St Mary the Virgin, our Patron Saint

This Sunday marks our patronal festival as we celebrate the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary. From 1561, the calendar of the Church of England (which was reproduced in the Book of Common Prayer 1662) contained five feasts associated with Mary: the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Feast of the Annunciation, the Feast of the Visitation, and the Feast of the Purification (Candlemas). There was no longer a feast of the Assumption (15 August). As the ARCIC document 'Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ'(2006) remarks, 'not only was it understood to lack scriptural warrant, but was also seen as exalting Mary at the expense of Christ.'

 

And yet, the prayer book continues to give due prominence to Mary, and in spite of the diminution of devotion to Mary in the sixteenth century, reverence for her was magnified in the continued use of the Magnificat, the Song of Mary, at Evensong. In the seventeenth century, the Caroline divines explored a fuller appreciation of Mary in the prayers of the Church. Lancelot Andrewes borrowed various prayers from Eastern Orthodox liturgies to express Marian devotion. There was a renewed appreciation of Mary in the writings of the Tractarians. St John Henry Newman described himself as 'a priest of St Mary's altar'. 

 

With the introduction of Common Worship in 2000, Mary gained a new prominence in Anglican worship, and August 15 is widely celebrated as her principal feast. But Mary's place in Anglican devotion is characterised by two particular emphases, which are deeply scriptural: first, there is an accent on the Word: she says 'Be it unto me according to thy Word'. Mary is a model of holiness and faith for all Christians. She receives the Word in her heart, and brings that same Word forth in the world. Her whole life brings to expression the mystery of the incarnation, God with us. Secondly, she is also the one who sings of the God who will 'bring down the mighty from their thrones and lift up the lowly'. She reminds us that 'a preferential option for the poor' is one of the marks of evangelical justice and charity. Mary's song prefigures the words of Jesus in the synagogue at Capernaum, when he says that God has anointed him 'to preach good news to the poor'. And that is why I also rejoice to be a priest of St Mary's altar.