THE LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY by Atty. Marwil Llasos

Madonna and Child by Duccio di Buoninsegna

The Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, more appropriately referred to as The Litany of Loreto, is based on the antiphonal patter of prayer in the Bible. Psalm 136 is an example of an antiphonal prayer or hymn with the recurring refrain or response “for His mercy endures forever.”

The titles ascribed to Mary in her Litany are rather poetic which is characteristic of Biblical language. Judah is called a “lion’s whelp” (Gen. 49:9), Zebulun as “haven of ships” (Gen. 49:13) and Joseph a “fruitful bough” (Gen. 49:22). These titles are by no means literal. Similarly, God gave the prophet Jeremiah these titles: “fortified city,” “iron pillar,” and “bronze walls” (Jer. 1:18). Hence, basing from these biblical examples, there’s nothing wrong with calling Mary with the titles “Gate of Heaven,” “Tower of David” and “House of Gold.” Mary’s titles are clearly not to be understood in their literal sense. Rather, these titles are to be meditated upon to get the deeper meaning they convey. For beautiful reflections and meditations on the titles of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Litany of Loreto, please refer to Msgr. Hernando M. Coronel’s book, Her Other Name is Mother (Manila: Catholic Book Center, 2003) available at St. Paul’s Bookstores.

Some of the titles of Our Blessed Mother contained in her Litany are actually mentioned in the Bible. These are devotionally and typologically applied to her. They are:

House of Gold – 1 Kgs. 6:21-22; 2 Chron. 3:5-6;

Tower of Ivory – Song 7:4;

Tower of David – Song 4:4;

Gate of Heaven – Gen. 28:17;

Mystical Rose – cf. Sir. 39:17-21; Song 2:1; Isa. 35:1-2;

Vessel of Honor – 2 Tim. 2:20-21; and

Morning Star – Sir. 50:6.

Mary is also referred to as the Ark of the Covenant. Spiritual writers and bible scholars invariably agree that the Ark of the Covenant is a type of the Blessed Virgin Mary that is most attested in Sacred Scripture. No less than St. Luke clearly indicates in so many words that the Ark of the Covenant, in a most profound manner, prefigures, typifies or foreshadows the Mother of Jesus. As his literary style, the evangelist does so through introduction of Old Testament themes and prophecies by allusion rather than direct assertions of prophetic fulfillment.

In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant was the holding place of the tables of stone on which was written the Ten Commandments signifying the Word of God. It also contained a jar of manna, the bread from heaven. The rod of Aaron, signifying the high priesthood, was also placed inside the ark. Hebrews 9:4 reveals that “the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant.”

There can be no doubt that in the New Testament, Mary carried the Word of God enfleshed (Jn. 1:14), the Bread of Life (Jn. 6:35), and the High Priest of our redemption (Heb. 7:26; 8:1; 9:11).

The master painter Luke paints in beautiful strokes the Blessed Virgin Mary in terms of the Ark of the Covenant. He does this my making parallelisms between the Ark of the Covenant (OT) and Mary (NT).

The evangelist tells that Mary is “overshadowed” by the power of the Most High (Lk. 1:35). In the Old Testament, the “shekinah” or the glory of God overshadowed the Ark of the Covenant (Exo. 40:34-38). So, in Luke 1:35, “Luke uses carefully selected language to show the divinity of the child to be born. The word overshadow is just one example. The Greek word episkiasei comes from a root meaning “a shadow or a cloud” and is used of the visible cloud that descended over the tabernacle and the Temple of the Old Testament. Both tabernacle and Temple were the places of God’s special and intimate presence (cf. Exo. 40:34-38; 1 Kgs. 8:10, 13), a kind of dwelling of God on earth” [Dr. Kenneth Howell, Meeting Mary Our Mother in Faith (San Diego, CA: Catholic Answers, 2003) p. 27].

Thus, the cloud which overshadowed the Ark of the Covenant symbolized the abiding presence of God in His people. The virgin of Nazareth who was overshadowed by the Most High was told by the angel, “The Lord is with you” (Lk. 1:28). That certainly means that that the abiding presence of God rests with Mary just as the Ark of the Covenant was overshadowed by God’s almighty power in the Old Testament.

Luke was truly inspired by God to point us the truth, through parallelisms, that the Virgin Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant (cf. 2 Sam. 6:2 - Lk. 1:39-40; 2 Sam. 6:9 – Lk. 1:43; 2 Sam. 6:16 – Lk. 1:44; 2 Sam. 6:18 – Lk. 1:45 and 2 Sam. 6:11 – Lk. 1:56). By realizing that Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant, we are led to understand and appreciate the various Marian dogmas. The Ark of the Covenant theme unlocks the mysteries of the doctrines of the Church regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Our Blessed Mother is invoked as “Queen” in many of her titles. Dr. Anthony Buono comments: “The title ‘Queen’ is often found in invocations to the Blessed Mother that are intended to stress Mary’s spiritual greatness and her place in the Divine Plan, while inspiring in us respect, dependence, and unlimited trust in her. It is a title that does not wish to inculcate worldly modalities of power or relationships of absolute subjection but to underline a superiority conferred on Mary by God Himself, which redeemed her in a unique and complete way and rendered her Mother of His Divine Son” [The Greatest Marian Titles – Their History, Meaning and Usage (Makati: St. Paul’s Publication, 2008) p. 213].

But of course, Mary is more mother than queen, according to the Little Flower, St.Therese of the Child Jesus. Hence, we also invoke her as “Mother” in the Litany of Loreto. Mary is the Mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the “firstborn among many brethren” (Rom. 8:29). Since Mary is the mother of the ‘firstborn,’ she is also the mother of Christ’s brothers and sisters – us! Mary is Christ’s mother and ours.

Dr. Kenneth Howell explains: “God understands your desire for a mother. He put up that desire within your very being: the need for maternal care that can be fulfilled only by having a mother who loves you, who protects you, and who is your constant companion. Mary is such a mother for Christians. She holds a special place in the hearts of Catholics because of her unique role in God’s plan of salvation. Basing its teachings on Sacred Scripture and Tradition, the Catholic Church holds that Mary was chosen to be the Mother of God. She gave the world the Redeemer. Through Mary, God gave his Son a human nature, thereby uniting heaven and earth. Mary was not simply a birth canal for the divine Son: He was given flesh from her own flesh so that, just as the rest of us are, the Son of God was ‘born of woman’ (Gal. 4:4)” [Meeting Mary Our Mother in Faith (San Diego, CA: Catholic Answers, 2003) p. 7].