Today (December 8) is the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary.  Yes, that’s right.  Despite what the majority of people think, today’s feast is about how Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin.  Jesus’ conception is celebrated on the feast of the Annunciation on March 25th (9 months to the day before the celebration of Christmas).

Without fail, every year my non-Catholic friends raise the objection to what they see as our obsession with Mary.  They cannot understand why we have so much time devoted to Mary, and all but accuse us Catholics of doing so to the exclusion of focus on Christ.  And usually their objection boils down to the question: Where is that in the Bible?

In actuality, like every other aspect of Catholicism that mystifies protestants, the Immaculate Conception is very much a Biblical concept, and so I thought it would be a good idea to give a brief outline of how we can find biblical support for it.

The Immaculate Conception of Mary can be seen clearly in two realities about the person of Mary.  First, she is the Second Eve who comes into the world much like the first Eve; without the stain of original sin.  Second, she is the Ark of the New Covenant; who, like the first ark was made with the finest and purest materials.  Both of these titles are usually rejected by our separated brethren, but I assure you that both are entirely biblical.

There are several places to look for the idea of Mary as Second Eve, but I think the clearest place is in the beginning of John’s Gospel.  John begins his Gospel with the same words used to begin Genesis; “In the beginning.”  Immediately, the reader is brought back to the creation of the world.  John continues his connection to Genesis by drawing out imagery similar to the creation.  On the first day, Jesus is described as the light just as light was created on the first day.  On the second day we have talk of water and baptism, just as water was created on the second day of creation.  John continues on until we have a total of SEVEN days leading up to the Wedding at Cana, which is going to be his first miracle and the beginning of his public ministry.

Obviously, John is intentionally making a connection with Genesis and telling his readers that what is about to happen in Cana is the beginning of something that is just as great, if not greater, than creation itself.  In fact, he is about to reverse and make right what went terribly wrong in the Garden of Eden.

On this seventh day at the Wedding of Cana, Jesus who is the Second Adam is approached by Mary who informs him that they have run dry of wine.  His answer to her has mystified theologians for centuries because of its difficult construct making it almost impossible to truly understand.  But, one thing is for sure, and that is that he calls her “Woman.”  The use of that title for Mary after an obvious literary connection to Genesis is not lost on the Catholic reader of Scripture.  In the beginning of the world, the first Eve approached the first Adam and offered him disobedience to God, and his acceptance of that thrust all of creation into a fallen state.  Now, in John’s Gospel, the Second Eve brings to the Second Adam man’s obedience to God as she turns to the wedding party and pledges “Do whatever he tells you.”  And thus begins Jesus’ public ministry.  Note that the role of Mary is not to be the focus of worship, but to bring people to faith in her Son.

As for Mary being the Ark of the Second Covenant, it is important to understand what the first Ark was all about.  In Exodus 25, God instructs Moses on the contruction of the Ark and describes in great detail how it is to be made with the finest materials of gold and acadia wood.  It was to be elaborately decorated and once made was not to be touched by human hands.  Why?  Not because it was to be worshipped, but because of what it will contain.  Inside the ark was to be placed the original tablets of the Ten Commandments (the Word of God), the Rod of Aaron (symbolizing the High Priesthood), and some of the Manna from the dessert (the Bread of Life).

At this point, it seems obvious that Mary is the fulfillment of this first ark as she will also hold within her womb the Word of God, the High Priest, and the true Bread of Life.  And the care, detail, and purity that went into the construction of the first ark would certainly be used in the creation of the second Ark.  But, many protestants are not willing to go that far with the analogy.  Though they grant the connection between the contents of the first ark and the person of Jesus, they cannot grant that Mary is the ark of this second covenant.  They want a biblical support for such a claim.

Such support is found in the Gospel of Luke.  We are all familiar with the Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, but what we may not catch are four interesting details in that story that Luke includes that are the key to understanding Mary as the ark.

First, Luke tells us that Mary “arises and goes to a city in Judah.”  Second, upon arriving at her cousin’s house Elizabeth proclaims “How is it that the mother of my Lord comes to me?”  Third, John the Baptist leaps for joy in the womb of Elizabeth.  Fourth, Luke tells us that Mary stays for three months.

Where have we seen those four details before?  If you look back in 2 Sam 6, we see that David is thinking about moving the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem.  Look at some of the details.  David is said to “arise” and go to a city in Judah.  Secondly, in verse 9 he says “How is it that the ark of my Lord should come to me?” which is almost verbatim what Elizabeth declared upon seeing Mary.  Next, when David goes before that ark, he is moved with joy and begins to leap and dance before the ark just as John the Baptist did.  Lastly, we are told that he stays for three months.

Again, this obvious connection is not lost on the Catholic reader, and shows clearly that Luke was teaching us that Mary is the Ark of the Second Covenant.  But, why did God decide to reveal it in this hidden way, with symbolic language?  Well, that is the same question that was posed to Jesus about his use of parables.  His answer applies here as well… 

“To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,

‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it” Matthew 13

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!