The Blessed Virgin in Our Lives
Reflections by Fred Schaeffer, OFS
In the Magnificat (Lk. 1:46-55), Mary's Hymn of Praise, she makes a prophecy: "From this day all generations will call me blessed." At the Annunciation, where the Angel Gabriel came to bring her the good news that she was to be the Mother of Jesus and that He would be the Messiah. There is no question that her prophecy is being fulfilled. Throughout history, Mary, the Mother of God and our Mother (by Jesus' own words from the Cross), has been revered from as early as the second Century by Christians. St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, who was reputed to have heard St. John the Apostle preach, stressed Mary's role as the virginal mother of Jesus.
Then, St. Justin Martyr, the first Christian philosopher (100-165 AD) saw a parallel between the role of Eve and that of Mary, a fundamental theological insight. St. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons (140-202 AD), preached much on Mary. He wrote that “as Jesus parallels Adam, so Mary parallels Eve. Mary is the new Eve in God's new creation." (from: "All Generations Will Call Me Blessed," © 1999, Jim McManus, C.Ss.R., Crossroads Publishing Co.)
St. Athanasius of Alexandria (295-373 AD) had a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin and called her
"Theotokos," the God-bearer. St. Ambrose (339-397 AD) learned that he was not able to defend the Divinity of Christ without at the same time preaching that Mary, the Mother of Christ, is truly the Mother of God. Ambrose saw Mary as the "Mother of the Church."
St. Jerome (347-420 AD), another great father of the Church and a renowned Scripture scholar, staunchly defended the perpetual virginity of the Blessed Mary. At about the same time, 353-430 AD, St. Augustine of Hippo was a great defender of Mary's virginity. There are others, throughout history, particularly the early history of the Church, who defended the special status of Mary in the life of Jesus and, indeed, in the life of the Church. Mary is the mother of the Redeemer and of the redeemed. Slowly, the belief that Mary was conceived without Original Sin was circulated among the faithful, and because of this grass-roots groundswell, the Magisterium began to study this idea.
The Franciscan, Blessed Duns Scotus, who died in 1308, found Mary "to have been preserved free from Original Sin" and that it was "a greater grace than to be set free from sin." On 8 December, 1854, Pope Pius IX, proclaimed the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception.
Let us honor Mary, Queen of the Franciscan Order, and Mother of the Church, in our prayers. She is our strongest intercessor.
Peace, Fred Schaeffer, OFS
9/12/2026