Mary, Ark of the Covenant
One
Today, December 21st, the Church looks to the Visitation for inspiration in how to prepare for Christmas.
Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honored with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’ And Mary remained with her for three months.
Two
Luke writes in the scene of the Visitation in such a way as to teach us that Mary is the New Ark of the Covenant. He draws a parallel between Mary coming to Elizabeth in Luke 1:39-56 and the Ark of the Covenant coming to David in 2 Sam 6:2-16.
David arose and went to the hill country of Judah (2 Sam 6:2). Mary arose and went to the hill country of Judah (Lk 1:39).
David says “How can the ark of the covenant of the Lord come to me? (2 Sam 6:9) Elizabeth says, Who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (Lk 1:43)
Ark goes to the house of Obededom (2 Sam 6:10) Mary goes to the house of Zechariah (Lk 1:40)
The Ark was there for three months (2 Sam 6:11) Mary stayed there three months (Lk 1:56).
David and all Israel were rejoicing. (2 Sam 6:12) Mary rejoices in the Magnificat (Lk 1:47)
David shouting (2 Sam 6:15) Elizabeth loud cry (Lk 1:42)
David leaping and dancing (2 Sam 6:17) John the Baptist leaps in the womb of Elizabeth (Lk 1:41)
Three
In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant did four things:
The Ark was the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit
The Ark was the visible physical sign that received the presence of God
The Ark led them through the wilderness to the promised land
The Ark gave them victory in battle, as in the victory at Jericho (Joshua 6)
But what happened to the Ark? Before Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BC, Jeremiah the Prophet hid the Ark and lost it. Where is it now? In a warehouse in Washington D.C. No. The Ark is in heaven.
Revelation 11-12, “Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple... And a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars… she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne.”
Mary is the New and Everlasting Ark of the Covenant. The first Ark was never found because it was only a temporary sign meant to prepare for the permanent Ark of the Covenant, Mary.
In the book of Revelation, when John is given a vision of God’s temple in heaven he sees the Ark of the Covenant as a woman clothed with the Sun. This woman is the mother of the male child who will rule all the nations, Jesus and the rest of her children are those who keep the commandments of Christ, all the Christians.
Mary is the Everlasting Ark of the Covenant.
Four
As the New Ark of the Covenant, Mary does the same four things for us that the Ark did for the Israelites.
Mary was perfectly filled by the Holy Spirit from the first moment of her existence, that is the meaning of Her Immaculate Conception.
Because She is filled with the Spirit, the One who receives the Father and the Son in the Trinity, Mary is able to receive Jesus in her heart and in her womb. This is her great power. She has the capacity to receive Jesus, and this is her mission. With the Holy Spirit, She disposes us to receive Jesus and bear him in our soul.
The Ark led the Israelites to the Promised Land. Mary leads us to Heaven by leading us to Jesus. Jesus is the Way. She shows the Way - Hodigitria CCC 2674. Or as she did in Cana when she told them, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Mary will give us victory in battle with the Devil, “In the end My Immaculate Heart will Triumph”
Five
At the Visitation, Elizabeth praises Mary with the phrase, 'Blessed are you among women.'
This phrase is notably used for only three women in the Bible, Mary, Judith, and Jael, each of whom is celebrated for defeating their enemy.
In the Book of Judges, chapter 4, Jael, facing the Canannite attack on Israel at Mt. Tabor, kills the Canannite general with a tent spike by driving it into his head while he sleeps in her tent, thereby becoming a hero for her people. Jael was chosen by my daughter Grace as her confirmation saint – offering you a glimpse into her personality.
Then there is Judith. During the Assyrian siege of Israel, Judith seduced their general Holofernes. After he fell into a drunken stupor, Judith used his own sword to behead him, saving her people. And the Scriptures proclaim, “The Lord has struck him down by the hand of a woman.” Judith 13
In Genesis 3:15, speaking to Satan God said, ” I will make you enemies of each other, you and the Woman, your offspring and her offspring. She will crush your head while you strike at her heel.”
Revelation chapter 12 describes the spiritual battle between the Woman, Mary, and the great Red Dragon, Satan. The Catechism then connects this prophecy with the Antichrist who will usher in a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers, causing them to turn away from Christ and the Catholic Church.
This is the universal spiritual battle raging right now. But it is not a battle between the West and Russia, and it is not a battle with Islam. This battle is between on the one hand, the Woman (Mary) and all her children who keep the commandments of Christ; and on the other, the side of darkness and destruction, Satan and his children.
From the very beginning, the Lord God promised that it would be the Woman who would crush the head of Satan. And what about her children, what should they do, how should they fight?
With the Rosary for that is the weapon that She has given us.
So go ahead, if you must, be glued to the news or to your entertainment, bury your head as the battle rages, souls are lost and the world plunges into darkness.
But as for me, I will not let the sword fall from my hand until they have to cleave it to me after my death.
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