Feria IV infra Hebdomadam Sexagesimæ
“A Woman Clothed with the Sun” — Ark of the Covenant and Mother of the Redeemer
In the sacred liturgical season of Sexagesima, as Holy Mother Church gently turns our hearts toward the mysteries of Redemption, she places before us a luminous vision: “And the temple of God was opened in heaven: and the ark of His testament was seen in His temple” (Apoc. 11:19). Immediately follows the sign: “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun” (Apoc. 12:1).
The Fathers, contemplating this seamless vision, discerned in it not two separate realities, but one profound mystery: the Ark of the Covenant revealed as the Woman — the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Ark Revealed
St. Hippolytus of Rome writes that the Ark prefigured the Virgin, “for in her was deposited the treasure of sanctification.” The ancient Ark bore within it the manna, the rod of Aaron, and the tables of the Law. But Mary bore within her womb the true Manna from heaven (Jn 6:51), the eternal High Priest, and the Word made flesh.
St. Ambrose proclaims:
“The ark was gilded within and without; so too was Mary adorned within by grace and without by the glory of virginity.”
When St. John beholds the Ark in heaven, he does not see a relic of the Old Covenant, but its fulfillment. The Old gives way to the New; the figure yields to the reality. The Ark is no longer of acacia wood, but of immaculate flesh.
Thus the liturgy of this feast, recalling the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin, invites us to contemplate her not merely in history, but in glory — “a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.”
The Great Sign and the Cry of Victory
Apocalypse 12 continues: “Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ” (12:10).
St. Augustine interprets this heavenly proclamation as the triumph of Christ over the ancient serpent, accomplished through the humility of the Incarnation. Yet that Incarnation begins in the hidden fiat of the Virgin.
The Woman stands in cosmic opposition to the dragon. As Eve once listened to the serpent and brought death, Mary listens to Gabriel and brings Life. St. Irenaeus famously declares:
“The knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary.”
The “great sign” is not merely symbolic of Israel or the Church, though she contains both within her mystery; she is first and personally the Mother of the Redeemer, through whom salvation enters history.
The Annunciation: Heaven Descends
The Gospel (Luke 1:26–31) draws us from heavenly vision to earthly dwelling:
“The angel Gabriel was sent from God… to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph.”
The eternal decree of God touches time in the quiet house of Nazareth.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, in words cherished by the tradition, imagines the whole cosmos waiting upon Mary’s consent:
“The angel awaits your reply… We too are waiting, O Lady, for a word of compassion.”
When Gabriel greets her — “Hail, full of grace” — the Greek kecharitomene signifies a plenitude already possessed. The Fathers saw here the seed of the doctrine of her singular holiness. St. Ephrem calls her “all-pure,” the “earth that was never cursed.”
In that moment, the Ark is overshadowed — not by the cloud of Sinai, but by the Holy Ghost. As the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle (Ex. 40:34), so now the divine Presence fills the Virgin’s womb.
Apparition and Continuity
On a feast recalling Marian apparitions, the Church gently reminds us that the Woman clothed with the sun has not withdrawn from her maternal solicitude. The same Mother who bore Christ in Nazareth now intercedes from heaven.
St. John Damascene writes:
“She is the mediatrix of the law of grace.”
Not as source, but as channel; not as redeemer, but as Mother of the Redeemer. Every authentic apparition echoes Nazareth: it directs souls to penance, prayer, and fidelity to her Son.
Sexagesima and the Soil of the Heart
In Sexagesima, we hear also the parable of the sower. The seed of the Word must find good soil. Mary is that perfect soil — terra bona — in whom the Word bore fruit thirty, sixty, a hundredfold.
If the Ark once contained the Law written on stone, Mary contained the Lawgiver Himself. But the mystery does not end there. By grace, the Christian soul is called to become, in some measure, what she is perfectly.
St. Ambrose exhorts:
“Let the soul of Mary be in each of you, to magnify the Lord.”
Conclusion
The Temple is opened. The Ark is revealed. The Woman appears. The Child is conceived. Salvation comes.
In contemplating Apoc. 11–12 alongside the Annunciation, Holy Church invites us to see that heaven and earth meet in Mary. The cosmic sign and the hidden Virgin of Nazareth are one and the same — humble yet crowned, silent yet victorious.
May we, in this season of preparation, entrust ourselves anew to her maternal care. And as she once received the Word in faith, may we receive Him in purity of heart, so that Christ may be formed in us unto the glory of God.
Sancta Maria, Arca Foederis, ora pro nobis.