| Meaning:
”AVE EVA” (Hail, Eve) in the mullioned upper parts of the window tells
its theme: Mary as the new Eve. “Ave” at left reminds us of the “Hail
Mary”, and the chi-rho of Christ’s name remind us Jesus is the Fruit of
her womb. In the “Eva” part at right the forbidden fruit (apples?)
reminds us of Adam and Eve’s fall.
Mary as new Eve is an extension of the Pauline teaching of Christ as
New Adam, Lord of the New Creation (I Cor. 15:45-49). Eve disobeyed God
by taking from a tree to choose live, which led to death. Mary obeyed
God in the Annunciation, and the Fruit of her womb choose to be put up
on a tree, which led to life.
The early Church Fathers elaborated on this theme. St. Justin Martyr
(+165): "Christ became a man by a virgin to overcome the disobedience
caused by the serpent ...in the same way it had originated." (Dialogue
with Trypho). St. Ireneus, Bishop of Lyons, (+202) : "The knot of Eve's
disobedience was loosened by Mary's obedience. The bonds fastened by the
virgin Eve through disbelief were untied by the virgin Mary through
faith." (Adv. Haereses3:22). St. Ambrose of Milan (+397): "It was
through a man and woman that flesh was cast from paradise; it was
through a virgin that flesh was linked to God." St. Jerome (+420) :
"Death through Eve, Life through Mary." (Ep. 22,21).
The imagery in the Window is of the Immaculate Conception, the dogma
that “from the first moment of her conception the Blessed Virgin Mary
was, by the singular grace and privilege of Almighty God and in view of
the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of humanity, kept free from all stain
of original sin”. In fact, the proofs from tradition for the dogma,
declared by Pius IX on Dec. 8, 1854 in Ineffabilis Deus, hearken back to
the patristic texts above regarding Mary as the New Eve. The lily above
Mary, carrying the child Jesus, signifies her purity. The crown shows
she is queen of heaven. The star refers to many of her titles in her
Litanies, such as “Star of the Sea”. These symbols and other plants of
the Garden of Eden are repeated throughout. Note also the flowered “M”.
The Virgin’s ornately shod foot trods on Satan (Gen 3:15) even as he
hides behind the figure of the deceiving serpent (Gen 3:1) tempting Eve
into taking the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil (Gen 2:17; 3:6).
Pope Pius XII: "Mary, in the work of Redemption was by God's will,
joined with Jesus Christ, the cause of salvation, in much the same way
as Eve was joined with Adam, the cause of death (Encyclical Ad Caeli
Reginam, 11 Oct. 1954). Vatican II: "What the virgin Eve bound by her
unbelief, Mary loosened by her faith… " (Lumen Gentium 8,56) "For
believing and obeying, Mary brought forth on earth the Father's Son.
This she did, knowing not man but overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, as
the New Eve, who put absolute trust, not in the ancient serpent, but in
the messenger of God. We, the faithful of the Church are called to
follow Mary's example of trusting faith and fidelity to the Holy Will of
God." (LG 8,63).
If Eve’s name means she is the ‘mother of all the living’ (Gen 3:20),
Mary is especially so through our redemption completed by her son Jesus. |
