Mary Draws us up to Christ

In my last post about Il Duomo in Milan, I mentioned how Mary and all the saints sit atop the Gothic Cathedral there.  They are witnesses to the power of the Risen Lord - who raises us up in such a way that we can raise one another up too.  The way Mary and the saints are positioned on the top of spires it is as if they are pulling the whole structure to heaven.  This is exactly what the holiness of Christ does in the Church.  It pulls everyone up to the things of heaven.

Although the holiness of Christ totally exceeds that of every creature, there is one creature who is blessed above all others by Him.  Mary was assumed into heaven because of the holiness with which her son Jesus blessed her.  The Archangel Gabriel said she was full of grace.   Her cousin Elisabeth said she is blessed among women, and that she is blessed because she believed in what the Lord said to her.  Mary said that all generations would call her blessed.

Like a good mother, she wants to share these blessings with us.  She wants to share her holiness with us. When our devotion to Christ is genuine, she is always there lifting up our efforts at prayer, at love, at self-discipline - helping us realize the communion with the Lord we so deeply desire.  In fact, the greater our desire for the Lord, the more she is able to raise us to Him - just like the artists and architects believed when they place Mary on top of Il Duomo.