was right.

However, Mother of God, Mother of the Church, Mother of mankind, Mary - our teacher and advocate - is also and amongst the other essential aspects of her unique vocation, our mediatrix with the Lord, as the New Testament reveals so clearly.

Furthermore, the passages directly concerning Mary in the New Testament show how much, ever present at the key events of Christ’s life, Mary was tightly united to the work of salvation for the Redemption of the world; and how the Virgin Mary is bound to the mystery of the Church, the Eucharistic body of Christ…

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MDN Team