Mary the dawn, Christ the Perfect Day

An anonymous poet wrote a poem that speaks wonderfully of the
intimate relationship between Jesus and His mother Mary. This
poem is one of the hymns suggested for the Morning Prayer of the
Liturgy of the Hours' "Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary". The
poem now exists in its edited form by the Dominican Sisters of
Summit (1972). The poems reads as follows:

Mary the dawn, Christ the Perfect Day;
Mary the gate, Christ the Heavenly Way!
Mary the root, Christ the Mystic Vine;
Mary the grape, Christ the Sacred Wine!
Mary the wheat, Christ the Living Bread;
Mary the stem, Christ the Rose blood-red!
Mary the font, Christ the Cleansing Flood;
Mary the cup, Christ the Saving Blood!
Mary the temple, Christ the temple's Lord;
Mary the shrine, Christ the God adored!
Mary the beacon, Christ the Haven's Rest;
Mary the mirror, Christ the Vision Blest!
Mary the mother, Christ the mother's Son
By all things blest while endless ages run. Amen.

In just fourteen lines, the anonymous poet gives us a glimpse of
that deep mystery of the Incarnation. The poet aptly uses symbols
to express the wonderful intimacy of the divine to the human.
This is a very excellent poem to meditate upon when we like to
strengthen our devotion to Mary and Jesus. For those who who want
and pray to be given the gift to understand more deeply how Mary
plays a very important role in the mystery of our salvation, then
this poem will help when understood from the perspective the
gospels and the parables.

Many theologians and scholars who study the many aspects of Marian
devotion would probably want to see this poem also expressed in
the many expressions of religious art. Some religious art protray
only the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. There are statues or
paintings which present Mary alone in the artist's medium. Modern
theologians and scholars would prefer that religious artists
portray Mary and Jesus together in whatever medium they use (like
Mary holding the Child Jesus in her arms, or like the sculptured
image of the "Pieta"). This way of presenting Jesus and Mary in
religious art will help the faithful really see (as in the poem)
how Mary is related to the mission and ministry of Christ Jesus.

If we use our imagination to gather the fruits of our meditations
and contemplation on the mystery of the Incarnation, then we can
also add our personal spiritual insights to the poem mentioned
above. We can for example add:

Mary the ark, Christ the Rainbow's Promise
Mary the star, Christ the Newborn King
Mary the tree, Christ the Sacred Fruit
Mary the chalice, Christ the Eternal Spring
Mary the womb, Christ the Word Enfleshed
Mary the well, Christ the Living Water

If we read the books of St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort
(Secret of Mary and True Devotion to Mary), we will find in his
writings so many symbols and images that also present the close
and wonderfully intimate relationship of Jesus and Mary as in the
poem given above. Montfort is an expert in presenting Mary as
the best way to obtain Christ, the Eternal Wisdom of God. He
truthfully attests to a part of the Litany of Mary where Mary is
presented as the "Seat of Wisdom".

Sources of this blog post

• The Who's Who of Heaven: Saints for All Seasons, by Msgr.
  John P. Kleinz
• God Alone, by Montfort Publications, Inc.