08/08/2021
The Fast of St Mary the Mother of God (Part 1)
"Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God” (Ps 87:3)
The Symbols of St Mary in the Bible !!
Many indeed are the Old Testament symbols and prophecies that refer to St. Mary because of her significant role in God’s plan of salvation.
the first prophecy to be recorded in Holy Scriptures speaks about the seed of the woman who will bruise the serpent’s head (Gen 3:15).
this is St Mary whose seed, Lord Jesus Christ, bruised the serpent’s head that is Satan. There are many other prophecies that mention her virginal birth (Is 7:14) – Her perpetual virginity (Ezek 44:1-3) – Her escape to Egypt (Is 19:1) notice how Isaiah the prophet calls her a “swift cloud” in this prophecy to signify how exalted and pure she is.
1. Noah’s Ark:
Noah the prophet was a prototype of Lord Jesus Christ as St. Peter explains that by Noah “few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water” (1 Pet 3:20). Then he adds, “There is also an antitype which now saves us – baptism…” (1 Pet 3:21).
While by Noah the prophet eight souls were saved through the ark, by Lord Jesus Christ we all are saved through baptism.
Accordingly, the ark that received the prophet and became the means of salvation is a symbol of St. Mary who received the Word of God giving Him the Human body by which He died for our salvation.
2. Jacob’s Ladder:
We sing in Tuesday’s Theotokia (A hymn for the Theotokos – Mother of God), “You are the ladder seen by Jacob, which is fixed on earth. It rose very high to heaven, and the angels were descending on it.
St Mary is indeed the ladder that connects the heaven and the earth because the Lord descended and came to the world through her.
3. The Burning Bush:
Just like the fire did not consume or damage the bush, the Divinity of our Lord did not consume St. Mary, nor her virginity was affected by giving birth.
The burning bush is also a symbol of Lord Jesus Christ Himself for neither the fire turned into a bush nor the bush into fire, the same way His Divine nature was united with His Human nature without mingling, confusion, or alteration.
4. The Rational Mountain:
God descended on Mount Sinai to deliver to Moses the prophet His written word (Ex 19:16-18) and also He descended on St Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Highest will overshadow you” (Lk 1:35) to deliver to us His Incarnate Word.
Daniel the prophet spoke of a stone being cut from a mountain without human hand (Dan 2:34), the same happened with St Mary from whom the Lord took flesh and was born without human seed.
5. The Tabernacle of Meeting:
At the Annunciation, Archangel Gabriel said, “The power of the Highest will overshadow (Gr. Episkiazein) you” (Lk 1:35). The same verb “episkiazein” (Hebrew “shakan” meaning “dwelling”) was used for the Tabernacle, where God was dwelling among His people, and at the moment of the Lord’s Transfiguration and a cloud overshadowed the disciples.
6. The Ark of the Covenant:
The incorruptible wood of the Ark that was overlaid with gold symbolises St. Mary’s purity.
Moreover, there is similarity between the history of the Ark and the life of St Mary; The Ark remained three months at the house of Obed-edom before King David brought it to his house (2 Sam 6) – also, St. Mary remained three months at the town of Judea at the house of St. Zacharias and St. Elizabeth.
King David leaped joyfully before the Ark (2 Sam 6; Chron 15:29) – St John the Baptist also leaped in his mother’s womb joyfully before St Mary (Lk 1:44). It is noteworthy to mention that the verb “leap” mentioned in the Gospel of St. Luke is the same as the one mentioned to describe the leaping of King David before the Ark.
7. The Cover of the Ark:
God used to appear between the cherubim on the cover of the Ark and speak to Moses the prophet; this cover represents the dwelling place of God and consequently is a symbol of St. Mary’s womb where God the Word dwelt for nine months.
8. The Vessel of Manna:
The Gospel of St John records that the manna was a symbol of Lord Jesus Christ who gives us His true body to eat in the Eucharist (Jn 6:48-57). In the Book of Exodus, we read about the vessel that carried the manna (Ex 16:33).
St Mary carried the true Manna in her womb for nine months, thus the pot of manna symbolises her. However, it is noteworthy that St Mary was not merely a vessel but Lord Jesus actually took flesh from her.
9. The Golden Lampstand:
In the Book of Exodus we read about the golden Lampstand that God ordered Moses the prophet to make (Ex 25:31-40). This golden Lampstand is a symbol of St Mary who carried the true light of the world (Jn 1:4; 8:12).
10. The Golden Censer:
The golden censer (Heb 9:4) used by Aaron, the high priest, is a symbol of Virgin Mary who carried in her womb the live coal as St. Cyril the Great explained that the union between the coal and fire symbolises the union between the Divinity and the Humanity of Lord Jesus Christ.
11. Aaron’s Rod:
The lifeless rod of Aaron that blossomed (Num 17:1-8) is a symbol of the virgin who gave birth to the Lord without human seed.
12.Noah’s Dove (Gen 8:10,11)
That announced the salvation of the human race symbolises St Mary who announced our salvation when she gave birth to our Lord as St Simeon the elder said “My eyes have seen your salvation” (Lk 2:30).
May this Holy Fast be source of blessing and renewal to you and your family
