Mary: the Ark of the Covenant

Mary: The Ark of the Covenant Subhash Anand St. Paul's School, Bhupalpura Udaipur, 313001 [e-mail] 0294-2423507

In the Latin Church, May is considered the month of Mary. On the last day of the month we celebrate the feast of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. Throughout the whole month in many parishes the people gather in front of the grotto of Mary to recite the Rosary together. This is usually followed by the Litany of Mary. Among the many titles the litany bestows on her, only a very few really have a foundation in Holy Scripture. Mary as the Ark of the Covenant is one such instance, at least according to some New Testament scholars. I shall first provide the Biblical data that may substantiate this title of Mary, and then spell out its tremendous significance for our life today.

Beyond the Temple In composing the account of the visit of Mary to Elizabeth (1.39-56), Luke is depending heavily on 2 Samuel, 6.1-20. First of all we notice a narrative affinity. I can detect the following similarities:

|1. |Mary “went with haste into the hill country” (39). |David goes to the “house of Abinadab which was on the hill” |
| | |(3). Jerusalem the city of David, to which the Ark is |
| | |eventually brought, was the city set on a hill (Ps 2.6). |
|2. |Mary goes to a city of Judah (39). Elizabeth lived near |The Ark is brought to the city of David – Jerusalem (16). |
| |Jerusalem.[i] |