Spouse of the Holy Spirit

Spouse of the Holy Spirit

From what we’ve been reading and hearing, we come to the conclusion . . .

. . . that this age that we live in is supposed to be a more venturesome era in theological thinking than were the centuries past.

Back in those days, we are told, thinkers in the Church were more fearful of heresy than they were interested in advancing doctrinal truth. They put more stress on correct formulations of the faith than on opening up new theological vistas. With the coming of “the new theology” (whatever that is), all of the past was seen to be mere sterile speculation.

Nowadays, according to many, theology is more dynamic and is not afraid of asking questions and giving answers that are more in conformity with modern thought. The old fear of heresy is a thing of the past, and it is now time to seek doctrinal truth with open-minded courage.

Now, anyone with a nodding acquaintance with the history of the Church knows that all of this should be taken with a rather large grain of salt. Certainly, there have been advances in theology in recent years, but not all modern thinkers are imbued with the spirit of derring-do. There is still a great deal of timidity among many of them, particularly when it comes to the study of our Blessed Lady’s role in the redemption.

The Conception of Christ was brought about by the co-operation . . .

At this magazine, we are still occasionally reproached for using such perfectly orthodox Marian expressions as “mediatrix of all graces …” and “Mother of the Church.” And referring to Our Lady as “Spouse of the Holy Spirit” is the one sure way of having some “progressive” thinkers thrown into a tizzy.

It seems to make no difference to them that the title has a long and honorable history in the Church. It has been used by saints, devotional writers, and even by popes such as Leo XIII, Pius XII
and Pope John Paul Il. These old-time writers and preachers were considerably more up-to-date than some of our timorous moderns who continually harp on the danger of misunderstanding among “ordinary people.”

Of course, there’s danger of misunderstanding. There always is. But a theologian’s job is to explain theological matters, to make them clear so that there is no danger of misunderstanding. We don’t hesitate to inform people about the Blessed Trinity, the Eucharist or the nature and meaning of God’s grace. With this timid attitude toward the truths of the Faith, nobody would ever learn anything about the mysteries of our Redemption.

. . . of the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The gospel of St. Luke makes it clear that there is no reason to fear the title “Spouse of the Holy Spirit.” For when Our Lady asked the angel Gabriel: “How shall this be, since I have no knowledge of man?“, he replied: “The Holy Spirit will come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. Thus this holy offspring of thine shall be known for the Son of God.” The conception of Christ was brought about by the co-operation of the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Virgin Mary. To explain this co-operation, there is no better or more exact term than “Spouse of the Holy Spirit.”

She was Spouse of the Holy Spirit in the conception of Christ, and she is Spouse of the Holy Spirit in producing Christ in our souls. We all share in the life of Christ. We are united to Him in His one Mystical Body. Christ, as we know from the Creed, was “conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.” It is this same Christ who lives in us, still coming into our souls through this union of the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Which means that our Blessed Lady not only was the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, but is to this very day and until the end of time.