Episode Transcript  

One

The Holy Spirit acts as a Mother through Mary

Now we can finally answer the question that has guided this entire series: If we already have Jesus and the Holy Spirit, why do we need Mary? Scripture reveals that the Holy Spirit acts as a mother to bring forth life in three decisive moments: Creation, the Incarnation, and Pentecost. And the Church in her authoritative teaching (Divinum Illud Munus 8; Lumen Gentium 59; Ad Gentes 4; Redemptoris Mater 24; Catechism of the Catholic Church 726) draws particular attention to two of these: the Annunciation and Pentecost. Why? Because in these two events, the maternal mission of the Spirit is revealed in a personal and visible way through Mary.

At the Annunciation, the Holy Spirit comes upon Mary to conceive and form Jesus in her womb. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit comes upon the Church gathered with Mary to conceive and form Jesus in us. These two moments unveil the pattern: The Holy Spirit acts as a mother through Mary, to conceive and form Jesus in her womb, to conceive and form Jesus in us.

Two

The Two Births: Christ and the Church

Scripture and the authoritative teaching of the Church reveal a profound parallel: there are two births, the birth of Christ and the birth of the Church. And in both, the Holy Spirit and Mary act together. First: the birth of Christ. At the Annunciation, the Holy Spirit overshadows Mary, giving her the capacity to conceive the Son of God in her womb. At Bethlehem, Mary gives birth to Jesus. And second, the birth of the Church. At Calvary, Jesus breathed the Spirit over Mary as she stood at the foot of the Cross. Once again, the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary, giving her the capacity to conceive the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church, and thus becoming the Mother of the Church. 

Jesus immediately proclaimed this truth when He declared, “Behold, your mother.” At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit and Mary gave birth to the Church. This reveals one unified pattern: at the Annunciation, the Spirit and Mary conceive and bring forth Christ the Head. At Calvary and Pentecost, the Spirit and Mary conceive and bring forth His Body, the Church, and every Christian within her.

So, we have two mothers, the Holy Spirit and Mary, one divine and one human, working together to give birth to Christ and Christians.

Three

The Church’s Teaching (Pope John Paul II)

St. John Paul makes the connection between the maternal mission of the Spirit and Mary unmistakably clear. He writes, “There is a unique correspondence between the moment of the Incarnation of the Word and the moment of the birth of the Church. The person who links these two moments is Mary: Mary at Nazareth and Mary in the Upper Room at Jerusalem. In both cases, her (Mary’s) discreet yet essential presence indicates the path of "birth from the Holy Spirit.” Redemptoris Mater 24

Who gives birth to Christians? The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit acts as a mother. Through whom? Through Mary. The Annunciation and Pentecost reveal that the Holy Spirit acts as a mother through Mary, first to form Christ in her womb, and then to form Christ in the souls of believers. Therefore, Mary is truly our Mother in the Order of Grace because the Spirit carries out His maternal mission through her. 

Four

Defining the Relationship of Mary to the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit acts with a truly maternal mission most clearly revealed in the Incarnation and at Pentecost. And in both moments, the Spirit carries out this maternal mission through Mary. At the Annunciation, the Holy Spirit and Mary formed Jesus in her womb. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit and Mary form Jesus in us. Mary is the human mother through whom the Holy Spirit exercises a maternal mission.

So profound is Mary’s expression of the Holy Spirit that Pope John Paul II describes her as the maternal face of the Holy Spirit. December 9th, 1998, John Paul II said, “From the Cross the Savior wished to pour out upon humanity rivers of living water, that is, the abundance of the Holy Spirit. But he wanted this outpouring of grace to be linked to a mother’s face, his Mother’s.” 

And he draws the practical conclusion, “Calvary reveals the close and enduring link between the gift of the Holy Spirit and the gift of Mary as mother…The link between the gift of the Holy Spirit and the motherhood of Mary emerges again at Pentecost, when she awaited with the disciples for the coming of the Holy Spirit…therefore, as the bond with Mary grows deeper, so the action of the Spirit in the life of the Church grows more fruitful.” 

The motherhood of the Holy Spirit and the spiritual motherhood of Mary are inseparably united in the order of grace. Therefore, the more we entrust ourselves to Mary, the more fully the Holy Spirit is able to form Christ in us.

Five

How we encounter the Holy Spirit 

It can be hard to have a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. We know the Father through images like the loving father in the Prodigal Son. We know the Son because He became man in Jesus, and the four Gospels paint His portrait. But the Holy Spirit is revealed through symbols: wind, fire, water, a dove. Symbols inspire, but they do not lead to a personal relationship. So, how do we encounter the Holy Spirit personally? 

John Paul gives the answer: Jesus chose to link the Holy Spirit to a mother’s face, His Mother’s. The Face of Mary shows us the Holy Spirit. Mary reveals the Holy Spirit to us.

St. Maximilian Kolbe said, “By looking at her, we see the Holy Spirit.”

Therefore, the mission of the Son is made visible in Jesus. The mission of the Spirit is made visible in Mary. And since Mary is not the Holy Spirit. She is the perfect human expression of the Spirit. In Mary, we encounter the Holy Spirit who conceives, forms, and brings Christ to life within us!

Resolution - If Mary reveals the Holy Spirit, then I will turn to the Holy Spirit in Mary constantly.

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