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May 17, 2021Mary’s names are various ways we can think of her, try to understand her a little better. In my own life, I know the names that inspire the most awe usually resonate with me the most. They are the ways in which I see her best. However, this is not always immediate.
After my first year, I attended a Thomistic Institute conference. In the room I was given during the conference, there was a little statue of Mary tenderly holding our Lord as He slept in her arms. One of her names was carved underneath: Sedes Sapientiae, Seat of Wisdom.
The name filled my mind, captured my attention and I stared. I stared at it every morning and every evening of the conference. It confused me as much as it fascinated me. There was a nagging wonder tugging at me to try to figure it out. It was like seeing puzzle pieces sitting at a table, knowing that in some way they must fit, and having the urge to work on them until they do. I knew the name had to make sense, but I could not see it quite yet.
I became more and more involved with the TI and realized that the notion of Wisdom as used by St. Thomas was far-reaching and intricate. In studying with St. Thomas, I began to receive more pieces to understand Mary as the Seat of Wisdom. It is almost two years of this, and it has become a bit of an obsession I would say. I know our Lady is smirking at me, happy with how effectively she is bringing me to her Son and always helping me work on her puzzle.
I would like to present three pieces of this puzzle if I may. I hope they shed light on you as they have on me. I hope they give you the courage to pursue understanding of the mysteries of our faith. Understanding them will change you.
Piece One: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him, nothing came to be.” (John 1:1-3)
Wisdom is the harmonious ordering of parts. There is Wisdom in the Divine ordering of everything: creation, history, the church, and everyone’s path to heaven. The Word of God is this ordering. It is Wisdom, and as the Word became flesh through Mary, she is the Seat of Wisdom.
Piece Two: “Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.” (John 17:3)
Wisdom is the Second Person of the Trinity, the Word of God, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus, the Word, is the principle of reason, Truth itself, which is meant to dwell in our intellect as knowledge of God. This knowledge, sprouting from the infused virtue of faith we receive at baptism, is meant to flourish in a soul full of grace. Mary’s soul is full of grace, and thus her knowledge of God is perfect, her intellect in perfect union. Since she knew Him as the Word made flesh, Mary’s knowledge is also incarnate, as thorough as any loving mother’s knowledge of her son.
Piece Three: “Taste and see that the Lord is Good” (Psalm 34:8):
Wisdom is also a gift of the Holy Spirit, associated with contemplation. It can be described as the Spirit granting you the experience of God as Good, an experience that is almost ineffable, dealing more with spiritual senses than material ones, a simultaneous tasting and seeing. Grace is a participation in the life of the Trinity, as defined by St. Thomas. Mary, full of grace, was thus in perfect union with the Holy Spirit as well as the Son. She was overflowing with the Spirit’s gifts and fruits, she lived a life of seeing God as good, contemplated Him in everything around her since everything is good. She contemplated Him as a mother marvels at the growth and existence of her son, but she also knew that He was God, the principle of existence for everything that is. There was nothing that did not remind her of Him, and so she pondered all things and kept them in her heart.
My name is Martina Bucheli, and I am a third-year studying architecture and art history. Three fun facts about me are that I am passionate about my favorite type of pen, I was born in Ecuador, and I became a U.S. Citizen a few weeks ago.