The Divine Motherhood

Abbot Vonier's famous study of the Blessed Virgin's divine motherhood is both a deep theological catechesis and a profound call to Catholic devotion. Vonier begins with a close reading of the revelation of divine motherhood in the gospels, contained especially in Luke's accounts of the Annunciation, Visitation, and Presentation. He then moves to a theological reflection on God's unlimited power to impart his glory to creation, even to the point of elevating Mary, a particular creature, to the status of a universal good, "the vastest, the most efficient, the most universal supernatural power in heaven and on earth, outside the Three Divine Persons." He writes, "Catholic theological thought ... starts with the assumption that it is God's wonderful purpose to make the things He creates as great as possible, to make very great things indeed. ... God is wonderful not only in Himself, He is wonderful in His creatures."