When Archbishop Lefebvre spoke of the Blessed Virgin Mary, he often liked to describe her as the “Mirror of Christ”.
St. John Eudes explains this term very deeply, showing that Mary is first of all a living likeness of divine Love and of all the attributes of God.
“The Immaculate Heart of Mary is a most perfect expression and a marvellous abbreviation of all the attributes of the divine Essence. It is this Heart which is like a beautiful mirror, in which the most ardent Love of Jesus towards His most loving Mother, depicts all the perfections of His divinity and His humanity.”
Then, He sees in her, the mirror of the divine unity: “For, as God is verily one and unique in the infinite eminence of all His greatness, the only powerful one, the only good one, the only wise one, the only merciful one, the only just one, the only immortal one, the only blessed one, the only Lord, the only Most High one.
“So there is only one heart of the Mother of God in the whole universe; and this heart is very unique in its order and in the excellence of its perfections, surpassing in power, in wisdom, in goodness, in mercy, in piety, in love, in charity, and in all kinds of virtues, of eminent qualities, all the perfect hearts of men and of Angels.”
The unity of God is presented here especially from the point of view of his absolute transcendence, the fullness and source of all good. All beings are like many rays coming from one source of light.
Every thing and every being that was made and that ever will be made emanates from God. He is the source of all, and all is contained within Him as their universal cause and end.
Now, the Blessed Virgin is the most beautiful reflection of this “all and one” of God. Surpassing all the perfections of the saints and angels, she contains them all in her Heart. That is why she is called by the Angel: gratia plena – fullness of graces.
“This unique heart has never had but one love, which is the purest love of God. It has never suffered in itself the multiplicity of superfluous thoughts, useless desires and vain affections which ordinarily fill and divide the wretched hearts of the children of Adam; but it has never had but one thought, one purpose, one will, one affection, one intention and one very single desire: namely, to please God and to do in everything and every place His most adorable will.”
There is in Mary another aspect which makes the brilliance of this “Mirror of divine Unity” shimmer: Because of original sin, men carry within themselves division, multiplicity, contradiction, opposition. It is indeed Adam’s sin, separating all of us from God, which also made man lose the sole purpose of his life, and consequently, his thoughts and desires are scattered and go in all directions, having only vestiges of this divine unity.
In the Immaculate Virgin, on the contrary, everything is united, for intelligence, will, desire of the heart, body and soul, are directed entirely and exclusively towards the same and only goal: the love of God.
Through her, may we be ever more determined to turn our souls towards Him who is “the only holy one, the only Lord, the only Most High, Jesus Christ” in such a way as to reflect Him totally.
