Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Phoenix recently shared a reflection on the spiritual motherhood of Mary.

Jen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics, noted that it can be an important practice to think on the life of Mary and her role in our spiritual lives.

“After all, she gave physical birth to Jesus, who is the head of the mystical body, the Church,” Arnold said in the Oct. 4 church bulletin. “If we are all members of the mystical body, joined to the head; then, by extension, she’s a mother to the full body, not simply just the head.”

Arnold also explained that before his death, our Lord gave us all Mary as our mother, though his final words are sometimes misinterpreted.

“It is not uncommon for this passage to be interpreted very literally as Jesus simply making sure His mother is cared for after His death and assigning John with the task," she said. "However, it would be highly unlikely that Jesus, knowing far in advance what His fate would be, would not have made provisions for His mother long before He was actually hanging on the cross."

Rather, it is likely that our Lord foresaw that his Church would need someone to care for it and appointed Mary as the mother of the Church.

As Co-Redemptrix with Christ, Mary helps us to cooperate with God. She is not responsible for the Redemption, but rather with her cooperation in the incarnation of Christ, we are able to come to God.

“Looking to tradition, we have many examples of how Mary has been understood as working with her Son to bring about salvation,” Arnold said.

As Mediatrix of all graces, Mary can serve as an intercessor for us to Christ, just in the same way that she served as the mediation to bring Christ into this world.

“We have an abundance of resources from the early Church that show this is not a new understanding of Mary’s role in our lives,” Arnold wrote. “Another way to think about it is that Mary is the neck of the body, which connects the head to the rest of the members. All the grace that flows from the head passes through her on the way to the rest of the body.”

Finally, Mary serves as Advocate for us, speaking to God on our behalf.

“Whether you have always had a sense of Mary being your spiritual mother, or if this is a more foreign concept to you, I hope you are inspired to deepen that relationship,” Arnold concluded.