Friday, January 19, 2018

Mary as High Priest


This morning I researched a third book written in Latin by Albertus Magnus, Marialae super missus est.  In it he argues that the Blessed Virgin Mary is higher in the ecclesiastical hierarchy than any priest, bishop or pope; and that she, therefore, would merit Holy Orders if she had need of them.  He further argues that the Blessed Virgin Mary was an apostle, prophet, evangelist and pastor.  He admits that women were cursed by the original sin of Eve, but so too were men.  However, the Blessed Virgin Mary and her Son ushered in a new life that eradicated that curse for women as well as for men.  To reinforce his point, he argued that if women were unworthy to receive the Holy Orders because of original sin, they would also be unworthy to receive the Sacrament of Communion since receiving the Sacrament is of greater merit than giving it.  Therefore, Albertus Magnus effectively rejects the argument that women ought to be prohibited from the Holy Orders.  This image above is from a mosaic in the Oratory of San Vincenzo near the Lateran Baptistery in Rome, dated 6th century.  Mary wears the white pallium over a dark chasuble that signifies her rank as a High Priest interceding with God for the people.