Spouse of the Holy Spirit
Whenever we pray the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Litany of Loreto), I am amazed at how many titles Mary has. In the eyes of those who knew Mary when Jesus was on the earth, she would have seemed to be the most simple, ordinary humble woman. Yet, because of Mary’s great privilege in being the Mother of God, we know Mary was not just an ordinary woman. This is a woman who is full of grace; full of God’s life! This is a woman who had the Holy Spirit in abundance! She is worthy of great honour. I truly believe in my heart that Mary’s most favourite title is “Mother.” When we consider motherhood, whether biological or spiritual motherhood, we recognize that the love of a mother is truly life-giving; everywhere she goes, she has a radiance that truly displays the beauty of God. Mary displays this radiance to the full in her docility and openness to the Holy Spirit.
The Church has given Mary the title “Spouse of the Holy Spirit.” To be a “spouse” indicates that there is an intimacy that she has with the Holy Spirit. We read in the Gospel of Luke the words of the Angel Gabriel, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” (Luke 1:35) The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us “In Mary, the Holy Spirit fulfills the plan of the Father’s loving goodness (CCC 723). What an amazing gift! At the moment she said “yes,” the Holy Spirit came upon Mary and formed within her the Son of God, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit can do amazing things with us too! Imagine what the Holy Spirit could do with us if we were really open to His inspirations in our life!
Mary always had the Holy Spirit within her, even from her Immaculate Conception (when she was conceived in the womb of St. Anne – her mother). From the very beginning, Mary had grace that surpassed any of the saints, past, present and future. Mary’s “yes” to being the Mother of God brought about a flood of grace to the world, opening the way for all of us to receive the Holy Spirit as well. We read in the Catechism, “through Mary, the Holy Spirit begins to bring men, the objects of God’s merciful love, into communion with Christ. And the humble are always the first to accept him.” (CCC 725). The way Mary lived was with complete detachment to other creatures and she never had any selfishness or pride within her. This total self-gift and detachment was possible because she allowed herself to be totally guided by the Holy Spirit.
We must also be like Mary in our openness to the Holy Spirit and His gifts to us. St. Louis Marie de Montfort tells us: “when the Holy Spirit finds Mary in a soul, He enters the soul completely, and communicates Himself completely with that soul.” We can ask ourselves in all humility, do we pray and put into practice, just like Mary did, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit that we received at our Confirmation (wisdom, understanding, fortitude, knowledge, piety, counsel, fear of the Lord)? Are we, like Mary, open to say “yes” to the Holy Spirit, no matter what He may ask of us…even if it is something extraordinary? Are we willing to pray to the Holy Spirit everyday to ask for His loving guidance?
Let us ask Mary to always be open to the Holy Spirit in our lives just like her so that we can have hearts on fire with love for God!
