Saint Thomas Aquinas: Mystical Marriage and Mary

I was wondering about Saint Thomas Aquinas and mystical marriage the other day, and so I googled it. I came across this short article by Sister Thomas Mary Mc Bride, O. P., entitled: "The Marian Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas." The full article may be found here.

Toward the end of the article it states this:
"In the contemplation of St. Thomas the virginal body of Mary, as well as her soul, overflowed with grace. 'The soul of the Blessed Virgin was so full of grace that it overflowed into her flesh, thus fitting it for the conception of God's Son.'1 Her immaculate heart, her feelings, mind and will were all involved in the conception and care of her Son, just as it is in helping each of us conceive and bring forth Christ in our soul."

As Mary's soul overflowed with grace into her body to prepare a place for Jesus and then nourish Him as a baby, so she is the conduit of God's grace to you and me to conceive Christ in our soul, give birth to Him, and nourish our relationship with Him through prayer and the sacraments.

The article continues:
"Mary not only brings Christ to us, she also brings us to Christ. St. Thomas, in interpreting the mystical meaning of the wedding of Cana considers that Mary is present in the mystical marriage of the soul with God and that it is she who 'arranges the marriage, because through her intercession, the soul is joined to Christ through grace.'2 St. Thomas points out that it was the fiat of Mary which allowed the spiritual marriage between the Son of God and human nature to take place. In the plan of God, Mary's "yes" stood for the "yes" of all God's people thereby making it possible for every person to pronounce his or her own fiat and attain intimate union with the divine nature.3 St. Thomas calls Mary mediatrix and consolatrix4 and in his prayer he entrusts his entire person to the intimacy of her pure, grace-filled and loving heart."

It is interesting to note that the author of this article and Saint Thomas Aquinas assume that souls are mystically married to God; the point Saint Thomas is making here is that Mary is present and is the one who arranges the marriage between the soul and God. It was Mary's yes to God that allowed God to become man, that wedded divinity to humanity forever in Jesus, and so now we are all able to say yes to God and enter into intimate union with Him. As children of Mary, you and I are introduced to her preeminent Son Jesus, and it is her sole desire that we become intimate with Him. We, too, are to become houses, temples and spouses of her Divine Son. Entrusting ourselves into her care, she protects our heart and encourages us to love, trust and obey God. She cooperates with God to help form Christ in us so that we can become other Christs.

Notes:
1. St. Thomas Aquinas, The Three Greatest Prayers: Commentaries on the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Apostles' Creed, trans. Laurence Shapcote, O.P. with intro. by Thomas Gilby, O.P. (Westminster, Maryland: The Newman Press, 1956), Commentary on the Angelic Salutation, Namely, the Hail Mary! , 32.
2. St. Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on John, ed. James A. Weisheipl, O.P. (Albany, N. Y.: Magi Books, Inc., 1980),1,10, n.201, 98; and 2,1, n.336, 338, and 343, 151-152.
3. St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, 3a, 30, 1.
4. St. Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on John, 2,I,n.344, 152. See also St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, vol. 51, Our Lady, Appendix 1, ed. and trans. with Appendices by T. R. Heath, O.P (N.Y.: Blackfriars-McGraw Hill, 1969) 94.

Thanks for reading and your prayers.
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