MARY, THE ARK OF THE COVENANT

    

         It is no news that one of the titles of the Blessed Virgin reads as the Ark of the Covenant. First, we must make some exposition of what the ark is or was for the Jewish people. The Ark of the Covenant – the holiest object in ancient Israel is a wooden box made of acacia with a golden ornament and overshadowed by a carved cherubim; it ultimately signified God’s presence among his people. Within Solomon’s temple, the ark occupied the holy of holies. The ark contained within it the tablets of stone on which God had traced the Ten Commandments. It also contained a relic of the manna, the food God provided his people to sustain their journey in the wilderness; and again, the ark also contained Aaron’s rod, the symbol of his priestly office.

Perhaps, one might ask, what made the ark holy? Indeed, it wasn’t the wood, or the golden ornament. Nor was it the carved images of angels. Rather, it was for the fact that it contained the covenant. Right inside that box were found the Ten Commandments, the Word of God inscribed by his own finger; the manna, a miracle wrought by God himself: bread to feed his people in the desert; and the priestly rod of Aaron, consecrated by God himself. 

Let it be said now that whatever it is that made the ark holy made the Mary Immaculate even holier. The first ark contained the Word of God on stone, while in Mary, was the Word of God in flesh and blood. If the first ark was sanctified by the miraculous bread from heaven, then know you today that in Mary’s body was contained the very Bread of Life that gives eternal life and conquers death forever. Again, if that ancient ark held the symbolic rod of Aaron’s priestly office, in her was contained the divine person of the Eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ. St. John in taking the Blessed Mary home, took an embodiment of heaven on earth to his poor home. His home became a new repository, or if you like, a tabernacle. This is what happens as soon as we take the Queen of heaven into our hearts.

Mary is the litmus of how well a Christian has accepted the gospel. It is not that she’s the central figure of the gospel, but our understanding of her reveals everything we understand about him whom God has sent. We live our sonship by listening to Mary, and loving with the heart she loved. Listening to her means, responding when she says: “Do whatever he tells you.” Loving means choosing Him at every instance, over sin. Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant. In her Divine Motherhood, God intends Christians to Christ, their brother, since what establishes brotherhood, then, is motherhood. For Mary to have given us her son is something remarkable. But for Jesus to have given his Mother to us – the very people who crucified him and continue to cause His Father great pain is something great beyond imagination! In fact, it is standing on this very fact that we can be sure that there is nothing he would withhold. 

I shall conclude by calling us to, every day resolve to love Jesus with the heart of his Mother, Mary; and likewise to love the Mary, Queen, Virgin and Mother, with the heart of her son, Jesus, the new covenant and the embodiment of Mary, the new Ark of the Covenant. 

FRIAR RAYMOND OKORO, OFM Cap.

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