Thank you Chrissie. Such good questions. You made me think of this quote from our pastor, something he said in a homily once that I felt called to record:

“The Ark of the Covenant carried the two tablets of the 10 Commandments, it carried a golden jar which held the mana that fell from Heaven and it carried Aaron’s Rod that he used in front of Pharaoh,” Father Mathias explains. “This Ark of the Covenant was so holy because it housed the presence of God… Christians have always understood that if Jesus is who He says He is, then Mary is the New Ark of the Covenant who carries not the written word of the Old Covenant, of the 10 Commandments, she carries the Living Word. She is not just the one who carries the mana, she carries the Living Bread of Life…

“Why is this so important for us today? We believe that Mary is present in Heaven right now as the Ark of God is seen according to Revelation 12, that Mary, this pure vessel of God, was taken up into Heaven at the end of the course of her earthly life… How is this relevant to us? Listen to what the crowds are saying to Jesus. Jesus is preaching the Gospel, he’s doing miracles and the crowds are so moved by His holiness that they say ‘Blessed is the womb’ that carried you. And blessed are the breasts at which you nursed. Why would they say that?

“Jesus’ response is ‘Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.’ Who heard the Word of God and observed it more than our Lady? It was precisely her ‘yes,’ her fiat that asked Jesus to come into the world, that enabled her to be this sacred vessel for God. In other words, the Ark of the Covenant is not merely a passive vessel. It is a person who said ‘yes,’ to the Holy Spirit. And because of her ‘yes’ Jesus came into the world. What I think Jesus was telling the crowds is your dignity is not limited to just simply proximity to me. Your dignity has a lot to do with whether or not you are responding to the Word of God like she has.”