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Mary, Mother of the Church - Page 2

© Kathryn Morse

Catholic Church teaches that as St. John was the only apostle present he represents the church. So the words, "Here is your mother" are for all of us in the church.

Apparitions of Mary were reported as early as 42 A.D. when Mary appeared to St. James in Spain. Some 20,000 appearances of Mary have been reported since then. (Of course, only a few have received approval of the Church.) Marian apparitions appear to instruct, encourage, or give warnings. (Just like a mother.) The rosary, a prayer and meditation discipline, was given to us by Mary. Also, the scapular, a means of offering devotion and remembrance of our Mother's graces through a simple adornment, was given to us by Mary.

Devotion to Mary as Mother of the Church has always been important to some. The web site Mary's Gardens describes how families in medieval times used whatever means they had to teach about the Trinity and Mary.

Some say that we are in a "Marian Age" and that it began in 1830 with St. Catherine Laboure in Paris, France. St. Catherine Laboure saw three apparitions of Mary there. This apparition made correct predictions regarding French politics and gave useful instructions to St. Catherine.

I would like to propose that the "Marian Age" began 200 years earlier (in the 1600's) with the visions of Mary to the Venerable Mary of Agreda, Spain. This vision of Mary showed the Venerable Mary of Agreda the life of Mary and Jesus. These visions were recorded in a book, The Mystical City of God, which, although never approved by the Church, is beloved by many. The vision of Mary at that time claimed that the revelations contained in The Mystical City of God were necessary for mankind to know because sin was increasing and people needed to return to proper reverence to God. This goal is the same goal as the more recent apparitions. That is why I choose it as the beginning of the "Marian Age."

In the 1700's, St. Louis de Montfort wrote extensively on devotion to Mary and how in the "latter days" great saints would arise who would be strengthened by their devotion to Mary and by Mary's intercession on their behalf. St. Louis de Montfort hoped his writing would lead people to lives without sin and acceptable to God through devotion to Mary, the woman who had been chosen to mother Jesus. St.

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