Looking at the Mass Through the Eyes of Mary
The Eucharistic sacrifice is the summit and source of the entire Christian way of life. This truth has been emphasized by the Catholic Church throughout the ages. It was highlighted by the Second Vatican Council, as it called for reforms to the life of the Church.
In her book Mary and the Liturgical Year: A Pastoral Resource, author Katharine Harmon explores the beauty of the sacred liturgy from the perspective of Mary. The book triples up as a devotional, theological reflection and a resource to understanding and applying the sacred liturgy to everyday life.
Consisting of six chapters, the book begins with a presentation of Mary of Nazareth and then walks through the history of the Church from the patristic era, the medieval period and the modern world. After this broad survey, Harmon then focuses specifically on prayers and devotions to Our Lady after Vatican II and Mary’s role in our contemporary time.
In the book’s introduction, discipleship and the call to follow the way of the Lord Jesus is explained and emphasized to the reader. Harmon focuses on the summons of the Sabbath and the importance of liturgical worship. The author highlights Mary as the first and preeminent disciple of the Lord and stresses the role of Our Lady as the model and exemplar of discipleship to each of us.
Through Mary, we can see worship in a different way. Harmon makes the point that the liturgical year allows us to see time with “a Christocentric lens,” namely from the perspective of Jesus Christ. Mary stands in the center of the lens. She shows us the glory of her divine Son and points us to worship him in spirit and truth.
Harmon makes the point: “On the pilgrimage of the Christian journey, Christians enjoy a special relationship with the one who experienced firsthand the power of the paschal mystery, the one who said Yes to the Holy Spirit, the one whose very life stands as a great Amen to the living God: Mary, the Mother of God.”
