This week, we continue our series on Titles of Mary with the
next four titles given to Our Lady in the Litany of Loreto.
Spiritual Vessel
As I wrote last week, each title of Mary refers to her in
her relationship to God the Father and to Jesus. Mary was the Theotokos or “God bearer”.
She was a vessel for our Savior, Jesus Christ. The following three titles of Mary in the
Litany of Loreto expand upon this theme in different ways. Firstly, Mary as spiritual vessel refers to
her devotion to and openness to the messages of God the Father through his angels. She was “spiritually minded” according to
Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman. This means that she was able to see past the
physical realities of this world and interact with the spiritual presences
around her – the angel Gabriel, for instance.
These spiritual presences were a comfort to Mary throughout her life as
she was witness to the life of Jesus, her son.
Vessel of Honor
Mary is a vessel of honor because she was chosen to be the
Mother of Jesus from the moment of her immaculate conception. God gave her sanctifying grace from the very
first instant of her existence, honoring her for her future role. Throughout her life, Mary demonstrated her
special privilege, remaining free of sin.
Singular Vessel of
Devotion
To understand this title of Mary more fully, we need to look
closely at the word “devotion.” Definition
2a of “devotion” from Merriam-Webster’s dictionary states that devotion is “the
act of dedicating something to a cause, enterprise, or activity.” Mary did this in giving her entire life over
to God’s work and God’s will for her.
Because of her integral role in salvation history and her willingness to
take part, Mary shows us the epitome of the word “devotion.”
Mystical Rose
This title of Mary moves away from the vessel theme, and
introduces a new section of the Litany of Loreto, containing some of the more
ambiguous titles for our Blessed Mother.
Biblical scholars believe that this title arose from a likening of Mary
to the Rose of Sharon of the Old Testament, which refers to the beloved of
God. Mary was the beloved Mother of
Christ as well as the specially favored one of God, so this title is fitting.
Next week: Mary as Tower
of David, Tower of Ivory, House of Gold, and Ark of the Covenant
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